Electronic Discussions In Information Systems Martyn Clark University of Leeds School of Computer Studies Leeds, England +44 113 2431751 martyn@scs.leeds.ac.uk Vygotsky [l] emphasisesthe importance of communication to the learning process. The potential for learning is revealed, realised even, in interactions with other people. In this view, the foundation of learning is co-operatively achieved success,and interaction with more knowledgeable peers, family membersor teachersthe key to personal and collective development. The module IS12: Introduction to Information Systemsis a ten credit, level one module which is being offered by the School for the first time during the second semesterof the 1997/98 session.The module aims to introduce studentsto the idea that different perspectives on organisations, information and technology exist and to encouragethem to explore the implications of different perspectives for the design and implementation of information systems.It also aims to influence students ™ views on the nature of knowledge in IS. However, with a cohort of 127 studentsis unlikely that individuals will have more than the briefest conversationwith their teacher. The School of Computer Studies has a long established local implementation of usenet news. The system is relatively ˜low tech ™ and, while some may see it as less attractive than the world wide web, the technology is both and robust and reliable. Each of the School ™s teaching moduleshas one newsgroupto which only the teaching staff may post messagesand a second to which any user may post messages. has been shown that the system is used It predominantly by first year students.Second year students ™ use is significant but reduced, and there is a radical falling away in useby third years [2]. The IS12 coursework assignment ˜Have I Got News For You ™ attempts to stimulate discussion of basic IS concepts via the usenet system. Students, working in groups of approximately four, select a question and post a responseof no more than five hundred words to a newsgroup created specially for the exercise. The coursework brief specifies that the article must respond to the question in a way that stimulatesdiscussion. While the initial posting is madeby a group, responsesare expected from individuals outside the WJUP. Groups retain responsibility for managing the discussion and must make a final posting which summarises and concludes the discussion. The timing of initial and final postings are at the discretion of each group provided that they are within the six week period allowed for the exercise. This coursework exercise was used for the first time during the second semesterof the 1997-98 session. Preliminary findings suggest that although a significant minority of studentsfailed to participate the exercise, was successfulin stimulating discussion. Twenty six groups opened discussions and some six hundred articles were posted during the period. In addition, some attemptsto participate foundereddue to inability to operatethe system. Groups were not uniformly successful in stimulating discussion.An early initial posting proved to be a key factor in securing a high number of responses (the last initial posting received no response at all). Questions relating to the world wide web and issuesrelating to privacy were also supportedwell. Four group membersfailed to participate in discussions as individuals but there was no instance of an individual who had failed to join a group participating. Similarly, there was an uneven pattern to student participation. While most studentsposted between two and five articles, the exercise was dominated by a large number of articles posted by one individual. Students found the sheer number of articles difficult to cope with: on one afternoon they logged on to find over a hundred articles awaiting their attention.

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