IST 415Cases in Information System Technologies

Dr. Stephen Shih

IST 415 Teaching and Case Study Methodology

Chapter Summarization &

Reading Assignments

Special Topics Presentations

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Real Life Case Studies

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Case Studies & Presentations

Case Study Methodology

Dr. Stephen Shih

Why Case Studies?• The intellectual exercises carried

out by students engaged in case-study analysis are similar to the activities of IT professionals in the real-world businesses.

Why use case studies in the IST course?The difficulty of engaging an IST graduate in the IT related projects is most likely to take place in the first few months dealing with fundamental business issues and problems, as the graduates may not yet fully prepared to perceive the relationship between these issues/problems and the practice of their IT careers.

Objectives• Develop analytical problem-solving skills and

higher-order thinking capability (e.g., out-of-the-box thinking) by solving real-world or hypothetic cases.

• Integrate what you have acquired in various IST courses.

• Work in teams and use collaborative/ cooperative (rather than competitive) learning strategies.

• Practice oral and written communication skills - present to a potentially hostile audience and/or bully bosses.

Overview of Case Study MethodOverall Process

1. Individual Analysis and Preparation (Literature Review, Web Search, etc.)

2. Team Analysis, Discussion and Preparation3. Classroom Presentation and Discussion/Critique4. End-of-Class Generalization about the Learning

Student Commitments • Preparation• Presence• Participation

General Structures of Case Study Reports & Presentation (for IT teams)

• Problem Determination• Research, Investigation, and Findings• Discussion and Evaluation of Alternatives• Recommendations • Action Plans: Implementation &

Deployment Plans

IT Teams vs. SM/SE Teams

IT TEAMinvolves the analysis, synthesis, application, design, implementation, deployment, and/or evaluation of business information systems/ applications/infrastructure

SM/SETEAM• Assessment and

critique of IT solutions/proposals

• Recommendations from the non-technical/end user/business perspectives

Key ConceptsParticularSubjects/Themes

Specific Business

Scenarios/Situations

Alternative Solution Models /Recommendations

Argument Support/Defense

III. Role-Play

Critique / Assessment

IT + Management Members

I. Business Cases & Themes

II. Required Skill Set

IT + Management Members

Business Managers+ CIO

Sample questions from the IT/business managers for assessment of the proposed solutions:

 • What is the rationale behind your IT solution(s)? • How feasible are your proposed IT solution(s) and

plans?• How do you justify your proposed IT solution(s) in

terms of potential benefits and necessary costs?• How do you compare your solution(s) with other

comparable cases/systems/solution models?• How do you effectively implement and deploy the

proposed solution(s)?  

A Day As Business Managers …

Provide your suggestions to help the IT teams:

(1)To see the problems and perform the problem-solving from the business and end-user points of view

(2)To enhance/adjust to be in line with the enterprise’s business strategic goals and objectives.

A Day As Business Managers . . .

IT Solution Assessment

FeasibilityExpected benefits/Cost-effectivenessBusiness implicationsDeployment and implementation planning

•End User Requirements•Common Business Goals

ProposedIT

Solutions