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ABSTRACT
Learning technical computing skills is increasingly important in our technology driven society. However, learning technical skills in information systems (IS) courses can be difficult. More than 20 percent of students in some technical courses may dropout or fail. Unfortunately, little rs known about students' perceptions of the difficulty of technical IS courses and how students cope with the perceived difficulty of technical content in IS courses. This paper explores how students perceive the difficulty of technical IS courses and how difficulty perceptions influence learning outcomes and perceptions. Learning technical topics may be particularly difficult for students from non-IS majors, yet this is only speculative. The extent to which non-IS majors are disadvantaged in technical IS courses is also explored. To explore these issues, this paper adopts a mixed-method approach. First, a grounded theory is developed from secondary data to explain difficulty perceptions and the successful management of those perceptions. Second, a quantitative test is conducted to validate the grounded theory. Finally, the grades of IS and non-IS majors are compared.
Keywords: Web design and development, Security, Grounded theory, Student perceptions
1. INTRODUCTION
Increasingly, employees are expected to use information systems (IS) to complete work-related tasks (Aasheim et al., 2012). The ubiquity of IS in the workplace has created a demand for employees who are capable of using technology m effective and secure ways (Sauls and Gudigantala, 2013). Today, job seekers who cannot use technology to perform job-related tasks are disadvantaged in their pursuit for employment (Johnson, 2010). Therefore, teaching undergraduate students to use technology is essential for their career development (Flowers and Pascarella, 2000; Grubb and Lazerson, 2005; Privateer, 1999).
Although technical computing courses are important, teaching and learning technical computing topics can be difficult (Moma and van Hattmu-Janssen, 2011; Verginis et al., 2011). Many studies have proposed curricular advancements for technical IS courses, but little is known
about how these advancements help students cope with the perceived difficulty of technical IS courses. Further, little is known about how difficulty perceptions influence learning outcomes and learning perceptions. The lack of research on difficulty perceptions and difficulty management is an oversight given that more than 20 percent of students in some computing courses dropout or fail (Bennedsen and Caspersen, 2007). Therefore, tins study seeks...
