ISMG 2050: Course History teaching
Professor Dawn Gregg's legacy and the evolution of ISMG 2050 at CU Denver
Dr. Dawn G. Gregg
Full Professor & Discipline Director, Information Systems Area
dawn.gregg@ucdenver.edu | BUS 6204 | dawngregg.com
Professional Background
Dr. Gregg was a Full Professor at the University of Colorado Denver and served as the Discipline Director for the Information Systems Area. She also held the role of Director of Assurance of Learning for the Business School. Prior to her current position, she served as Associate Dean of Programs and Administrative Director of the Bard Center for Entrepreneurship.
She received her Ph.D. in Computer Information Systems and M.S. in Information Management from Arizona State University, an M.B.A. from Arizona State University West, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Irvine.
While at CU Denver, she founded and served as CEO of Developing Minds Software. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked nine years as a research and development engineer.
Research Focus & Publications
Her current research focuses on sustainable IT research and how to organize and share information online. Her work has been published in journals including:
- MIS Quarterly
- Information and Management
- The International Journal of Electronic Commerce
- Information Systems Frontiers
- Decision Support Systems
ISMG 2050 Under Professor Gregg
Professor Gregg was the long-standing instructor of ISMG 2050 (originally titled "Introduction to Business Problem Solving") at CU Denver. The course focused on technology and problem-solving skills necessary for students to succeed in school and business, using spreadsheet, database, and web tools to analyze data and solve real-life business problems.
Course evolution:
Early iterations
Taught via eCollege (now Canvas predecessor) with Breeze audio/video lecture recordings. Required Microsoft Office Excel 2003/2007 and Access 2003. Coursework structured around weekly tutorials, problem-solving cases, midterms, and a final exam.
Grading architecture (Gregg era)
Class Participation 6.2% | Tutorials 8.8% | Homework 10% | Problem Solving Cases (3) 30% | Exams 45%
Course structure
Weekly modules covered Excel fundamentals, formula functions, What-If analysis, Access databases (tables, queries, forms, reports), charting, and introductory relational database concepts. Students completed problem-solving cases requiring 10-20 hours each to resemble real business scenarios.
Present day (Fall 2026)
The course continues under Franklin Diaz, Adjunct Faculty. Tools have evolved from Access to Tableau for data visualization. Grading now emphasizes hands-on Excel & Tableau assignments (65%), exams (20%), a Tableau Capstone Project (10%), and participation (5%). AI collaboration is formally encouraged as a learning tool.
Honors & Awards
2018 - Outstanding Service Award, CU Denver Business School
2018 - Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award, University of Colorado Denver
2011 - Dave Laube Community Impact Award, CU Denver Business School
2010 - Faculty Advisor, Outstanding Student Chapter Award (AIS), 2009-2010 Academic Year
2010 - Faculty Advisor, UC Denver Outstanding Educational Program Award (Information Systems Association)
2008 - Dean's Scholar Award, CU Denver Business School
Fall 2008 - Rutt Bridges Award (co-author, "Dressing Your Online Auction Business For Success")
June 2008 - First Place, Bard Center Business Plan Competition (Developing Minds Software)
April 2007 - Faculty Sponsor, Outstanding Entrepreneurial Activity Award Winner
2005 - Outstanding Tenure-Track Teacher of the Year Award, CU Denver Business School