Information Systems Graduates Research Articles

Prediction of Student Employability through Internship based on Big Data Analysis

The internship course is among the most important because it gives students a hands-on opportunity to apply their knowledge and get ready to launch a professional career. Internships, yet, don't ensure employability, particularly in cases where a graduate's performance is subpar and internship requirements are not fulfilled. Researchers in the field of higher education face a significant challenge in predicting employability due to the multitude of factors that contribute to this issue. This research presented the methodology for more accurately classifying student data in order to overcome this drawback. Online surveys were used to collect data from Princess Nourahbint Abdulrahman University's College of Computer and Information Sciences information systems (IS) graduates (PNU). The Switching Hierarchical Gaussian Filter (SHGF) is used to preprocess the data at the pre-processing stage. The outcome from the pre-processing is transferred to the feature selection method, which uses Siberian Tiger Optimization (STO) to select the student features. The employed, continuing studies, unemployed, and training are successfully classified using the Multi Fidelity Deep Neural Network. The proposed MFDNN -STO applied to the MATLAB/Simulink platform. To calculate the proposed approach, performance metrics including recall, ROC, computation time, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and F-score were examined. Higher accuracy of 16.65%, 18.85%, and 17.89%, as well as higher sensitivity of 16.34%, 12.23%, and 18.54%, are achieved by the suggested MFDNN-STO method. The computation time was reduced by 14.89%, 16.89%, and 18.23% as well as 82.37%, 94.47%, and 87.76% in comparison to the existing method.

Teaching Case: Read to Win: Using the Game-based System Design Framework to Gamify a Summer Reading Program

The use of gamification for organizational initiatives, such as increased foot traffic and customer engagement, is on the rise. Given this, recent information systems graduates may find themselves on project teams aimed at making decisions about gamification efforts. Currently, information systems curriculum doesn’t typically address the use of specific frameworks to design and document requirements for a game-based information system to meet a business need. This teaching case exposes students to the use of the Game-based System Design Framework in combination with the Game-based System Design Diagram to enhance student learning around the design and documentation of a gamified information system. This case could be used in an undergraduate or graduate program in either a systems analysis and design or a capstone course. The use of this case assumes that students have a basic understanding of business requirements gathering and project scope statements. Additionally, in order to develop a solution to this case, it must be used in conjunction with the article “All Work and All Play? A Framework to Design Game-based Information Systems” (Barber et al., 2021).

Elicitation and Empathy with AI-enhanced Adaptive Assistive Technologies (AATs)

Efforts to include people with disabilities in design education are difficult to scale, and dynamics of participation need to be carefully planned to avoid putting unnecessary burdens on users. However, given the scale of emerging AI-enhanced technologies and their potential for creating new vulnerabilities for marginalized populations, new methods for generating empathy and self-reflection in technology design students (as the future creators of such technologies) are needed. We report on a study with Information Systems graduate students where they used a participatory elicitation toolkit to reflect on two cases of end-user privacy perspectives towards AI-enhanced tools in the age of surveillance capitalism: their own when using tools to support learning, and those of older adults using AI-enhanced adaptive assistive technologies (AATs) that help with pointing and typing difficulties. In drawing on the experiences of students with intersectional identities, our exploratory study aimed to incorporate intersectional thinking in privacy elicitation and further understand its role in enabling sustainable, inclusive design practice and education. While aware of the risks to their own privacy and the role of identity and power in shaping experiences of bias, students who used the toolkit were more sanguine about risks faced by AAT users—assuming more data equates to better technology. Our tool proved valuable for eliciting reflection but not empathy.

Application of Index for Optimization Query Data in Graduate Information Systems

Graduates from educational institutions within the foundation of the Bahrul Ulum Islamic Boarding School each year can be more than 1000 people. The potential for this critical data has not been supported by good data collection. The data collection process is still done manually. Therefore, the level of accuracy is still fragile. In this study, an index is applied to perform query optimization. The object of this research is the database of the graduate data information system at the Bahrul Ulum Islamic Boarding School Foundation. Data collection method using literature study and interviews. The experimental stage of this research is done by determining the target output by compiling query commands. Each query command is executed ten times to find the average execution time and runs on two different hardware platforms to determine the effect of hardware on the query process. The study results show that the index can be used for data query optimization but only if it is supported by good hardware specifications so that the command execution time is optimal. When only using the index application, the average difference in execution time is 0.5 seconds.

Gender Disparity in Students’ Choices of Information Technology Majors

Abstract Background: The gender disparity in the Information Technology (IT) field has persisted over the years. In 2018, only 27.2% of IT workers were women. Once hired, women face more challenges, and they are leaving the field twice as fast as men are. The misconception that women are weak in tech is one of the root causes of gender disparity issues in IT. Objectives: We examine the gender disparity in students’ choices of IT majors, as well as the decision process of Computer Information Systems (CIS) graduates. Methods/Approach: We use the United States public universities’ student data from 2010 to 2018. Both the Pooled and the Satterthwaite t-test are used to investigate the gender disparity issue among the students. Results: Our results support our hypothesis that female students are statistically less likely to choose CIS than their male peers are. An additional analysis of students’ grades in CIS courses shows that female students perform equally well as male students do. We did not find any evidence that it takes longer for female students to get the CIS degree; however, female students did change their majors more often. Conclusions: Female students tend to avoid IT majors; they often think they may not do well in the courses; however, such an assumption is not true. Our findings provide strategies for university and high school administration to be more proactive in developing recruiting strategies to attract and retain female CIS students.

The Role of Service-Learning in Information Systems Education

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the role of service-learning in Information Systems (IS) education. Background: While the use of modern technologies presents many operational benefits, such as the lowering of the costs, it may also aggravate social-economic is-sues. IS professionals should account for these issues as well as exhibit the skills demanded by modern-day employers. Hence, why there is a need for IS educators to adopt a new pedagogy that supports the development of more holistic and socially responsible IS graduates. Methodology: In this qualitative exploratory case study, two IS service-learning courses at a South African university were studied. Interviews, course evaluations, and reflection essays were analyzed to gain insight into the implications that service-learning may have for students. Contribution: This study contributes to IS education research by advancing discussions on the role of service-learning in providing learning outcomes such as the development of important skills in IS, civic-mindedness, and active participation in society. Findings: The findings showed that the courses had different implications for students developing skills that are important in IS and becoming civic-minded due to the variation in their design and implementation. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is recommended that IS educators present their courses in the form of service-learning with a careful selection of readings, projects, and reflection activities. Recommendations for Researchers: IS education researchers are advised to conduct longitudinal studies to gain more insight into the long-term implications that service-learning may have for IS students. Impact on Society: This paper provides insight into how IS students may gain social agency and a better understanding of their role in society. Future Research: It is recommended that future research focus on mediating factors and the implications that service-learning may have for IS students in the long-term.

Information Systems Curriculum Analysis for the MaCuDE Project

This paper represents a report on the first phase of the Management Curriculum for the Digital Era (MaCuDE) disciplinary task force on information systems (IS). As its final goal, the MaCuDE project intends to recommend changes to business curricula based on the influence of digital technologies on business transformation, specifically, the widespread use of big data analytics (BDA) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the organizations. In this report, we focus on describing the current status of both undergraduate and graduate IS curricula in business schools. Aligned with the most recent curriculum development work that the Association for Information Systems (AIS) and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) have conducted, we highlight the growing importance of the BDA and AI topic areas in IS curricula. Based on the MaCuDE project survey conducted in early 2020, we summarize the core digital topics and tools that the programs covered based on a sample of global IS departments from 17 undergraduate programs and 23 graduate programs.

Factors Affecting Student Performance in a Graduate Information Systems Course: An Empirical Study at a US Commuter Public University

The grade student intends to earn, the student’s prior Information Technology/Information Systems skill level and the student’s written and oral communications skill level lend significant support to student performance in the Graduate Information Systems course. The number of work hours per week, work type, and course load per semester do not have any significant negative effect on student performance. The grades in Accounting for Managers course and overall GPA are strong predictors of student performance. There is weak to moderate evidence that older students perform better than younger students. Lastly, undergraduate major has a significant positive effect on student performance in the following order: Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, other non-business major, Management, and Marketing.

Design and Delivery of an Online Information Systems Management Course for MBA Programs

Aim/Purpose: In this paper, we present our experience in design and delivery of a graduate Information Systems Management (ISM) course in an online MBA program. Also presented are a detailed examination of the design and delivery of the online course, survey results of students’ perceptions and backgrounds, course evaluation results, best practices and lessons learned, and potential changes and future actions. Background: This graduate ISM course needs to not only cover a broad range of dynamic technology and business topics, but also strike a balance between the width and depth of the content. Effective course design and delivery are critical to improved teaching and learning, especially when the course is delivered online. Methodology: We provided a comprehensive review of the related literature to develop guidelines for the design and delivery of our ISM course; we collected survey data to evaluate the students’ backgrounds and their perceptions of the course; we used data analysis and content analysis methods to assess the course evaluation results. Contribution: A review of the related literature indicates that IS researchers and educators have not adequately studied online graduate education. Given the importance of the graduate ISM course in most MBA programs, and the lack of attention from the IS community, it is critical to address this gap in the research. We believe we have done so with this paper. Findings: The paper’s major findings are embedded in a detailed examination of the design and delivery of the online course, survey results of students’ perceptions and backgrounds, course evaluation results, best practices and lessons learned, and potential changes and future actions. Recommendations for Practitioners: Even though our experience may not be fully applicable to other institutions, we hope our IS colleagues can learn from the design and delivery of this online course, as well as our best practices and lessons learned to improve the teaching and learning effectiveness in IS online graduate education, in general. Furthermore, we provide instructors with an actionable framework onto which they can map their current course offering, and compare their current pedagogical offering to literature driven best practices for ISM courses, in particular. Recommendation for Researchers: It is our hope that the design and delivery of this online course, and our best practices and lessons learned can inspire our IS colleagues to search for innovative ways to improve the teaching and learning effectiveness in IS online graduate education. In addition, we distill a literature driven framework for ISM courses design and delivery that can help researchers frame their pedagogical research questions. Impact on Society: The online course in this study prepares students for more efficiently and effectively delivering IT systems in organizations. Many MBA students work for non-profits and other socially-focused organizations and are able to use the skills learned in the course for the betterment of society. Future Research: We will continue to monitor the impact of the changes on student learning effectiveness and attempt to identify additional innovative ways to improve the design and delivery of this online ISM course.

Mobile Applications in Higher Education

In a previous study, a practicum-based approach to bridge the gap between industry expectations and Information Systems (IS) graduates' skills was discussed from the students' point of view. The practicum project was initiated to enable students to experience real work in the IS domain in accordance with their professional aspirations and their desired specialty. To complete the whole picture, in this article, we present the employers' point of view as regards to the benefits the students gained from the project and compare between the two points of view. Semi-structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews with employers who participated in the project in the last four years were conducted in order to reveal their perceptions. Many similarities exist between the employers' and the students' perceptions but also some differences stemming from different perspectives on the process were found. The employers' perspectives were discussed and also the differences between the students'; and the employers'; perceptions.

Practicum-Based Approach to Bridge Between Information-Systems Industry Expectations and Graduates Qualifications

In this study, a practicum-based approach to bridge the gap between industry expectations and Information Systems graduates skills is presented and discussed. Students participate in the practicum project during their last study year, and take part in various professional activities in the industry in accordance with their professional aspirations and their desired specialty. Semi-structured questionnaires and interviews with students who participated in the project in the last four years were conducted in order to reveal the students' perceived contributions of the project. The students experienced real workplace environments, acquired extended knowledge and skills, built social infrastructure to assist them with future job seeking, and above all gained real world experience that help them to build their professional image, and gain confidence in their traits and abilities. In addition, the practicum-based approach was compared with other common approaches used to bridge the gap, and its relative advantages and disadvantages were discussed.

Responses to Information Systems Graduate Preparation and Job Needs: Implications for Higher Education

This study examined the perspectives on academic preparation and job skill needs of Information Systems programgraduates from an Eastern state in the US. A historical review of the literature surrounding information systems skillrequirements was conducted for this study, to provide an understanding of the changes in information systems overthe past several decades. This historical look at the literature placed into perspective the fact that the field changesrapidly, causing the need for the information systems professional to also continuously change. The study employeda non-experimental, research design to allow a descriptive interpretation of the views of recent IS graduates. Theresults of the study revealed that a consensus exists regarding the perceptions of the skills needed for the informationsystems worker. However, graduates are concerned about how these skills are being delivered to develop competentinformation systems professionals for the work force.

Building Online Social Networks to Engage Female Students in Information Systems

During the next decade, enrollment growth in Information Systems (IS) related majors is unlikely to meet the predicted demand for qualified IS graduates. Gender imbalance in the IS related program makes the situation worse as enrollment and retention of women in the IS major has been proportionately low compared to male. In recent years, majority of high school and college students have integrated social networking sites in their daily life and habitually use these sites. Providing female students access to role models via an online social network may enhance their motivation to continue as an IS major and pursue a career in IS field. For this study, the authors follow the action research process – exploration of information systems development. In particular, a Facebook application was developed to build the social network connecting role models and students. Using the application, a basic framework is tested based on the gender of participants. The results suggest that it is necessary to have adequate number of role models accessible to students as female role-models tend to select fewer students to develop relationships with a preference for female students. Female students likely prefer composite role models from a variety of sources. This pilot study yields valuable lessons to provide informal learning fostered by role modeling via online social networks. The Facebook application may be further expanded to enhance female students' interests in IS related careers.

Information Systems Analysts and Designers. Academic/Research Supply vs Market Demand

Although capital in professional profile of Information Systems graduates, Analysis and Design is underrepresented in Information Systems leading journals and often taught by theorists without any link to the business practice. This paper briefly examines the lack of reality touch in Information Systems research and emphasizes the peril of hiring business professors based mainly on abstract research. The place of Analysis and Design in Information Systems curricula is discussed. Also a number of common questions for Analysis/Design courses teaching and content are revealed. The market demands are pointed out with reference to two recent surveys (performed in USA and Romania) of Information Systems graduates/professionals focused on topics to be covered and skills to be developed by the Analysis/Design related courses.

A Descriptive Study Of Graduate Information Systems Curriculums

The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of courses currently offered in Information Systems (IS) graduate programs across the United States and compare course offerings to the MSIS 2006 Curriculum Model. The review was limited to programs offered in Colleges of Business. While MSIS 2006 is a valuable tool in designing and updating IS curriculums, results show that the model is not followed closely by universities reviewed in this research. Six of the eleven required courses from MSIS 2006 were not taught at all as full courses at any university reviewed. The five required courses from MSIS 2006 currently offered are Database, Data Communications, Systems Analysis & Design, Enterprise Systems and Project Management. Beyond these five, there is a wide variety of courses being offered.

Sistem Informasi Pendukung Keputusan Terhadap Mutu Lulusan dengan Metode Fuzzy Model Tsukamoto

The importance of graduate information systems to support leadership in taking a decision related to the development of alumni, so that should make for a graduate information systems implemented in the form of web portals. Analysis of the data processed by the method of OLAP (Online Analytical Processing), KPI (Key Performance Indicators) graduates, and data mining to extract and transform data holds the data will be stored in the warehouse. The process of data analysis using OLAP and Fuzzy method to determine the parameters of the model Tsukamoto graduate performance and quality of college graduates. The process of data analysis is represented in the form of tables, graphs, and dashboards, then used as a prop for academic results. OLAP analysis result data processed using the fuzzification, inference, and defuzzification to produce quality graduates index. These findings form a web-based information systems graduate portal with content features alumni and stakeholders as a graduate performance indicators that can be accessed through an Internet connection. The information system produces graduates index KPI performance and quality of graduates graduated as a decision support by the leadership and the head of the research program carried out at the University, KPI graduates to indicate that the parameters of the specific level of quality graduates and overall views of the dimensions of the year and course of study, such as in 2011 the level of quality of graduates of IT course overall "Good", TM course as a whole "Good", TP courses overall "Good". Keyword s: Information systems graduates; OLAP, KPI graduates; Tsukamoto Fuzzy Logic model

Editorial

As this issue is published, academics in the UK will be eagerly awaiting the December results of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. This activity, undertaken every 5–6 years, informs the distribution of around £1.6bn annually in government ‘quality-related’ research funding. Assessed by peer reviewers including research users, the outcome not only directly affects funding but also the eligibility to bid for other government funding and studentships, and perhaps most importantly, reputation. Reputation not only affects student applications and the ability to attract exceptional staff, but also enables or inhibits the forming of research partnerships at home and overseas. The task is substantial, not only on the institutions submitting but also on the review process. Universities submitted the research of 52,077 academics across 36 units of assessment to the Research Excellence Framework and, for the first time, each unit had to submit a number of research impact case studies, which would determine 20% of the final result. Research impact – what we get for our inputs – is assuming greater prominence around the world. An AIS Senior Scholars' panel considered the issue at ICIS in Milan and a report of that event will be published soon. In parallel, ISJ will be announcing its contribution to enhancing research impact as part of our 25th anniversary editions in 2015. We hope to contribute not only to disseminating research impact, but also to understanding of the concept itself – the nature of impact, how it is manifest and how it is measured. If scholars can publish research impact papers in top journals, others will be able to build upon this and we will all be better prepared for funders' questions as to what they get for their money. Turing to this issue of ISJ, our first paper by Kai Reimers, Mingzhi Li, Bin Xie and Xunhua Guo investigates how industry-wide information infrastructures emerge. Such structures are of increasing interest to policy makers, especially in sectors such as the healthcare sector where they are believed to contribute cost containment and improved service quality. However, the emergence and evolution of industry-wide information infrastructures is poorly understood, as the information systems literature tends to focus on smaller units of analysis such as projects, organizations or networks. Reimers et al. propose a combined company-level and industry-level framework to shed light on the process of industry-wide information infrastructures' emergence. They demonstrate that these structures' emergence is linked to the industry life-cycle in the case of fragmented industries. The paper explores the relationship between the industry-level and company-level life-cycles in the emergence process and develops a novel proposition regarding this relationship. The findings suggest that current policy initiatives to promote the development of industry-wide information infrastructures do not take sufficient consideration of industry-level conditions. Birgitta Bergvall-Kåreborn and Debra Howcroft assess persistent problems and practices in information systems development. This second paper studies mobile applications development and distribution. The substantial take up of mobile technologies has led to the re-structuring of the mobile market. This has engendered major shifts in the predominance of particular firms and has seen the emergence of new business models. These socio-technical trends significantly influence and shape software professionals' working lives. Building on prior research investigating the persistent problems and practices of systems development, Bergvall-Kåreborn and Howcroft examine mobile applications development and distribution by employing a qualitative study of 60 developers based in Sweden, the UK and the USA. The study analyses problems of diversity, knowledge and structure and reveals how platform-based development in an evolving mobile market represents significant changes at the business environment level. These changes permeate and accentuate current trends and developments leading to persistent problems intensifying and new challenges facing software developers. In the final paper in this issue entitled ‘Educating reflective Enterprise Systems practitioners: a design research study of the iterative building of a teaching framework’, Eli Hustad and Dag Olsen report on the iterative design of a teaching framework developed for teaching enterprise systems classes to information systems graduates. Enterprise systems embed technical complexity and create organizational challenges for organizations when implemented. Thus, teaching enterprise systems classes well is pedagogically challenging, and students tend to find the curricula difficult. Hustad and Olsen have designed and rebuilt curricula and teaching frameworks over the last 8 years resulting in the development of a set of eight design principles. They report their design and evaluation process and present a teaching framework. The aim is to educate reflective practitioners with multiple enterprise systems skills. The intention is to enable students to tackle the complexities of enterprise systems implementation contexts. The framework has implications for IS educational research and practice, and it may be transferable to other academic institutions and adaptable to other IS learning environments. In addition, this work contributes to IS design research by extending its application area.

Increasing the Quality and Quantity of Tertiary-Level Information Systems Students: A Graduate Development Framework

This article forms part of research-in-progress aimed toward creating a comprehensive graduate development framework that will assist Information Systems (IS) departments in increasing the quality and quantity of their enrollments and graduates. In this article, we present the IS Graduate Development Framework (ISGDF). This framework combines concepts from four related fields of IS study into a single framework for identifying the graduate development potential of IS institutions, courses, and development projects. These four fields of study are: (i) Information and Communication Technology for Development, (ii) economic labor market theory that relates to IS labor, (iii) a study of IS education concepts and course structures, and (iv) a study of IS labor within the creative industries. We present the ISGDF based on literature from these fields of study and show how this framework can be applied by means of a comprehensive case study example. The case study gives a detailed account of how the framework was used to identify, and improve, the graduate development potential of an IS graduate development project. Findings from the case study include several areas for possible improvement of IS curricula to increase the graduate development potential of IS departments. Although the case study was conducted in a South African context, we suggest that the ISGDF, and case study findings report in this article, can be useful for informing IS departments toward increasing graduate quality and quantity in their own contexts.

Educating reflective Enterprise Systems practitioners: a design research study of the iterative building of a teaching framework

AbstractThis research paper reports on the iterative design of a teaching framework developed for teaching Enterprise Systems (ES) classes for Information Systems (IS) graduates. These systems embed technical complexity and create organizational challenges when implemented in organizations. Therefore, teaching good ES classes is pedagogically challenging for faculty, and ES curricula are difficult for students. We have gradually designed and rebuilt curricula and teaching frameworks over 8 years. This has also resulted in a set of eight design principles. We report from our design and evaluation process and present our final artefact, the teaching framework. The aim is to educate reflective practitioners with multiple ES skills, enabling them to tackle the complexities of ES implementation contexts. The framework has implications for IS educational research and practice and has some generic values that are transferable to other academic institutions and adaptable to other IS learning environments. Further, the study contributes to IS design research by extending its application area. The ES teaching framework is a specific contribution to IS teaching frameworks as a class of problems.

A Closer Look at Information Systems Graduate Preparation and Job Needs: Implications for Higher Education Curriculum Enhancements

A historical review of the literature surrounding IS skill requirements was conducted for this study to provide thechanges in IS over the past several decades. Providing a historical look at the literature will place into perspective thefact that the field changes rapidly, causing the need for the IS professional to also continuously change. The resultsof the investigation revealed that a consensus exists regarding the perceptions of the skills needed for the IS worker.