Author ORCID Identifier
Shawn Ogunseye: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5774-4965
Abstract
Many analytical courses teach methods in settings where problems are already defined. Professional practice differs. Analysts must define problems, justify choices, and revise interpretations while working with stakeholders under uncertainty. This study examines how such capability develops through a three-year investigation of an undergraduate systems analysis and design course. It introduces structured uncertainty as a course design approach that preserves instructional structure while requiring students to assume responsibility for defining and justifying problems. Using data from three cohorts taught between 2023 and 2025 (75 students, 481 reflections), the study compares learning trajectories under different instructional conditions. Drawing on problem framing theory, legitimate peripheral participation, and reflective integration, the findings show that under structured uncertainty, when students assumed interpretive responsibility early, analytical capability persisted and integrated over time. When responsibility was largely limited to executing predefined analyses, early gains in problem framing weakened and integration did not occur. The results show that analytical capability develops through the interaction of professional identity, problem framing, and value reasoning. While situated in systems analysis and design, the findings offer a transferable design logic for analytical courses that prepare students for professional judgment under uncertainty.
DOI
10.17705/1CAIS.05836
Recommended Citation
Ogunseye, S. (2026). Structured Uncertainty as a Framework for Developing Analytical Capabilities: Evidence from Systems Analysis and Design Education. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 58, 913-936. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.05836
When commenting on articles, please be friendly, welcoming, respectful and abide by the AIS eLibrary Discussion Thread Code of Conduct posted here.
