Students are more engaged when they begin with what they already know.  Therefore, the spiral approach to learning information systems used in this text reinforces learning through expansion of topics from the individual level, to the organizational level, and then to the business-partner level. This approach will enhance student engagement with the course material as well as improve retention.

Within each layer of the spiral are three chapters, the first of which focuses on the basics of business, the second on technology, and the third on decision-making and problem solving.  The goal is to teach that the effective integration of IS with knowledge can drive the creation of significant business value.