Informing UK Information Management pedagogic practice: The nature of contemporary higher education culture

Abstract

This paper explores the nature of Information Management (IM) pedagogic practice within UK higher education (HE), by exploring the history of IM and teasing out what this may mean for its teaching. Empirical evidence is considered from both qualitative and quantitative data analysis perspectives through the application of Grounded theory. A web-based survey of 308 UK Information Systems/Management academics was undertaken. The sampling strategy for this phase was convenience sampling using a closed population, i.e. only members of the United Kingdom Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS) and yielded a 30% response rate. This was followed by 12 semi-structured interviews within two universities, giving a strong comparison between organisational contexts, staff expectations and practices. Our findings suggest that the culture of academic institutions can be driven by changes in the external business environment. The implication of this is that practice puts "the need to please" as its premise, rather than being driven by the requirements of the discipline and the potential impacts the graduate can have on the workplace and industry as a whole. As such, IM academics need to develop additional and alternative methods of teaching that are more relevant and prepare students for future work, rather than continuing the traditional lecture, seminar and computer laboratory formula. In addition, our research indicates that it is important to engage in academic consultancy, knowledge transfer partnerships, community activities and working with alumni. In this respect, the nature of IM is viewed within the holistic aspects of contemporary higher education organisational culture.