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A study is reported which aimed to improve the proportion of students using aspects of deep learning approaches in an undergraduate information systems (IS) subject. Underlying the study was relational learning research, which identified learning environment factors more likely to be perceived by students who adopted deep learning approaches. These factors were used to design, and refine over five years, small-scale interventions to the IS subject's learning environment. To investigate the impact of the interventions students' learning approaches were evaluated each year on the basis of responses to short written answer and Likert-scale questionnaire items. In the fifth year of the study a statistically significant increase in the proportion of students using aspects of deep learning approaches was identified. Among a number of important learning environment factors, perception of workload appeared to be a key to encouraging the use of deep learning approaches. Through gradually decreasing the workload in the subject each year, a point was reached where enough educationally critical content was covered to satisfy the subject aims, but significantly more students perceived they had enough time to apply deep learning approaches.One of the challenges for lecturers in higher education is to encourage students to use the types of learning approaches that are more likely to lead to high-quality learning outcomes. This paper reports on a five-year action research study that aimed to improve the quality of students' learning approaches in an undergraduate information systems (IS) subject. While research into students' learning experiences has been extensive, there is little research reporting small-scale interventions in a subject that have resulted in statistically significant improvements in the quality of students' learning approaches. The term 'subject' is used in this paper in the Australian context

Previous enterprise resource planning (ERP) research has identified 'top management support' as an important factor in implementation success. However, most studies are short on the detail of exactly how and why 'top management support' contributes to ERP success. Moreover, although 'improved management decision-making' is often claimed as a business benefit of ERP systems, there is little evidence in previous ERP research of it having actually occurred. This paper examines the role of managerial agency at all levels in four Australian manufacturing organizations in achieving business benefits from ERP systems during the post-implementation period. The research contributes to current understanding of the role of managerial agency in achieving business benefits from ERP systems by providing theoretically based, detailed and interesting insights from four interpretive case studies.i sj_316 213..238

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This paper describes the multiple work integrated learning (WIL) schemes available to IT students at La Trobe University, Bendigo Campus. Having a number of different options for students to choose from maximizes the number of students who can have the opportunity for IT industry experience while completing an IT degree. This approach is important since IT employers are currently more likely to employ work-ready graduates. The advantages of the programs to the various stakeholders -university, IT academic staff, industry partners (IP) and students (regardless of whether they participate in a WIL program or not) -are outlined. To differentiate work integrated learning from work experience there is an emphasis on reflective practice throughout the IT work-integrated learning subjects. Some examples of students' reflective writing are provided to illustrate this focus. Suggestions for successful WIL programs are discussed along with issues that have arisen and how they were managed.