Wikis, Blogs and Other Technology in IS Classes

1. Wikis, Blogs and Other Technology in IS Classes Vicki L. Sauter Professor of Information Systems

2. Range of Courses • I teach information systems courses • Introductory MBA course on IT • Systems Analysis (MS and BS level) • Decision Support Systems (MS and BS level) • Doctoral Seminar on Systems Analysis and Design • Internship Requirements

3. Additional Technology • Email list on outlook so I can email them wherever they are • Discussion board in Blackboard for group discussions • Post final grades for the students to see late in the semester grades

4. The Internet vs. Blackboard • My material was available prior to the introduction of Blackboard • I have too much material to move • Students rely on the materials in later courses • My students rely on the materials as references in their careers • Students from around the world are using my materials both in their classes and just because they find the materials there

5. Why My Students are Different … • My students are usually technology-proficient • They already have some experience with many tools we use in class • They are less tolerant with kludgy tools • They are better able to trouble-shoot problems • They will tell you what you should be doing

6. Why My Students Are Different …. • Problems in the classroom are part of the learning experience for IS students • They need to learn what CAN happen • They need to learn how to respond • They need to learn coping strategies

7. Sauter’s First Law of Technology • Never attempt to do something that someone else has not already done successfully • At least do not attempt it alone

8. Sauter’s Second Law • If it is technology, it will break

9. What is a Blog? • Wikipedia: A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. Like other media, blogs often focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.

10. What is a Blog? • Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. www.bytowninternet.com/glossary • A short form for weblog, a frequent and chronological publication of comments and thoughts on the web. They usually include philosophical reflections, opinions on the Internet and social or political issues.www.epolitix.com

11. What is a Blog? • The name "blog" is a truncated form of "web log" according to Rebecca Blood's essay "Weblogs: a history and perspective." Blog is used to refer to sites that can best be described as mini sites or mini directories, populated with the site owner's personal opinions. Blogs are now popular for business use as well.www.thewebdivision.com/glossary.html • Blog is short for Web log and is a Web page that has short, frequent updates made to it. Similar to a Web journal or "what's new" page.www.cougarcreationsinc.com/web_definitions.htm

12. Decision Support Systems Course • Course Goals • Make them more aware of how decision makers act • Translate that decision making knowledge into awareness of how to use models to support decision makers • Teach them to build software that includes models and support for understanding those models

13. Motivation for Technology Use • Need students to focus on decision making and modeling since it is a critical component in decision support systems • They have a rudimentary modeling background and no experience in applying those models in real world situations • Students never really understand what a model is outside of a textbook question

14. Blog Assignment • Emphasize discussion of the models, their impacts, and their assumptions • Find examples of models • Critique those models • Requiring other students to engage in a directed discussion through the blogs • Worked through an article in class explaining what should be addressed and how to review the article

15. Specifics of Assignment • Each student must identify an article each week that discusses decision making • An entry provides a link to an article that discusses decision making and/or modeling and provides a critique of the use of the model and the approach to the decision making. • Each student must comment on other articles and the students’ critiques of the assignments

16. Example of their Work

17. Problems – from the Students’ View • Navigation of Blackboard to look at all blogs is tedious • Blackboard screen does not resize nicely • Not everyone keeps up, so it is hard to go back and comment on others’ discussion • The assignment is too vague (undergraduates) • It takes too much time (undergraduates)

18. Problems – from the Students’ View • People don’t engage in discussion – there is the original comment and then they never come back (graduate students) • People late in the alphabet do not get quality comments • Blogs do not thread nicely

19. Problems – My View • There is a wide range of attention to this assignment • Especially at the undergraduate level, there are often not quality comments • Since I do not require people to go back and respond, there really is not discussion • No obvious improvement in conceptualization of decision making or modeling

20. Changes • Designate one or two students to find and review an article each week • Require discussion on the article (at undergraduate level, this may mean requiring “x” postings) • Instructor post comments • Instructor start process with a review in the blog format

21. Introductory MBA Class • Course Goals • Make students more aware of technology and how it can be used in business • Provide a basic capability in using and implementing some technologies • Make students aware of the challenges and legalities associated with implementing technologies in businesses

22. Motivation for Technology Use • Need students to focus on how technology has been used in various industries • Expose students to the range of applications and the range of issues associated with those applications • Provide them with an experience that uses technology rather than just writing a term paper

23. Blog Assignment • Select an industry • Research how technology has been used in that industry • Critique those applications • Make recommendations for how to improve the application of technology • Respond to the comments I made in the previous week

24. Specifics of Assignment • Each student selects an industry of interest to them. • Twenty five industries selected • Fashion Industry • Sports Industry • Retail Sales Industry • Music Industry • Student Loan Industry • Travel Industry

25. Specifics of the Assignment (cont) • Each week the student must research how the topic covered in class is addressed in the selected industry • How blogs are used in the music industry • Wiki technology in the high tech industry • Data warehousing and the retail industry • Security in professional sports industry

26. Move from Blackboard • Responded to concerns from last class • Use http://www.blogger.com/ • Easy to access • Easy to navigate • Scales and sizes nicely • Easy for comments • More flexibility in the aesthetics • Something they may maintain in the future (perhaps on other topics)

27. Example of their Work

28. Example of their Work

29. Example of their Work

30. Problems – from the Students’ View • No complaints have been expressed! • It is a “culture change” to develop a term paper quality document in weekly installments • It is not clear when to stop focusing on last week’s topic and to move onto this week

31. Problems – from my point of view • It is much more work to comment on the blogs each week than to grade term papers! • It is hard to get them to go to the library and put in that kind of focus on research when they post each week and post to the web • The students are not commenting (at least online) to their colleagues’ blogs

32. What is a Wiki? • It also sometimes refers to the collaborative software itself (wiki engine) that facilitates the operation of such a website • In essence, wiki is a simplification of the process of creating web pages combined with a system that records each individual change that occurs over time, so that at any time, a page can be reverted to any of its previous states. • A wiki system may also provide various tools that easily allow the user community to monitor the constantly changing state of the wiki and discuss the issues that emerge in trying to achieve a general consensus about wiki content. Wiki content can also be misleading as users may add incorrect information to the Wiki page.

33. Systems Analysis Class • Class Goals • Provide students with the skills to develop a set of managerial and technical specifications to address business need • Analyze business processes • Critically examine problems and opportunities from a variety of perspectives • Examine technology as a tool to address those problems • Construct specifications for someone to build technology to address those problems and opportunities

34. Systems Analysis Class • Develop team skills to address technology problems • Developing a group perspective on the problem • Keeping a technical journal • Brainstorming of solutions • Evaluating solutions • Sharing a vision of a solution • “Selling” that solution

35. Motivation for Technology • Student groups are not always cohesive • Some students “opt out” • Some students over control • Students miss many of the steps in the systems analysis process • Documentation of work often is not at an appropriate level

36. What is a Wiki? • Wikipedia: A wiki is a type of website that allows users to add and edit content easily and is especially suited for collaborative writing. • The name is based on the Hawaiian term wiki, meaning "quick", "fast", or "to hasten". Sometimes the reduplication (wikiwiki) is used instead of wiki.

37. Wiki Assignment • Students are required to keep a technical journal of their work on a semester project • Only students in the group have access to the document • Students have the ability to add documents and edit documents (including group members’ work) • Instructor has “seeded” the group wikis with outlines and suggestions

38. Examples of the Seeding

39. More Detailed Seeding

40. Problems

41. Problems • The system has been very unstable • Students often can see items in other students’ wikis • Students’ work gets saved in the wrong wiki • Students won’t use the tool • We spend too much time in class trying to troubleshoot

42. Changes • We now have a solution to the problem • The students continued to be hesitant to use the tool because of concerns about other groups seeing their material and/or losing their material • I took a very hard position – they MUST post their notes or flunk the class • Considered “seeding” information outside the wiki (time intensive to create) and they can import if they want

43. The Next Semester • Seeded information outside of the wiki • Did not require the use of the wiki • Set up the opportunity for the wiki use in the classes and talked about the advantages

44. The Next Semester • Only one group elected to use the Blackboard wiki tool • One group elected to use an external wiki tool (google’s wiki tool) • Greater flexibility • Actual Word formatting • Includes Excel sharing too • Scales easily

45. Questions? • Email address: vicki.sauter@umsl.edu • Home page: www.umsl.edu/~sauter • DSS (graduate class) home page: www.umsl.edu/~sauter/DSS/6833start.html • Analysis (undergraduate class) home page: www.umsl.edu/~sauter/analysis/ba3810start.html • MBA Class home page: www.umsl.edu/~sauter/5800