Site Visits as a Teaching Method in Information Systems Courses

This paper provides an introduction to the use of site visits as a form of live case study in IS (Information Systems) courses at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). Site visits are relatively easy to organize and can effectively complement other teaching methods. Importantly, students like the reality of site visits and the variety they bring to a course. Site visits can be a meaningful encounter for students that encourages active learning. They provide rich opportunities for students to explore theory and practice. For students with relatively little business experience, site visits can expose them to the complexity of organizational life. Site visits can also help educators to keep up to date with current practices and problems. Topics covered include the site selection process, active learning, benefits of site visits, the unpredictable nature of site visits, differences between site visits and written case studies, how to encourage learning on site visits, and student feedback. A draft e-mail to an IS manager, an extract from the course outline on the format of site visits, group site visit presentation guidelines from the course outline, and tables presenting data on site visits versus case studies and text/readings are appended. (MES)