Background

In today's business environment, most of the commonly occurring daily business problems are solved at the desktop computer, using existing horizontal software applications. Many of the operational level problems are solved using the most popular horizontal application suite, Microsoft Office. Some version of Office is installed on almost all business computers and is used almost universally throughout the organizational environment. Hence, end user computing proficiency is more important than ever. The central typing pool and the electronic data processing (EDP), or end user support services for problems requiring a short turnaround time, are almost nonexistent anymore. Office staff and lower level managers are responsible for solving daily problems on their own, using the horizontal microcomputer application program with which they are familiar. With current GUI software programs and enhanced Help facilities, including well-designed Search facilities, cascading Windows where Help steps remain on the screen, and social interfaces like the Microsoft Office Assistant, the software skills to perform a task is no longer the hurdle. It is actually the problem-solving process that is the challenge. This is an account of how an existing Micro-Based Software course was revamped to include problem-solving elements, so that business school graduates would be better prepared to tackle the daily problems in the office.

Much has been written on end user computing since microcomputers became the modus operandi of the business world. More than one journal is devoted entirely to end-user computing, such as The Journal of End User Computing sponsored by IRMA and published by Idea Group Publishing. The microcomputer has added a new dimension to end user support by increasing the range of computer information systems and increasing the computer literacy of the end user (Lundgren, 1998).

When hands-on laboratory sessions were introduced into end user computing courses in the 1990s, students were given the opportunity to "learn by doing." The computer provided the vehicle for the learning, where students actually learned concepts while working with the software program. It had become obvious that learning programs should be designed to allow the flexibility that resource-based, self-paced learning could provide (Stoney, 1999). When the hardware could support it, self-paced, resource-based instruction, such as multimedia, provided the links between conceptual and experiential learning (Stoney, 1999). Increasingly, as the program interfaces became totally graphical, many concepts and ideas could not be taught without the aid of technology to represent and manipulate them. Molnar (1997) noted that computers have revolutionized the representation and manipulation of information.

Web delivered courses spawned a new surge in research on micro-based courses. A study was done recently, comparing 94 students in a traditional classroom, with 37 students taking the same course online. It was found the perception of the online students was that they learned as much and had the same quality of instruction as the students in the classroom (Cooper, 2000). This strengthened the premise that end user computing courses could be offered successfully online.

Incorporating problem solving into end user computing courses could be a relatively seamless process. At the undergraduate level, the faculty wants to educate future computer information systems (CMS) professionals, so they will have both the business acumen and the technical skills to solve organizational management problems and provide technical solutions (Rodriguez, 2000). It has been found basic skills are not learned in isolation, but in the process of completing real world tasks that integrate numerous skills (Stoney, 1999). Problem solving could give students practice in applying the theory they learned while using skills obtained from specific application programs.

In the 1960s, Marshall McLuhan (1964) noted that we were witnessing a revolution that was totally new, and changing the very nature of human perception and experience. The electronic environment put us in the world of pattern recognition and out of the world of mere data collection. It took us from an egocentric work environment to a global village; competitiveness no longer depended on just the discovery of new technology. The speed at which knowledge was transmitted through our educational systems created highly skilled workers who could apply their knowledge (Molnar, 1997). We moved from a goods centered work force to an information handling work force. Powerful technologies are now available to augment significantly the skills necessary to convert data into information and transform information into knowledge (Molnar, 1997).

End user computing courses were studied and researched throughout the '90s. Experts agreed an educator must be more than just a "talking book." One way to accomplish this was to use multimedia tools in the classroom, which freed the instructor to enlighten the student's mind" (Luna & McKenzie, 1997). Withrow noted:

The 21^st century will go down as the age of the mind, the brain and telecommunications. Those who have the skills and knowledge to navigate cyberspace will participate fully in the global village of the future (Withrow, 1997).

End user computing skills became more important than ever. Courses to teach application programs could be converted into computer-delivered courses. Computer based training (CBT) and Web based training (WBT), if designed correctly, could free both the student and the instructor. Payson noted (1998), "It is pedagogically important in computer mediated instruction to have effective educational programming that can take advantage of new technologies." End user computing was alive and well — just taking on new forms. One distinguishing feature of a CBT is that it is self-sufficient. The student needs little or no outside help beyond the tutorial. The contents of the program and other training management methods motivate the students (Ganger, 1990). Online reference guides are a form of user help on a computer system that allows the user explanatory reference material at the moment it is needed. This reduces the need for instructor interception or more formal training (Ganger, 1990).

Whether the course environment was a new "smart classroom" or the Web, end user computing courses survived. Payson noted the integrated use of several technologies allowed for both synchronous and asynchronous instruction in the most academically sound and cost effective combination for a particular course or program (Payson, 1998). When combined with problem solving elements, the end user computing courses could be even stronger. The state of technology today allows for demonstrations of active problem solving by instructors and interactive problem solving by students during classtime (Niederman & Webster, 1998). With all of the technology available and the presentation equipment that characterizes most college classrooms, students could explain their plans and demonstrate solutions to problems, giving them valuable "real-world" experience. After all, the goal of end-user training is to produce a motivated user who has the basic skills needed to apply what has been learned and then to continue to learn on the job (Niederman & Webster, 1998).

In addition, technology use encourages teacher-as-facilitator approaches. McGrath noted, with technological tools, students show more persistence in solving problems. Technology makes classroom activities feel more real world and relevant, so students take them more seriously (McGrath, 1998). Thus, incorporating problem solving into the end user computing courses was supported by earlier research. We were on established ground with our plans to revise the Micro-based Software course, and the time was right.

Rationale for Revising Existing Class

The authors revised the existing CMS Micro-based Software class to reflect the changes in computing in the last decade, along with the pressing need for business students to solve problems by applying theories learned in the end user computing class. We revised the existing CMS 3270 Micro-based Software class so that it taught School of Business students how to handle the numerous business problems that occur daily at the operational level in all arenas. We called this additional component to the class, "software solutions architecture." This addition reflected our primary goal of allowing students to practice analyzing a problem, planning alternative solutions, committing to one of the possible solutions, and using one or more Office components to solve it. That is, the computer skills became secondary to the primary goal of being able to put keystrokes to practice in a "real-life" scenario. In order to parallel the typical business office environment, we stressed solving problems within a team environment. We had students self-select their teams, or in the case of the online sections, we divided them into teams from two to five members.

In the past decade, the level of computer literacy for entry-level School of Business students taking the CMS required beginning information systems class has increased 10 percent (Marold & Fustos, 2001). We concluded that the need for teaching skills of a particular program — in this case Office — was not as pressing as it was when Dr. Larsen first designed the course. It is common for business workers at all levels, including those in top management positions, to use computers and software as tools to solve their daily problems: those programs are easier to use than they have ever been, and students are often comfortable with the program interface already. The newly-graduated employee is now much more computer literate and much better prepared to use popular software productivity packages. In most business positions employees are expected to know how to use microcomputers.

Standardizing of End-user Programs

End user computing has matured and become much more standardized in the past decade. Horizontal application software programs are now used in place of the narrower specialized vertical applications of the past. One of the most used is the Microsoft Office suite of applications. The tool itself, consisting of Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Outlook, is easier than ever before to master, although its functionality has expanded. In addition, the Windows computing environment is the standard user interface of today. In other words, all Windows-based applications look very much the same; containing the same menu choices in much the same order. We have reached the stage where if a computer user learns the interface of one Windows application program, those familiar elements are common to the next program he or she might attempt to learn.

However, developing solutions for problems occurring in daily business situations is still no easier than before. We had noticed an increasing deficiency in student ability to apply theory, despite problem-solving courses in other areas of their undergraduate curriculum. Our premise was that after taking our revised CMS 3270 course, students would be better equipped to solve business problems using the Office tools. They would have hands-on experience solving typical operational problems in a team situation and presenting a solution to their peers and instructor.

The Course within a Program

The Micro-based Software course CMS 3270 is the cornerstone course for students minoring in CMS. It is also a major component of our End User Support certificate, popular with students who may already have an older or non-technology degree and want to update their skills. Also, other CMS courses such as Micro User Operating Systems, Analysis of Hardware and Software, and various Internet courses revolve around material taught in this class. Frequently, students from outside the Business School at Metropolitan State College — those in the School of Professional Studies and Language Arts and Sciences — take the course to enhance their personal computing skills and increase their employment opportunities. The course curriculum had not been revised, except for software programs used since it was officially adopted in 1989. It was time to update the course curriculum to better reflect current student needs.