This ITGS card game is a great tool for revision at the end of topic units or at the end of the course in preparation for final exams. The basic idea is to present students with a random social / ethical issue, specific scenario, and IT system and have them discuss a relevant example from their studies or general knowledge that incorporates all three strands.
The playing cards are divided into the three strands of the ITGS triangle – Social and ethical significance, Specific scenarios, and IT Systems, with one card to represent each sub-topic. Wildcards (marked with a star) can be used to let the player pick any topic from that strand.
The game seems to work best, and is more balanced, if multiple copies of each strands’ cards are printed. There are a couple of ways to pay, depending on how far through the ITGS course students are and the order the topics have been approached:
Two-strand game: This is more suitable for students who are only part-way through the ITGS course. Cards for only two of the strands are kept (for example, Strand 1 Social and Ethical Significance, and Strand 3 IT Systems). Students take one card from each pile and must describe a real life situation or example where the issue and IT system apply, and explain the related social impacts (in this case it could be in any specified scenario from strand 2)
Full game: This is more suitable for students who have almost finished the course. They must select one card from each of the three strands and explain a situation where the three all apply. For example, if drawing 1.1 Reliability and Integrity, 2.6 Politics and Government, and 3.2 Software, the student could talk about the software integrity issues that have plagued some US electronic voting machines, potentially throwing election results.
The game can be played by individuals or teams and there are various ways to score or pass cards to opposing teams to “steal” points if the original team cannot think of a relevant situation. You can download the document containing the card images here (Creative Commons licensed).
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