A cooperative work group experiential format is proposed for an introductory college computer course, which views the computer as one of several components of a business information system. The system is applied to a five-step problem solving model, consisting of problem analysis, problem understanding, making decisions, designing the solution, and implementing the solution. The model is experienced by the students through the theme of career development in which the students focus on the issues of college selection, major selection, and career options upon graduation. Thus, the traditional systems development process is introduced through a problem solving model and used as a basis for future classroom exercises. Employing this cooperative experiential approach, the course addresses issues involving both effectively working in groups and decision making in both individual and group settings. Simultaneously, the course covers the content requirements of the discipline. Since students are actively involved in the learning process and, in effect, teach each other, the emphasis of the course has shifted from a "teaching" environment to viewing the classroom as a "learning" laboratory. Students in the experiential course scored approximately one letter grade higher on end-of-semester standardized final examinations than did students enrolled in traditional sections of the course. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/JDD)