MIS 0855: Data Science Spring 2017

Section 003, Instructor: Ermira Zifla

Weekly Question #4: Complete by February 15, 2017

Leave your response as a comment on this post by the beginning of class on February 15, 2017. Remember, it only needs to be three or four sentences. For these weekly questions, I’m mainly interested in your opinions, not so much particular “facts” from the class!

Here is the question:

Take a look at the Hoven article from this week (“Stephen Few on Data Visualization: 8 Core Principles”). Which one of the eight principles do you think is most important? Why?

Reading Quiz #4: Complete by February 13, 2017

Some quick instructions:

  • You must complete the quiz by the start of class on February 13, 2017.
  • When you click on the link, you may see a Google sign in screen. Use your AccessNet ID and password to sign in. It will then take you to the quiz.
    If it says you don’t have access, make sure you’re signed out of your regular Gmail (non-TUMail) account!
  • You can only do the quiz once. If you submit multiple times, I’ll only use the first (oldest) one.
  • This is “open book” – you can use the articles to answer the questions – but do not get help from anyone else.

Ready? Take the quiz by clicking this link.

Assignment 2: Analyze a Data Set Using Tableau

Here is the assignment.

Here is the worksheet as a Word document to make it easy to fill in and submit (along with your Tableau file).

And here is the data file you will need to complete the assignment [In-Class Exercise 2.1 – 2015 Car Fuel Econ [Start].xlsx].

When your assignment is complete, please send your files as an attachment to MIS_085.meqayeklwamfaekc@u.box.com from your Temple email account. Make sure that your files contain your full first and last name in the file name, for example, “Ermira Zifla – Assignment 2”.  If your name on file is Jacob and you go by Jake, please put in either “Jacob” or “Jacob (Jake).” Don’t just put in “Jake.” Also, if your full name is “Nathan Pham,” don’t put in “NPHAM.” I will not be able to find you on the roster.

If your email upload is successful, you will receive a confirmation receipt via email from the Temple OwlBox system. SAVE THIS RECEIPT! It is your proof that your submission was submitted, the name of the document, and the time/date of submission.

If you don’t receive a confirmation email, it likely means your submission was not successful. Try again, and contact me if you’re having recurrent issues.

Your assignment must be submitted by 8:59am, February 20, 2017 to be on time. You can always check the Syllabus for Assignment due dates. Remember, and this is also in the Syllabus:

“Late Deliverable Policy
A deliverable (assignment, weekly question response, or online quiz) is considered late if it is submitted after the beginning of class. No late deliverables will be accepted without penalty, and equipment failure is not an acceptable reason for turning in a deliverable late.
All assignments will be assessed a 20% penalty (subtracted from that assignment’s score) each day they are late. No credit will be given for assignments turned in more than three days past the due date. However, you must submit all assignments, even if no credit is given. If you skip an assignment, an additional 10 points will be subtracted from your final grade in the course. For example, if you do not turn in an assignment worth 5% of the course grade, you will receive no credit for that assignment plus a 10 point penalty, reducing your maximum grade in the course to an 85.”

More Examples of Hypotheses

Here are some more examples to help you with Assignment 1.
 
Bad Hypotheses:
  1. Philadelphia is a growing area in terms of job opportunities and competitive wages.
  2. Philadelphia has great paying jobs.
  3. Philadelphia has nicer weather than other cities like Seattle.
These hypotheses are not specific. How do you define “a great paying job” and “competitive wages”? How to measure “nice” weather?
 
Good Hypotheses:
  1. Philadelphia has a higher average hourly wage than Jackson, Mississippi.
  2. A higher percentage of children in Philadelphia are up to date on vaccinations compared with the rest of the nation.
  3. There are more businesses owned by minorities in Philadelphia than in Atlanta, Georgia.

Weekly Question #3: Complete by February 8, 2017

Leave your response as a comment on this post by the beginning of class on February 8, 2017. Remember, it only needs to be three or four sentences. For these weekly questions, I’m mainly interested in your opinions, not so much particular “facts” from the class!

If you sign in using your AccessNet ID and password you won’t have to fill in the name, email and captcha fields when you leave your comment.

In your opinion, what was the most important takeaway from last week’s discussion on bias and the Signal Problem? Give a recent example of how you’ve used data to make a decision, and a hidden (or not so hidden) bias that was likely present when making your decision. Did this result in a signal problem regarding your analysis and decision-making? Describe how you might have counteracted the bias and Signal Problem for your particular circumstance.

Reading Quiz #3: Complete by February 6, 2017

Some quick instructions:

  • You must complete the quiz by the start of class on February 6, 2017.  The quiz is based on the readings for the whole week.
  • When you click on the link, you may see a Google sign in screen. Use your AccessNet ID and password to sign in. It will then take you to the quiz.
    If it says you don’t have access, make sure you’re signed out of your regular Gmail (non-TUMail) account!
  • You can only do the quiz once. If you submit multiple times, I’ll only use the first (oldest) one.
  • This is “open book” – you can use the articles to answer the questions – but do not get help from anyone else.

Ready? Take the quiz by clicking this link.

Office Hours

Ermira Zifla (instructor) 10:00am-12:00pm Wednesdays, Speakman Hall 207C or by appointment.

ITA

Prince Patel (ITA) by appointment only. Email: tug04032@temple.edu