Teaching Tip: Leveraging Learning Strategies at Scale -- Big and Small Changes in a Big iS Course

This paper presents field-tested improvements over an 11-year period of a large-scale "Introduction to Information Systems" core business school course and provides a framework for implementation. Engagement and learning in large-scale courses can prove challenging, especially when the class is a requirement within a business school's core curriculum where most students taking the class are not majors in the course's subject matter. The course sections typically have 100 or more students each. The non-IS major student population attends this core course because they must, rather than want to, attend which in most cases leads to indifference and disengagement. A primary need and challenge of a required core course are to create a compelling 14-week "Introduction to Information Systems" course that captures this student population's interest in an engaging manner. This paper identifies an innovative approach to create and foster an enhanced learning environment organized around active learning, dynamic content, and a narrative structure. Major changes discussed in the paper are the abandonment of textbooks, the introduction of in-class activities and JavaScript coding, and the establishment of a narrative.