The Power of Storytelling in Information Systems

Professor Tayfun Keskin is a skilled statistician, engineer, world traveler, and popular teacher. But above all else, he is a storyteller.

As a faculty member in the Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) program at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, Keskin brings information systems concepts to life through anecdotes and real-world examples. He covers the terminology and technologies essential to the field in a way that engages students, making complex material more accessible and memorable.

“The stories I tell are about complex themes, critical analysis, and my own experiences,” he says. “A bland lecture about a deep technical subject would put most people to sleep. My stories are a tool to help students understand and retain knowledge beyond the clear-cut answers. For example, I sometimes tell stories in class about the Roman Empire and by the end, I connect it to the packet switching networks. Through this story my students learn the difference between circuit and packet switched networks, and they will remember it much longer than they would retain the definitions in the book.”

Teaching and inspiring students with varied technical experience

Keskin, who has been at the Foster School since 2020, teaches Managing Information Technology Projects, Systems Analysis and Design, and Introduction to Information Systems, among other classes. Every MSIS, and undergraduate Information Systems Major student takes at least one of his courses before graduation. As a result, he instructs everyone, from those who have deep technical expertise to those who are completely new to the information systems field.

“My classes are relatively technical, especially for a business school,” he acknowledges. “I structure my class to be useful to a wide spectrum of students, with different levels of expertise.”

His approach is well suited for Foster’s MSIS program, which trains professionals in a powerful combination of business and technical skills. The one-year Master’s program equips professionals with the technical expertise and leadership skills needed to drive technology-led business transformation. With a focus on cutting-edge technologies like AI, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, the MSIS program helps students land jobs ranging from IT directors and cybersecurity analysts to product managers, while also connecting with major Seattle-area employers.

Leveraging AI, responsibly

Keskin seamlessly integrates emerging technologies into his curriculum. His research on cloud computing and the Internet of Things has been published in esteemed academic journals, and he is particularly excited about incorporating generative AI and large language models into his courses.

Rather than restricting AI tools, Keskin encourages students to use them ethically and leverage them strategically. “In practice and in their lives, they will have access to these resources,” he notes. “It makes no sense to ban them. Instead, I teach how to use them effectively.” One of his assignments is to write code for a Tic-Tac-Toe game. When given the same assignment as an undergraduate engineering student, it took Keskin weeks of programming to complete. Today, using AI, his students can accomplish the same task in a single hour.

A career dedicated to making the complex understandable

Keskin’s life’s work is making complexities understandable, inside and outside academia. He was born in Turkey where his parents, both teachers, instilled an early appreciation for the power of education. He began his career as a Process Engineer at Procter & Gamble, optimizing production at a plant that supplied P&G products for the Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) region. The supervisors at the Istanbul branch recognized and promoted Keskin citing his leadership skills; they identified his natural tendency to help and teach those around him.

“As I understood my strengths and what I like, I knew I should go back to school,” Keskin says.

Academia was an environment wherein he could broaden his own skills, which he, in turn, could pass on to others. “I feel most comfortable in the classroom.”

Bringing private sector experience to the classroom 

He earned his MBA at Sabancı University in Istanbul, Turkey. There, he expanded beyond engineering, studying a range of topics at the intersection of business and technology. He also gained experience in the private sector. Keskin worked for household name brands, first as a Project Manager at Oracle and later as a Marketing Data Analyst at Kraft Foods.

These experiences were invaluable, and he continues to use examples and stories from his industry experience even today. But Keskin says his heart is in academia, especially teaching.

Following this, he was accepted as a PhD candidate in the prestigious McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin (UT). His first exposure to the United States was a blast of Texas heat he will never forget. “It felt like someone was using a hairdryer on me!” he recalls.

The tacit art of teaching

Professor Keskin studied and taught at UT, earning his doctorate in information, risk, and operations management. He was researching and studying while also building the foundations of his teaching approach today. “This was my first time teaching in a college, and it was a different experience. Many aspects of teaching are tacit. There’s an artistic aspect to it. From my professors, mentors and my parents who are now retired teachers, I learned many techniques: what is and is not effective in the classroom”

After earning his PhD, Keskin accepted a position at the University of Washington, Bothell campus. During a research seminar at Foster, he met Professor Yong Tan, who became a mentor to him. Keskin eventually left Bothell, returning to Texas to teach at UT Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship. When Tan invited him to join Foster, Keskin was thrilled to return to the UW family, this time as a teaching professor in information systems.

“I love living in Seattle. We are so lucky to be here,” he says, citing the city’s status as one of the primary technology hubs in the United States. The proximity to several of the globe’s dominant technology companies provides unique opportunities for Keskin and his students. “Over time, I have created my own network within the industry. For example, last fall I was helping Microsoft and a team of our graduate students to do a consulting project.” Thanks to his developing network of practitioners, Keskin can bring senior-level guest speakers to his class and help students network with industry leaders.

Keskin is also active in professional and academic organizations. Most notably, he serves as a minitrack chair with editorial responsibilities for the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), which is one of the longest-standing working scientific conferences in the field of Information Systems.

The next chapter of his storytelling

“I love travelling to new places and experiencing their culture,” Keskin says. Attending conferences and industry events is just one way Keskin engages in his love of travel. He returns to Turkey at least once a year. He and his son recently completed a full circumnavigation of the globe, with stops in Japan, Singapore, and beyond. Keskin says it was a terrific bonding experience. “Not many 13-year-olds can say they’ve circled the world!”

Looking ahead, Keskin plans to expand his storytelling approach into new educational mediums.  “I’m writing a textbook,” he shares. “I have started to write a textbook that includes cases and stories and compiles them to create an information systems book. I love telling stories as a means of teaching, and this is a new way to share them. I hope it will be my final legacy and contribution to the field of education.”

Learn more about the Master of Science in Information Systems program.