New perspectives for information systems education

Systems analysis is the examination of a problem situation in order to define the requirements of a solution, often computerized, to that problem. The diversity of problems and the constraints of computing technology require that a problem be thoroughly analyzed in order to insure that the problem is clearly understood. Then, and only then it can be determined how computing technology can be applied to solve the identified problem. Therefore, systems analysis education teaches the discipline of clear and complete problem definition. Several recent developments offer new perspectives for systems analysis education. These developments provide a conceptual framework for understanding information system and data base characteristics. This framework supports an improved methodology for systems analysis and thereby contributes to higher quality systems analysis education.