Course number: MIS 160: System Development Life Cycle

Engagement, Action, Efficiency

Reflection on Instructional Change:

One practice from the ACUE Gen AI course that I implemented for our MIS 160 class is to ensure there is clear explanation of how the engagement of Gen AI tools should work from a student perspective. Being careful to explain how, and more importantly perhaps - why, we are engaging the tool for the actions and efficiency we are hoping to gain from the use of the tool. I was surprised to find that even with my students in a Management Information Systems concentration, the use of Gen AI is still new and the students were very hesitant to use the tool during instructed sessions.

The ACUE course was helpful in teaching me how to explain the use of tools and gave useful examples of how to address the needs of the students. Our MIS 160 class is hosted in a full computer lab classroom in-person, so the barrier to device access is removed and all students had free access to the different Gen AI models and tools available.

A regular feature of our class is breakout activities to supplement the textbook learning of planning and executing information technology projects. By anchoring at the beginning of the semester good and poor uses of implementing Gen AI use cases, the students were able to supplement their lab work with the use of Gen AI tools.

The early conversation made it a safe place to discuss the use of the tools, there was a healthy dialog all semester about when and how to use the tools.

Evidence of Instructional Change


Screen shot of activity instruction	Student responding to the questions from the video	Gen AI Image from Copilot; responsible and engaging use of AI tools in a management information systems college class at sac state

Practice and Reflect Teaching and Learning with AI:

Beyond the use of AI, the course has helped me in framing assignments for students. The instructional use of AI has carried over to non-AI assignments to remind me to be very clear in setting parameters and goals for each assignment, which I think has resulted in enhanced learning for the students.

Course Syllabus MIS160-Syllabus-Fall2024 Rev1.docx

Faculty Bio


	Currently, Ron Robinette, works in state government as the Deputy Secretary of Technology and Innovation at Government Operations Agency for the State of California. Previously, he worked at the California Department of Technology where he was responsible for creating the Technology Stabilization Service and Technology Modernization Service. With a career in public service spanning more than 25 years, he has assisted in the state response to emergency situations such as H1N1, the Angora fire, and COVID-19. From 2014-2017, he served as CIO at the California Department of Community Services and Development, earning CIO of the Year in 2016. His state service includes roles at the California Department of Public Health and the State Water Resources Control Board. Over the years, his technology teams received numerous state and national awards. Ron received a Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Management Information Systems from Sacramento State University and a Master of Science in Management from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He currently teaches undergraduate classes as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics within the College of Business at Sacramento State.


	This work was supported by: US Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution Project TECH4Equity US Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution Project STEM4Equity P031C210012 *Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the US Department of Education.