Educationally Critical Characteristics of Deep Approaches to Learning about the Concept of an Information System

Abstract

Executive Summary This paper reports on an empirical study investigating the relationship between the approaches to learn-ing and levels of understanding of the concept of an information system (IS) in undergraduate IS stu-dents. The findings show educationally critical characteristics of the learning approaches that lead to the deve lopment of a deep understanding. Knowledge about these critical characteristics can be used to de-sign learning activities likely to encourage IS students to use effective learning approaches. Underlying the study are findings from student learning research. This research investigated students' perceptions of their own learning experiences. Consistent findings have been that students' approaches to learning about key disciplinary concepts can be categorized as either surface or deep. Only deep learning approaches have been associated with the development of deep levels of understanding. Deep learning approaches have been found to have educationally critical characteristics, the detail of which is different for each concept. Learning about the concept of an IS has not been studied as part of the student learning research. Conse-quently, knowledge is lacking about the critical characteristics of the deep learning approaches likely to lead to the development of a deep understanding of the concept of an IS. A deep understanding of the concept of an IS has been proposed elsewhere as viewing an IS as a social system of people making meaningful organizational decisions supported by embedded information technology (IT). In the empirical study, the interview transcripts and questionnaires of 112 undergraduate students learn-ing about IS for a year were classified individually as representing either a surface or deep approach to learning, and a particular level of understanding of the concept of an IS. The classifications were ana-lyzed statistically to investigate the existence and nature of any relationship between approach to learn-ing and level of understanding. Only certain deep approaches to learning about IS were associated with levels of understanding that in-corporated social aspects of the concept of an IS. The educationally critical aspects of these deep learn-ing approaches were found to be: 1. an intention to seek a deep understanding of the concept of an IS. 2. the process of seeking and relating the mean-ings associated with a broad range of different perspectives on the concept of an IS, includ-ing perspectives in personal experiences be-yond the academic setting and in studies out-side IS and computing courses. 3. an awareness of one's own understanding of the concept of an IS and the approaches being used to learn about IS. Based on these characteristics, the nature of learning activities likely to encourage students to use a deep approach to learning about IS is proposed. Learning activities should centre on students being aware of and taking charge of their own approaches to developing a deep understanding of the concept of an IS.