Beyond content: engaging students in foundation information technology courses

Major restructuring of ICT degrees at Massey University, Auckland required the Information Technology (IT) Discipline Group to develop a first year foundation course for the newly formed IT major. Introductory IT courses are traditionally seen as difficult courses to deliver: they must be broad ranging both in content and target audience yet need to effectively deliver technical content. A further challenge in delivering such courses is meeting individual needs in large classes and effectively preparing students for second year study. This is against a background of a cohort increasingly wired into social networking, virtual environments and mobile multimedia. We use an action research approach to explore the development of an interactive foundation course that encourages student participation in tutorials, covers an appropriate practical component, and meets the demands of the tertiary sector for more exciting and innovative course delivery. The course was first delivered over summer school 2007 and feedback from students and staff collected. We examine the effect of the different delivery methods (online quizzes, flash animation, practical labs and discussions) on attendance and assignment quality. We further discuss the adjustments we have made for internal delivery and preparation for future delivery of the course in extramural mode. This reflective approach enables us to continue developing the course to engage students and to provide the foundation for second and third year IT courses. We have also attracted considerable interest from staff and students from other Colleges who find the approach compatible with their needs for a basic understanding of current information technology.