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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Information Systems Educators:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am looking for guidance or materials for mini-projects or other experiences, demonstrations, case studies, etc. that could be used in an undergraduate Introduction to Information Systems course. This course is offered to sophomore, junior, and senior-standing students who are primarily finance, accounting, and marketing majors and IS NOT targeted at students who might become or are MIS majors. The purpose of using new mini-projects, experiences, etc. is to increase the percentage of students that find the course a valuable contribution to their knowledge base. In other words, I am interesting in transforming how non-MIS majors view the utility of the course. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Three types of mini-projects I am currently interested in piloting are below but I am very open to other suggestions for helping non-MIS majors see the value in an Introduction to IS course:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Type 1: Students analyze and subsequently report a company's successful use of information systems, primarily by researching the web.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Type 2: Students analyze business information using analytics tools (as basic as Excel pivot tables to as complex as Cognos/SPSS) to do one of the following (or similar) tasks:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Detect quality problems early; minimize them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Identify customers with the greatest profit potential; increase purchases; retain loyalty.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Identify prices that will maximize yield or profit.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Identify transactions that might be fraudulent and/or otherwise illegal.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Improve quality, efficacy, and where applicable, safety of products and services.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Select the best employees for particular tasks, jobs, or organizational levels.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Simulate and optimize supply chain flow; e.g., by reducing inventory and stock outs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Understand the drivers of financial performance and the effects of non-financial factors.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Type 3: Students analyze, rebuild, and expand their social media presences to obtain professional employment or enter professional communities.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am also interested in including two or three interesting/entertaining stories about executives or managers that were adamant non-IS "believers" but became ardent IS "believers." Any help in this area would also be greatly appreciated.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please do not reply-all to the AISWorld listserv but instead send your ideas directly to me, Russ Robbins, at rrobbins@katz.pitt.edu or call me at 412-624-2346. I will organize and post a link summarizing all responses to the listserv. If appropriate I will also post to the Pedagogy wiki of the AISWorld portal.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you so much in advance!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>All the very best,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Russ Robbins<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Russell W. Robbins, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Visiting Assistant Professor - Decision, Operations, and Information Technology<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Katz Graduate School of Business & College of Business Administration<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>University of Pittsburgh<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>361 Mervis Hall<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Tel: 1-412-624-2346<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>e-mail: rrobbins@katz.pitt.edu<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>