Evaluating Procedural Knowledge in Information Systems Students
Creggan Gjestland, J. Ellis Blanton, Cindy LeRouge
Individuals generally progress from possessing declarative knowledge to possessing procedural knowledge as they acquire cognitive skills. This study proposes that evaluating IS students on both declarative and procedural knowledge within skill domains willprovide educational benefits to students and educators. UsingIS students in two courses where one was a prerequisite for the other course, the study examined whether an objective format examination could discriminate between declarative and procedural knowledge. The results indicated a significant difference in the performance of the students between the questions testing declarative knowledge and those testing procedural knowledge. While there was no significant difference between the students in the two courses in performance on declarative-type questions, there was a significant difference in performance on procedural-type questions. Results provide initial evidence that an objectiveformat examination can discriminate between the two types ofknowledge, providing educators and students with insight into the students' acquisition ofcognitive skills.
Creggan Gjestland is a assistant professor in information systems at the University of Alabama. His current research interests include technology mediated learning and database design. Dr. Gjestland has served in development, consulting, andtraining roles in the manufacturing; telecommunications, and health care industries. He has published in the Journal of Information Technology Theory & Application, as well as conference proceedings..
J. Ellis Blanton is a professor of MIS in the Information Systems and Decision Sciences Department at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. He earned a PhD in MIS from The University of Georgia. Dr. Blanton's current research interests include computer personnel issues and organizational impacts of IT. He lias publications in MIS Quarterly, Communications of the ACM, Journal of MIS, Information and Management, and other MIS journals.
Cindy LeRouge is a PhD candidate in information systems and decision sciences at the University of South Florida. Her current research interests includeissues related to technology mediated learning, healthcare information systems, and information systems personnel. Ms. LeRouge has served in consulting, training, controller, and analyst roles in the software, health care, public accounting, and petrochemical industries. She has publications in the International Journal ofHuman ComputerStudies and Strategic Finance as well as edited academic books and conference proceedings.
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