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CHAPTER 1 INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND YOU TEACHING OVERVIEW We like to begin the first lecture with an introduction to the course, the instructor, and the grading scheme. We follow this with questions and a short break before starting in on the material for the course. Handling the administration early in the session lets students get the questions that are bugging them out of their heads so we can get on with the learning. For this reason, we also take questions for the first 5 minutes or so at the start of every class. We find that we can learn quite a bit about how the course is going by asking for questions. The most important topic for the first lecture is to drive home the idea that systems are larger than just machines and software. Systems involve people and procedures too. The Social Media case provides some Canadian examples of how social media can change an organization’s relationship with its customers. This is particularly true with small and medium-sized businesses. The “Google Knows Best†case also provides some examples of how valuable information resources can be. The “Running Room†example at the end of the chapter also shows how information systems extend the services of traditional business. It is an example of how the system serves to connect people and offer services that were not available without the system. Students will also be interested in the data from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. The website (http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/ict-tic.nsf/en/ h_it07229e.html.) provides a great summary of the industry. These numbers surprise most people. Perhaps most importantly, it brings the student’s attention to the wages and the differences between the average wage across all industries and those in the ICT industry. Ask students why people in the ICT industry get paid more? Also note that the Services sector is the fastest growing part of the industry. ICT services mean interacting with clients to analyze and implement information systems. That is exactly what MIS skills are focused on. Part of increasing engagement is giving students a reason to consider more MIS training. Talking about innovation, and wages, is a good way to do that.
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