COVID-19 pandemic has changed the ways teachers deliver, and students learn and grasp the content. The information system is a core and fundamental course in management education across B-schools. Due to COVID-19, citizen's acceptance to use digital systems and technologies is increasing day by day. Citizens started relying more and more on digital systems for their day-to-day operations to avoid the spread of contagious disease. The core concepts of information systems are going to play a crucial role in the design and development of future digital systems. Hence, incorporating the changes in the curriculum of Information Systems is important, which reflects the contribution of information systems to fight the pandemic.
In an attempt to do so, the author has developed two case studies for classroom teaching in the virtual environment along with the plan to teach and assess the students' performance during the class participation.
Case Study – I :
The Government of different countries has developed contact tracing apps to monitor the moments of the people infected by COVID-19. 'Aarogya Setu' is one such mobile application developed by the Government of India for the citizens of India to fight the pandemic. The app has seen the highest download in a few weeks of launch and has been appreciated for its utility. At the same time, it has been criticized on the grounds of privacy and mandatory installation for some of the purposes.
The case study on the same has been written and currently under review for the North American Case Research Association (NACRA) 2020 annual conference. The case study addresses issues like how to encourage people to use the app without making it mandatory, what new features and functions should be added to increase the effectiveness to fight against the pandemic, and how to address privacy concerns associated with the usage of the app.
Plan for teaching it in a virtual classroom:
- Using breakout rooms: Dividing students into smaller groups and asking them to brainstorm the ideas on increasing downloads of the app. Later on, reflecting on their ideas that download alone is not required, but encouraging citizens to use the app on a regular basis is essential to monitor the health status.
- Gamification: Creating small groups and assigning them to draw wireframes for the new features and functions required to be added into the app. Let each group present their design and create a poll to vote for the best suitable design.
- Let students compare the privacy policies of different contact tracing apps and invite debate.
Case Study – II
The video-conferencing platforms have played a vital role in the continuation of education, business and government operations during the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are varieties of options to choose from, depending on the requirements.
The case study focuses on evaluating different requirement scenarios and requires students to identify parameters to evaluates different video-conferencing platforms and suggest the best option that caters to the requirement. The author is currently working on developing a case study to be used for the IS curriculum.
Plan for teaching it in a virtual classroom:
- Create different groups of students and allocate them one video-conferencing platform to explore different features of the platform. Assign them a topic from the IS curriculum and request them to prepare a presentation for 10 minutes in such a way that demonstrates most of the features of the platform.
- The rest of the groups will make a note and when all the presentations are completed, they will identify parameters and prepare a comparative analysis of the platforms demonstrated. In the end, the class is open to the discussion and lets them choose a suitable platform for each requirement scenario.
- It is challenging to observe and monitor students' behavior and performance continuously in the virtual class. Therefore, the plan is to ask them to wear the hat of the instructor and suggest a feature for the video conferencing platform that will track the students' performance during the class discussion in the virtual environment. The above will help them to think from a decisional point of view when they will graduate and might work on the IS project.
Assessing student performance:
Use the recording and transcribing feature of the platform to evaluate student's class participation after the class. Request teaching assistant to note the answers and comments made by the students during the virtual class and compare it with the transcript to decide their final score.
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Viral Nagori
Assistant Professor
MICA
Ahmedabad
(M) 91-9898372475
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