IS Degrees: Sociotechnical or Technosocial? - A Reflective Analysis.

Coady, Jenny; Berg, Tessa; Pooley, Rob

Abstract

This paper describes a reflective and empirical investigation by staff involved in delivery of the Heriot-Watt University Information Systems undergraduate degree. It looks particularly at the practical relevance of the IS 2010 model curriculum, asking to what extent the Heriot-Watt University Information Systems teaching staff supports the model and identifying areas of conflicting opinion. These are compared with empirical evidence of relevance to employability in the form of statistics on graduate destinations from cohorts in 2010 and 2011. An IS virtual alumni forum was set up for past students to debate the IS degree and discuss areas of relevance to careers and suggestions for further improvement. In agreement with the IS 2010 model, graduate discussion and working panel reflection both propose the inclusion of a project management course. Graduates also suggest the need for more specialised technical skills in software and web development and a stronger grounding in spreadsheet application software including statistical processing methods. In agreement with the working panel, graduates state the importance of having quality experienced teaching delivered with skill and enthusiasm. Further work is then proposed to encourage continuous reflective practice and enhance student experience.

• Conference Name: ISD Conference
• Start Date: Aug 29, 2012
• End Date: Jul 30, 2012
• Publication Date: 2013
• Deposit Date: Sep 26, 2014
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 219-231
• Book Title: Building Sustainable Information Systems: Proceedings of the 2012 International Conference on Information Systems Development
• ISBN: 978-1-4614-7539-2
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7540-8_17
• Keywords: Information systems; graduate destinations; undergraduate degrees; project management; reflective practice
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/7211
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7540-8_17