Abstract: Educators must constantly figure out engaging ways to teach data management and modeling concepts, especially to non-technical audiences. This paper introduces and describes an experiential learning activity using playing cards to teach a range of business and technical concepts. The paper is enriched by personal anecdotes and experiences from conducting this activity in both academic and professional settings. A repeated measures survey (pre-test, post-test, and follow-up one week later) is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercise. Participants reported enjoying the exercise, demonstrated improved understanding, felt confident about their new knowledge, and recalled important concepts a week later.

Keywords: Experiential learning & education, MapReduce, Playing cards, Metaphors in IT education, Data management

Download this article: JISE - Volume 30 Issue 2, Page 67.pdf

Recommended Citation: Agogo, D. & Anderson, J. (2019). Teaching Tip: “The Data Shuffle”: Using Playing Cards to Illustrate Data Management Concepts to a Broad Audience. Journal of Information Systems Education, 30(2), 84-96.