Developing Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration Skills in IS Education: Scaffolding with OneNote Classroom

Information Systems (IS) education has a long history of negotiating the necessary competencies IS graduates need to thrive in the workplace. While consensus exists on the need for both technical and business skills, developing the essential 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, and critical thinking presents unique challenges in today's educational environment. The emergence of generative AI is undermining the efficacy of some traditional teaching and assessment methods, while also raising concerns about students' abilities to critically evaluate AI-generated content (Larson et al, 2024). Concurrently, ongoing technological and business change means that new IS professionals must be ready to rapidly analyze complex situations and take decisive action with incomplete information. The ability to learn incrementally, act swiftly, and improve continuously — essentially embodying an "agile mindset"—has become non-negotiable. This presentation explores an innovative approach using Microsoft OneNote Classroom to scaffold these crucial skills in an introductory Management Information Systems (MIS) course. The rationale for adopting OneNote Classroom stems from three core educational needs: first, scaffolding critical thinking by guiding students through structured analytical processes emphasizing core IS concepts; second, providing a collaborative space where diverse perspectives might supplement individual perspectives; and third, creating an environment that reinforces structured, action-oriented business communication rather than the essay-style writing most undergraduates have been conditioned to produce. The OneNote Classroom implementation creates a structured environment where students collaboratively analyze business situations through applying IS concepts. Working in small groups, students use template-guided pages to decompose problems into parts, analyze and evaluate options, and document their thinking and solutions in a business-appropriate format—emphasizing bullet points over paragraphs, leading with recommendations before evidence, and considering implementation tasks, cost-benefit analyses, and risk factors. This approach affords practice in the structured, action-oriented communication style expected in business environments. Beyond communication skills, the methodology nurtures both individual critical thinking (objective analysis and evaluation) and social critical thinking (challenging prevailing arrangements through awareness of diverse perspectives). The timebound nature of these exercises encourages students to develop an action orientation—producing deliverables within limited timeframes while documenting their reasoning. A side-effect of “making learning visible” in this way is that group insights can support further peer learning. This talk will detail the pedagogical motivation and implementation process, share specific templates and exercises, discuss observed outcomes, and explore ongoing challenges and future directions