Wikis, Blogs and Other
Technology in IS Classes
Vicki L. Sauter
Professor of Information
Systems
Range of Courses
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I teach information systems courses
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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
Additional Technology
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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
The Internet vs. Blackboard
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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
Why My Students are Different …
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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
Why My Students Are Different ….
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Problems in the classroom are part of the
learning experience for IS students
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They need to learn what CAN happen
They need to learn how to respond
They need to learn coping strategies
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Sauter’s First Law of Technology
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Never attempt to do something that
someone else has not already done
successfully
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At least do not attempt it alone
Sauter’s Second Law
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If it is technology, it will break
What is a Blog?
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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.
What is a Blog?
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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
What is a Blog?
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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
Decision Support Systems Course
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Course Goals
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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
Motivation for Technology Use
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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
Blog Assignment
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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
Specifics of Assignment
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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
Example of their Work
Problems – from the Students’ View
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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)
Problems – from the Students’ View
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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
Problems – My View
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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
Changes
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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
Introductory MBA Class
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Course Goals
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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
Motivation for Technology Use
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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
Blog Assignment
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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
Specifics of Assignment
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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
Specifics of the Assignment (cont)
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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
Move from Blackboard
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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)
Example of their Work
Example of their Work
Example of their Work
Problems – from the Students’ View
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No complaints have been expressed!
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It is a “culture change” to develop a term
paper quality document in weekly
installments
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It is not clear when to stop focusing on last
week’s topic and to move onto this week
Problems – from my point of view
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It is much more work to comment on the blogs each
week than to grade term papers!
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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
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The students are not commenting (at least online) to
their colleagues’ blogs
What is a Wiki?
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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.
Systems Analysis Class
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Class Goals
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Provide students with the skills to develop a set of
managerial and technical specifications to
address business need
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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
Systems Analysis Class
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Develop team skills to address technology
problems
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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
Motivation for Technology
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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
What is a Wiki?
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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.
Wiki Assignment
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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
Examples of the Seeding
More Detailed Seeding
Problems
Problems
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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
Changes
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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
The Next Semester
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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
The Next Semester
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Only one group elected to use the
Blackboard wiki tool
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One group elected to use an external wiki
tool (google’s wiki tool)
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Greater flexibility
Actual Word formatting
Includes Excel sharing too
Scales easily
Questions?
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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