Deconstruction of Socio-technical Information Systems with Virtual Exploration Environments as a Method of Teaching Informatics

The working group Didactics of Informatics at the University of Paderborn develops and evaluates a multimedia exploration platform for information systems (MEPIS) to the needs of teaching and learning informatics at secondary schools. The paper describes the basic ideas within a system-oriented approach of didactics of informatics and two of its most relevant ideas: the perception of a socio-technical information system and the concept of deconstruction. The pedagogical and technical requirements of developing multimedia tools and integrating them into teaching and learning processes in informatics will be outlined, and the demands on a multimedia-based exploration environment for the process of deconstruction will be described. Finally, a concept of evaluation of teaching and learning processes in informatics under the perspective of a system-oriented didactical approach and the practical use of an exploration platform at secondary schools will be presented. Socio-technical information systems in a didactical perspective By socio-technical information systems (IS) we understand the unity of software including the graphical user interface (GUI), the hardware, embedded systems for control and regulation of peripherally technical processes and for communication with other IS and, last but not least, the associated social action system of persons, who are interacting with the IS and with other people. The technical part of an information system is exceedingly connected with its social part, by human computer interaction (HCI) and further direct or indirect technical functionalities of the information system, affecting the interactions of humans with the system and the interaction between persons. The social interaction in the context of the information system extends this to a socio-technical information system. As an example, for instance, an aeroplane can be mentioned. Information systems, e.g. embedded systems, are closely linked with the surrounding technique of the airplane to a local network of hard and software. The crew acting with this information system via the GUI of the board computer and the software implemented there extend this system to a socio-technical information system. Safety of the plane and the passengers do not only depend on the correctness of the softand hardware but also on the ability of the crew to interact capably with this system. The term of the socio-technical information system, in which an action system formed by interacting persons is merged is a subsystem, has its science-theoretical roots not only in computer science but also in the sociology of technique (viz. e.g. Ropohl 1999). The software of socio-information systems represent fundamental ideas and methods of informatics and also the concept of workflow and patterns of social action within the system. Social action, social roles of people and the workflow in the system's context will be influenced, e.g. by human computer interaction (HCI) with the technical parts of the system moderated by the graphical user interface (GUI). In the process of software development a model of the future system's functionality and its integration into the working and social context has to be generated. Modelling and developing software under this perspective is a highly communicative and interactive activity and needs close cooperation between developers and customers. Therefore, we need cooperative and evolutionary concepts for software development with stepwise refinement of its functionality. The technical implementation of a computer science system can therefore be used to prove the consequences of decisions in the context of the modelling process and cooperative action between developers and customers. Objectives of a system oriented didactical approach An important lesson for teaching informatics is that programming in the sense of coding is only one part of the construction process of an IS, and that it can no longer stand alone as the centre of a curricular concept. Techniques of system modelling and of evaluation of existing information systems as well as theoretical aspects of informatics should also be a relevant subject of informatics work in the classroom. Scaffolding curricular concepts of teaching informatics at secondary schools which focus on the modelling aspects of software development and the social dimensions of IS are important issues. Instruction using a system oriented didactical approach in informatics should include these essential objectives: • Teaching fundamental concepts of informatics (like algorithms, methods of software technique..) • Learning about (computer-based ) modelling techniques. • Recognising software development and the construction of IS as a communicative and co-operative process, i.e. construction decisions and group interests should be balanced. • Learning, that the social impact of an implemented IS has its roots in the phases of requirement definition, specification and design of software • Creating technical systems and IS is not only a technical but also an important social process with large influence on society Realising this approach fosters not only the knowledge of fundamental concepts of computer science but also important comprehension and orientation in an engineered world and thus substantial aspects of general education are obtained in informatics at school. Fostering modelling abilities of students by deconstruction of IS Beyond algorithms, small software development, or the construction of a tiny IS classroom project, informatics also needs computer-based tools for modelling and for the exploration of existing IS. In complement to the method of constructing software, the method of deconstruction of software is a methodical alternative in informatics lessons. In addition, it also gives students the opportunity for discovering styles of learning and focuses in a special way on the modelling and design process as well as on the social implications of information systems. The term "deconstruction" comes originally from the methodical concept of philosophy and science of literature (viz. e.g. Derrida 1997). It aims to analyse the structure and content of text and to interpret the author's opinion. Also it intends to find out about things, which have not been said by the author, but nevertheless were very important for the author’s message. Deconstructivism can also be found in the fields of architecture and arts, where we may discover traditional and new concepts of design, logic, formal and informal structures, implicit messages, and so on. Why not transfer this concept in the area of teaching software techniques? Figure 1: Deconstruction as a method of Didactics of Informatics Software has different forms of appearance and allows different views to discover it: We could look at the source code and see classes, methods, algorithms, programming language structures or even informatics concepts such as e.g. the problem solving method 'divide and conquer'. We might look at the GUI and learn about software ergonomics as well as about the functionality of the software. We might learn about the organisation of work within the IS and the abilities people must have to handle this product. UML diagrams (unified modelling language) and documents that have been generated during the phase of design-decision complete the arrangement. It's like a puzzle and pupils might look for the pieces and put them to the whole. The complexity of a multimedia-based exploration environment should be scalable so that it might be adapted to the level of different learning groups. When constructing software by themselves, pupils have to obey the chronology of the process and then, due to the lack of time, the software to be developed cannot be very complex. Deconstruction allows a kind of time travelling and offers a simultaneous look at different stages of the software development process, i.e. the preliminary interaction contexts of an IS before its development, the phases of software development, and the implementation and change of social context of the IS. Software design decisions may become a subject of discussions and alternative concepts of specification could be conceptualised. In addition, supplementing modules of the software could be constructed and systems' functionality could be changed. Thus, the fundamental informatics concept of re-engineering could be realised in the classroom. The main objective of this endeavour in an exploration environment is to strengthen the pupils' sensibility towards the decision-making character of modelling processes and to let them learn about the methods of modelling and software techniques. Thus informatics at school will be able to realise some essential objectives of general education: contribution to the school student’s problem solving competencies, fostering social competencies e.g. (ability to work in a team, communication abilities), ability to use cognitive tools not only in informatics but also in other areas, and last but not least the ability to value the social impact of changes in technology, especially in information technology. Virtual exploration environment MEPIS To realise this didactical concept it is necessary to develop didactical software with open access to the source code and a multimedia-based exploration environment, which offers the different tools and types of documents such as: Java development kit, object browsing system, examples of CRC-modelling, description of use cases, description of social context of IS (patterns of interaction, types of workflow), video sequences of social action representing the use cases, interviews with future users, interviews with developers and applicants, documents concerning with the history of ST and IS, parts of documentation of the concrete IS, fragments of source code, elements of the GUI of the software, description of methods to develop, modules of software to develop, UML class Figure 2: Component