Challenging Students: Reflections on the Development and Delivery of an Undergraduate Module That Introduces the Full Systems Development Life Cycle

Journal of Information Systems Education, Fall 2006 by McRobb, Steve

"[The new module was to be] Core for all undergraduate [computing] courses" (ibid.)

By September 2002, the BIS course team had begun work on the proposal. The following were agreed as key learning outcomes for the first year of the redesigned course:

* "Strong grasp of systems analysis and design method ?and techniques.

* "Basic skills of practical systems development

* "Fundamentals of understanding businesses and organizations" (McRobb, 2002)

* ...

INFO1401 would play a role in meeting all three aims, but with primary responsibility for the first. Other modules would focus on programming and business topics such as accounting and marketing, but INFO1401 would integrate the student's understanding of the course as a whole.

At the same time, it was expected to fulfill a similar role on several other courses including Computer Science, Software Engineering and Computing Joint degrees. A report to the Subject Authority Board described the module as follows:

"The module INFO1401, Information Systems Development, will present an integrated view of the various stages and techniques of the systems development lifecycle, and will also develop an understanding of the application of modern information systems within organizations." (McRobb, 2003)

From an Informatico perspective, these were central aims for the entire School. But the use of this module within other courses was to profoundly complicate matters. Curriculum 2004 was understood to offer a simple relationship - that a course would 'own' its modules - but INFO1401 seemed unlikely to benefit from this simplicity. Next, we will examine how the grand scheme was translated into practical content, delivery and assessment.

3. TAKING ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN: HOW THE DESIGN EVOLVED

Detailed design and development of INFO1401 occurred mainly in the summer of 2004. This was quite late, given that the first run was due to begin in September, but it was also unavoidable as the module team was only established at the start of the summer. This team consisted of two Technicos led by the author (an Informatico, in case the reader has not already guessed). The module learning outcomes were now defined as:

"1. Explain key concepts in the Information Systems domain, and discuss the impact of IS on individuals, organizations and society.

"2. Explain the role, significance and typical activities of project selection, project management, systems analysis and design.

"3. Apply appropriate techniques to produce a requirements specification and design for a constrained case study, based on supplied information about user requirements.

"4. Apply practical systems development skills to implement a prototype system in an environment such as MS Access.

"5. Evaluate the extent to which the implemented system satisfies user requirements." (DMU, 2003)

In addition, the module template stated that:

"...a key emphasis throughout will be on the provision of practical examples and the opportunity for students to undertake practical project initiation, systems analysis, design and implementation tasks" (ibid.)