Enterprise Information Architecture
Syllabus
Course Description
Enterprise Information Architecture (EIA) is the strategic blueprint that defines how information is collected, stored, organized, shared, and governed across an entire enterprise. It provides the structures, standards, and policies that ensure information assets are integrated, consistent, secure, and aligned with business goals. This is a graduate-level, problem-based learning (PBL) course that explores how healthcare organizations design, integrate, govern, and evolve their information environments. In this course, students step into the roles of architects, clinicians, compliance officers, and executives as they tackle authentic, evolving case scenarios drawn from modern healthcare challenges. Over the semester, students will analyze fragmented healthcare information systems, design interoperable solutions using HL7 and FHIR, and transform raw clinical data into Common Data Models for research and quality reporting. They will evaluate workflows, model healthcare ecosystems, and craft business value propositions for strategic IT investments. Building on these foundations, the course may also covers a variety of relevant topics on risk and patient safety analysis, governance and data stewardship, change management strategies, and maturity models used to benchmark organizational progress.
The emphasis is on hands-on problem solving, system thinking, and real-world applicability. Students will work in collaborative teams to produce artifacts (such as workflow diagrams, system architecture, Business Process Model and Notation, and risk assessments). Every 2-3 weeks, we will work as a team to identify or develop solutions for a real-world problem related to information system or architecture in healthcare. By the end of the course, students will not only understand the frameworks and standards of enterprise information architecture but also be able to communicate the business, clinical, and governance value of information systems in healthcare.
Course OBjectives
At the end of the class, students will be able to:
Evaluate and conduct analyses within the information architecture of a healthcare organization
Create a basic enterprise architecture plan and/or business model
Model relationships between information systems, health care quality/safety/regulatory requirements, and business objectives within a health organization
Conduct analysis, design and prototype for enhancing enterprise information systems to advance health care workflows or innovation
Textbook
We will primarily use this living eBook which evolves over time. This eBook integrates content adapted from both public and proprietary sources, including but not limited to: (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) 2023), (National Aeronautics and Space Administration 2017), (Mark W. Maier and (eds.) 2000),(Ulrich and Eppinger 2015), and among others.
Class Format
Synchronous and Asynchronous participation
This course does not have a fixed meeting time or location and will be conducted entirely online. Most participation will be asynchronous, particularly for group discussions focused on developing solutions to the real-world problems assigned every 2–3 weeks. To track progress, students are strongly encouraged to maintain journals or meeting logs. Project management tools and platforms (e.g., GitHub, Jira) may also be used and will be introduced during the first two weeks of the course. Periodic synchronous meetings may be scheduled as needed to address common topics.
PBL Solution Artifacts
Every 2–3 weeks, students will be randomly assigned to teams to identify or develop solutions to a real-world problem related to healthcare information systems or architecture. Each team will submit one deliverable artifact per project, with the contributions of all team members clearly documented. Projects will be scheduled to align closely with the course material, and at least five projects will be assigned over the semester. Each student is expected to take the lead in project management for at least one project.
Final Project Design Brief
At the end of the semester, students will be assigned an open-ended EIA problem. Each student will propose a potential solution in the form of a Design Brief—a two-page executive summary of their design project. The brief should be written for a multi-disciplinary audience of engineers, policy makers, clinicians, executives, and etc., who may not be as familiar as you are with your clinical and solution space.
Disclaimer of GenAI Use
Portions of the course content were developed with the assistance of GenAI tools (ChatGPT 5.0). These tools were used to support tasks such as drafting, summarizing, reformatting, or suggesting examples. All materials have been subsequently reviewed, edited, and validated by the course instructor for accuracy, appropriateness, and alignment with the intended learning objectives. The use of GenAI tools in content creation does not substitute for faculty expertise, academic rigor, or the responsibility of the instructor. Any errors, omissions, or limitations are the responsibility of the instructor, not the GenAI tool provider. Additionally, no human subject data or other sensitive information may be entered into public generative AI platforms. Violation of this policy may result in loss of data access privileges and further academic consequences.