Towards The Compleat Information Systems Graduate: A Problem Based Learning Approach

The critical question challenging information systems educators in the new millennium is: How can university information systems courses add enough value to students that they will choose to study with us for three years rather than opt for a one-year certification course leading to similar economic and status outcomes in the short term? This paper describes research in progress aimed at assessing the feasibility and desirability of achieving a better match between delivery of information systems education and the professional workplace. A simple working model for educating a "Compleat Information Systems Graduate" is presented. A brief introduction to cognitive and learning principles is followed by a discussion of Problem Based Learning and its potential to help to achieve a better fit between student aspirations and employer requirements. The paper concludes with a description of an experimental trial of the Problem Based Learning approach in an information systems subject conducted in the second half of 1999.