Enterprise Resource Planning Software in the Human Resource Classroom

The relatively recent development of comprehensive human resource information systems (HRIS) software has led to a large demand for technologically literate human resource (HR) professionals. For the college student who is about to begin the search for that first postcollege job, the need to develop technology literacy is even more necessary. To meet this technology need, many business schools have started to think about or have begun to incorporate more advanced technology such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems into their curriculum. This article describes the efforts of faculty from two university business schools that incorporated the HRIS module of an ERP system into their HR management courses. In both cases, HRIS was used to illustrate examples of HR processes, measurement, best practices, and planning. Outcomes and lessons learned from the past 2.5 years are also described.