Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
CONCLUSION
Graduate qualities develop out of the processes employed in the teaching of the course.
In essence, the teaching and learning strategies were implemented to develop a positive
attitude toward the continual learning process and the ability to “think outside the square.”
The introduction of case studies and role playing in this course has stimulated the students
to explore, to enquire, to question, to motivate, and to acquire skills that they will use in their
professional lives. Providing we attach a mark to the various stages of the project, students
generally deliver well. This raises an interesting question in terms of whether the students
are demonstrating the graduate qualities if they only attach importance to something that
gains them a mark.
Candy et al. (1994) described assessment as being a measure of how something has been
learned and the use the student will be able to make of this knowledge. The methods of
assessment used in this course attempt, with some success, to determine the extent to which
the graduate qualities of body of knowledge, effective communication, and problem solving
have been attained. If students are to be encouraged to be lifelong learners, they “must be
able to judge or evaluate the adequacy, completeness or appropriateness of their own
learning, so whatever assessment practices are used [they] must be comprehensible to the
learners so that they can be internalized as criteria for critical self-evaluation” (Candy et al.,
1994).
The course currently fails to achieve a good outcome in the area of project management.
At the end of the course, students reflect on their approach and identify a number of
weaknesses in managing themselves, and in particular, their time. In the follow-up course,
these problems recur.
The approach adopted provides an interesting learning forum for staff and students,
and provides the students with the opportunity to demonstrate effective problem solving,
working collaboratively (excluding external students), effective communication, and lifelong
learning, as well as the ability to operate effectively on a body of knowledge. However, it needs
to be recognized that this approach has a high overhead on staff time, and given the ever-
increasing numbers of students, staff members are constantly exploring new ways of
achieving positive results with lower overhead.
ONGOING RESEARCH
This research forms part of a wider research program being conducted by Sandra Barker
and Ann Monday into the delivery of this software-based information systems course in the
Administrative Management degree program.
REFERENCES
Barker, S., & Monday, A. (2000). Business students in information systems: Wizards or
apprentices?
Proceedings of the Australasian Computing Education Conference
,
Melbourne, Australia, December.
Candy, P. C., Crebert, G., & O'Leary, J. (1994).
Developing Lifelong Learners Through
Undergraduate Education.
Canberra: Australian Government Printing Service.
