Mapping the case analysis genre continuum in an information systems program

The case analysis, a prominent genre within business and information systems (IS) programs, is challenging for students because there are competing demands to perform both academic/learner and professional/mock-consultant roles. Drawing on design-based research data from four different IS courses at our institution, in this paper we aim to map a pedagogical to professional case analysis genre continuum. We examine the expectations for student roles in these four different courses, where and how the case analysis assignments in these courses fit into the continuum, and whether they facilitate an effective developmental trajectory as a whole. Our analysis shows that our institution’s trajectory is mostly effective in moving students from pedagogical to professional roles, but could be enhanced with extra support for case analysis writing that falls in the middle of the continuum. We offer recommendations for how academic programs could leverage the value of the developmental trajectory to create a cohesive sequence across the four-year student experience.