Using ERP Systems in Education

Enterprise Resource Planning systems are the new solution to business systems. These systems provide comprehensive business functionality in an integrated fashion using a state-of-the-art IT architecture. This trend towards enterprise systems in large and mid-sized organizations has a significant impact on IS careers paths. Enterprise systems essentially change fundamental business work processes thus implying that the system that supports these processes, and the design and development of these systems, also changed. Yet, most IS curricula do not provide significant coverage of ERP concepts, nor do they graduate students who are knowledgeable about these systems and the impact that these systems have on industry. This paper identifies opportunities for incorporating the ERP body of knowledge into an IS program. The general spirit of the paper is that of experiential learning. That is, this paper focuses on curriculum that is enriched through the hands-on experience gained by students working on a real ERP system. The paper also discusses related topics such as costs and critical success factors.