Design of a flexible case-study instructional module for operating systems for information technology

  • Authors:

  • C. Richard G. Helps;Stephen A. Renshaw

  • Affiliations:

  • Brigham Young University, Provo, UT;Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

  • Venue:
  • CITC5 '04 Proceedings of the 5th conference on Information technology education
  • Year:
  • 2004

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Abstract

Information Technology (IT) is grounded in applications of theoretical principles for solving problems using computing resources. IT instructors continually face the challenge of providing current technology experiences for their students in a rapidly evolving environment. This paper discusses the development of an instructional module which uses a model-based approach to present case studies of operating systems. The instructional design includes several key aspects. Firstly, a general operating system model is presented as a conceptual model for the instruction. An appropriate theoretical model for IT, as opposed to other computing disciplines or viewpoints, is proposed. Secondly, the structures of real operating systems, (Linux and WinXP), are presented as case studies. The case studies are related to the theoretical model and anchored to reality by using various software tools to show the instantiation of the theoretical concepts in the actual systems. Thirdly, learning effectiveness is enhanced by using a learn-expand-teach instructional design. An important issue within IT is the rapid evolution of the discipline. The implications of designing the module to cater for future changes in operating systems, using the learn-expand-teach approach, are discussed.