Working with Real Customers: Examples from Project-Based MIS Courses
Katia Passerini
This paper presents an overview of the learning experiences provided by project-based introductory management information systems (MIS) courses, wherein students interact with “real” customers to deliver a complete product. In this example, students in multiple MIS courses are organized into teams competing to design a product that a customer will select at the end of the course. Students must apply group-management techniques for project completion by structuring project activities while working in an expanded team environment. The courses leverage the use of communication technologies to structure and assess the status of expected project outcomes. Lessons learned on the pedagogical value of the development experience and the preliminary effects on learning outcomes are then presented.
Keywords: IA01 IS Curriculum, UF Management Information Systems, HB08 Educational IS, UF Requirements Specification
Katia Passerini is an Assistant Professor of MIS at the School of Management of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) where she teaches courses in MIS, Knowledge Management and IT Strategy. She has published in refereed journals and proceedings, particularly in the area of computer-mediated learning, IT productivity and mobile communications. Her professional IT experience includes multi-industry projects at Booz Allen Hamilton and the World Bank. Dr. Passerini earned both a MBA and a Ph.D. degree in Information & Decision Systems from the George Washington University in Washington DC.
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