Howard Rosenbaum

1
Information technology, pedagogy, and the
education of information professionals
Howard Rosenbaum lthrosenba_at_indiana.edugt 10.10.01
http//www.slis.indiana.edu/hrosenba/www/Pres/webd
evshare_01/
2
I. Introduction A challenge II.
Teaching, information problems, and the real
world Collaborative
technology and pedagogy Simulations
and learning III. Teaching ecommerce with
a virtual economy Using PBL in the VE
IV. PBL, information technology and the
education of information
professionals
3
I. Introduction A challenge We spend many
hours at work immersed in digital environments
using information and communication technologies
(ICTs) This is extending into our social and
private lives as well We expect that our
students are going to spend many years working
in networked organizations What are the most
effective ways to prepare our graduates for
work in these environments?
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In the discourse on socio-technical trends in
higher education, we find that Schools are
increasing their investments in ICTs and are
integrating them into their curricula They are
offering instruction in different formats to
provide students with more flexibility More
curricula are beginning to focus on a range of
information environments and information
problems What do these trends mean for the ways
in which we educate our students?
5
One implication We are finding ourselves in a
situation where we are rethinking the ways in
which we combine ICTs and pedagogy One
suggestion An important focus should be on the
investigation of information problems in
organizational environments Pedagogical
strategy and the socio-technical infrastructure
that supports it should immerse students in
these problems
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I. Introduction A challenge II.
Teaching, information problems, and the real
world Collaborative
technology and pedagogy Simulations
and learning III. Teaching ecommerce with
a virtual economy Using PBL in the VE
IV. PBL, information technology and the
education of information
professionals
7
II. Teaching, information problems, and the real
world Collaborative technology and
pedagogy Our Masters of Information Science
program emphasizes teamwork Teamwork is grounded
in situated learning Situated learning assumes
that learning and cognition require social
interaction and physical activity
Communities of practice form where learning is
constituted through the sharing of purposeful
and patterned activities Roschelle, J. (1995)
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The activity in which knowledge is developed and
deployed is not separable from or ancillary to
learning and cognition. Nor is it neutral.
Rather, it is an integral part of what is
learned. Situations might be said to co-produce
knowledge through activity. Learning and
cognition, it is now possible to argue, are
fundamentally situated. Brown, J.S., Collins,
A., and Duguid, P. (1989)
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Assume that learning takes place during mutually
constructed experiences How technology can
support these experiences? Collaborative
technology enables people to engage jointly in
producing shared knowledge It helps generate
communities of practice It is a tool for the
mutual production of new practice It allows
groups to transform problematic situations into
experiences that they can handle routinely
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Situated learning and collaborative technology
A group
Problematic situation
Collaboration technology
Community of practice
Successful resolution
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A good collaborative technology is a highly
visible part of the shared experience Group
members use it to interact, communicate, and
work It supports Communication Interpersonal
interaction Distributed systems Distance
education Cooperative work Telecommuting
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Simulations and problem based learning Can a
complex simulation provide students with a real
world experience? Can collaborative technology
be used as the basis for such a simulation? What
has to change in the pedagogy of a course built
around a semester-long simulation? How will this
affect teaching? How will this affect
learning? Technology and pedagogy can be used to
bridge the gap between knowing what and
knowing how
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The importance of problems We routinely deal with
problematic situations Information problems
arise because we perceive that the elements of
our environment connect in an unsatisfactory
ways This situation is also is a setting within
which we seek resolutions We do this by drawing
upon the salient features of our organizational
and social context This includes rules,
resources, and social networks
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Problematic situation
Communities of practice
Problems
Information needs
Information behaviors
Collaboration technologies
Problem resolutions
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Information professionals learn how to recognize
the typical problems that arise in their
workplaces They develop a repertoire of
information behaviors that allows them to
efficiently resolve these problems In many
organizations, information technologies are
important resources in this work
How can we provide students with learning
experiences that will prepare them to enter this
world?
How can we help them develop a deep understanding
of the connections among people, ICTs, and
organizations?
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How can we create a class that will require
students to spend an extended period of time
grappling with a difficult problem? Are there
pedagogical approaches that focus on problems
? Is there a reasonable way to simulate the
complex organizational information environments
that they will face upon graduation? Can we
create a situation that requires them to take
greater responsibility for their own education?
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One useful approach is problem based learning
(PBL) It assumes that learning is situated What
we know and understand is a product of the
learning situation and the nature of the
learning activity Learning takes place in the
context of social interaction and not simply in
the learner's head Learning tasks should be
embedded in the target context and require the
kind of thinking that would be done in real
life (Abdullah, 1998 1)
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PBL is a learner-centered approach that
foregrounds the problem Learning is motivated
by a problem that should resemble one students
might face in the workplace It is important that
the problem is complex and ill structured There
should be no clear-cut and easy answers There
should be nuances and subtleties not apparent
upon first analysis It should have relevance to
students who can analyze it using prior
knowledge and experience
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PBL reverses the traditional approach to teaching
and learning As they work on the problem,
students propose plausible explanations or
hypotheses They develop plans and strategies to
resolve the problem They gather data that to
test their hypotheses or critically evaluate
their explanations and plans The role of the
instructor is important because he/she provides
relevant information, but only if students can
give a good reason for wanting it (Margetson,
1998 194)
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Using PBL, students Take responsibility for
their education Learn about problem solving in
situations that resemble those they will face
in their professional careers Learn to
recognize and analyze problems, taking into
account their contextual and dynamic natures
Develop, evaluate, and select among alternative
resolutions Engage in self-directed study
resulting in knowledge that can be used in
problem analysis Present and defend their ideas
in front of their peers
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I. Introduction A challenge II.
Teaching, information problems, and the real
world Collaborative
technology and pedagogy Simulations
and learning III. Teaching ecommerce with
a virtual economy Using PBL in the VE
IV. PBL, information technology and the
education of information
professionals
22
III. Teaching ecommerce with a virtual
economy Challenge to design and develop an
inquiry-based learning environment for teaching
ecommerce Objective provide students with a
challenging, novel, technology-focused, and
learner-centered educational experience They
learn by doing ecommerce instead of listening
to someone talk about doing ecommerce Technology
a working, robust, and web-based virtual
economy (VE Web, Cold Fusion, and Oracle)
Syllabus http//www.slis.indiana.edu/hrosenba/ww
w/L561/syll/syll6.html
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Using PBL in the VE The problem is how to
starting up, designing, and managing a web-based
ebusiness This is complex, messy, and
ill-structured Working in small, self-directed
teams, students investigate issues involved in
creating web-based ebusinesses They determine
what they need to learn to develop and manage
their stores They draw upon a range of
disciplines to resolve the problems they face
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Student work is evaluated against real-world
benchmarks Sales, repeat customers, traffic
analysis, and customer feedback Students
apply what they learn to the basic problem as it
evolves over time This is authentic learning
because students publicly exhibit their
learning, and there are often real life
standards of quality (Gordon 1998 391) Outcome
higher levels of comprehension, more learning
and knowledge-forming skills, more social skills
(Rheem, 1999)
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Structure of the course and timeline for the
VE Week 1 Introduction Developing a start-up
company Week 2-7 Design, build, and test the
site 2 Present business plan, begin content
development 3 Database population,
evaluation of sites and development of
initial prototype 4 Development of advertising
and marketing plan 5 Final design online ad
auction 6,7 Presentation of customer service
and support strategies, testing and
redesign Week 8-15 Operate the storefronts
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There are several ways that the simulation
becomes more real to the students There is
competition bonuses added to the final grade
for the most profit and the most traffic They
never meet the shoppers face to face Real
digital products are being sold for real
purposes There is initial investment, but there
are costs that have to be managed The banner
auction Web hosting Consulting (125/hr)
Market research (400 for a report)
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The virtual economy is a distributed digital
marketplace It is a simulation of a competitive
environment for buying and selling digital
products Activities Students confront and
resolve a series of problems related to the
larger problem of managing an ebusiness They
start up, design, and operate e-businesses which
compete in the VE Shoppers use digital money to
purchase information products and services
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Structure of the virtual economy
Store 1
Store 1
Store 2
Store 2
Bank
Portal page
Store3
Store 3
Store 4
Store 4
Flow of digital money Traversal to store To
portal
Shoppers
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The VE is based on HTML, Cold Fusion, and
Oracle It uses no pre-existing code and is a
proprietary design that has been written to be
transparent to the participants No programming
knowledge is required for students to set up
storefronts or to shop in the VE The programming
is modular, portable and currently runs on a
Solaris platform on a Sun Enterprise 250
server Cold Fusion has the ability to encrypt
the code for the primary functions (product
catalogs, shopping cart, and digital bank), so
the VE is relatively secure
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The VE is a collaboration technology It provides
a shared work space for store teams to develop
their businesses Each team works out its own
norms of interaction and rules for working
together It also provides a means for store
teams to engage in customer relationship
management as they attempt to initiate and build
relationships with the shoppers In past
iterations of the VE, this has involved the use
of email newsletters and chat rooms
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http//ebiz.slis.indiana.edu/g/ve/login.cfm
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Synergia information services
Vegas Casino entertainment
GetBusy information, services
DigiTeam collaboration services
SWOT.com information
GetBusy
Business Bistro bundled information
Succinct subscription
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I would like to thank my faculty colleagues and
collaborators Australia University of
Canberra Ric Jentzsch
University of Queensland Sophie
Cockcroft UK University of Bath Richard
Vigden, Joe Nandhakumar University of
Greenwich Margaret Lennox US The
Citadel Janette Moody Duquesne
University A. Graham Peace, William
Spangler Kennesaw State
University Martha Meyers Lehigh
University Catherine Ridings
Georgia College and State University Ric
Bialac I also received assistance from talented
SLIS students, some on the payroll and some with
independent studies
34
I. Introduction A challenge II.
Teaching, information problems, and the real
world Collaborative
technology and pedagogy Simulations
and learning III. Teaching ecommerce with
a virtual economy Using PBL in the VE
IV. PBL, information technology and the
education of information
professionals
35

• PBL, information technology and the education of
  information professionals
• This combination of pedagogy and technology is a
  useful way to prepare students for their careers
  in IT
• They learn that their implicit knowledge is
  legitimate and useful when facing apparently
  unfamiliar tasks
• Because of the range of problem resolutions,
  they learn that heuristics are not absolute
• Students generate their own solutions, which
  makes them creative members of a culture of
  problem- solving and community of practice

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They acquire new cultural tools A shared
vocabulary Workable methods of problem
analysis Collective problem solving The means
to discuss, reflect upon, evaluate, and validate
community procedures in a collaborative
process Groups give rise to insights and
solutions that would not come about without them
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Displaying multiple roles Successful problem
resolution helps them learn about the many
different roles needed for most cognitive tasks
in the workplace They can confront and discard
ineffective strategies and misconceptions They
refine their collaborative work skills They learn
about project management They learn that
ecommerce is hard work!
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Abdullah, M.H. (1998). Problem-Based Learning
in Language Instruction A Constructivist Model.
Eric Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading,
English, and Communication, Bloomington,
IN. Brown, J.S., Collins, A., and Duguid, P.
(1989) Situated Cognition and the Culture of
Learning, Educational Researcher, 18, pp. 32-42.
http//www.ilt.columbia.edu/ilt/papers/JohnBrown.h
tml Gordon, R. (1998). Balancing real-world
problems with real-world results. Phi Delta
Kappan, 390-394. Margetson, D. (1998). What
Counts as Problem-Based Learning? Education for
Health Change in Training and Practice, 11(2)
193-202. Rheem, J. (1998). Problem-Based
Learning An Introduction. The National
Teaching and Learning Forum. 8(1). http//www.ntlf
.com/html/pi/9812/pbl_1.htm Roschelle, J. (1995).
What Should Collaborative Technology Be? A
Perspective From Dewey and Situated Learning.
http//cica.cica.indiana.edu/cscl95/outlook/39_r
oschelle.html
39
Information technology, pedagogy, and the
education of information professionals
Howard Rosenbaum lthrosenba_at_indiana.edugt 10.10.01
http//www.slis.indiana.edu/hrosenba/www/Pres/webd
evshare_01/