Course Description:
The course provides a foundation for designing database systems and analyzing business data to enhance firm competitiveness. Concepts introduced in this course aim to develop an understanding of the different types of business data, various analytical approaches, and application of these approaches to solve business problems. Students will have hands-on experience with current, cutting-edge tools such as MySQL, MongoDB and R.
Course Objectives:
- Articulate the key components of an organizations’ information infrastructure.
- Understand and use transactional database from a model based on both SQL and NoSQL.
- Create an analytical data store by extracting relevant data from a transactional database.
- Perform extract, transform, load (ETL) functions such as data sourcing, pre-processing, and cleansing.
- Discover trends in analytical data stores using the data mining techniques of clustering, segmentation, association, and decision trees.
Present data visually for clear communication to a managerial audience.
Prerequisites:
Grade of C or better in MIS2101.
Required Textbook:
There is no required textbook for this course.
Course Websites:
We will use both the MIS community site and Canvas site. The detailed usage of the two sites is as follows.
Website |
Usage |
MIS Community Site: |
The community site has an up-to-date copy of the syllabus, schedule, class announcements, slide decks, In-class activities, assignment instructions, as well as other course documents. While I will try to make announcements both in class and on the community site, it is a good idea for you to check the web site regularly. |
Canvas: |
The Canvas site is primarily for assignment submission and sharing videos/recordings. The grades will also be posted on Canvas. |
Evaluation and Grading
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Exams
There will be three exams during the semester. Tentative exam schedulesare available below.
· Exam 1: 10/3 during class time
· Exam 2: 10/31 during class time
· Exam 3: 12/5 during class time
Makeup Exams
Makeup exams present a number of logistical challenges. Out of fairness to all students taking the course, makeup examinations will only be given in accordance with the official University policy. Exceptions are granted at the instructor’s discretion and are typically limited to extreme circumstances such as documented hospitalization. If a student is permitted to take a make-up exam, the instructor reserves the right to substitute an alternate exam with different content. Students may find the content of the make-up exam to be more difficult than the original. It is, therefore, to a student’s advantage to show up for each exam at the scheduled time and take it with the rest of the class.
Group Project
There will be a group project released later in the semester. Students will be asked to analyze a data set from the Temple Analytics Challenge (http://ibit.temple.edu/analytics) and create a visualization of their findings. Students should work in groups of 2 to 4. Members in the same group will receive the same grade.
Assignments
There will be nine assignments. All assignments should be submitted via Canvas before due date. Assignments are due before class on the due date, unless otherwise specified. They are to be done individually and should represent your own work. If you need help, you may consult with your instructor or the ITA for the course.
# |
Assignment |
1 |
Database Schema |
2 |
SQL #1 – Basic queries |
3 |
SQL #2 – Advanced queries |
4 |
NoSQL #1 – Basic queries |
5 |
NoSQL #2 – Advanced queries |
6 |
ETL using Tableau Prep |
7 |
Introduction to working with R |
8 |
Decision Trees |
9 |
Clustering |
10 |
Association Rules |
Late Assignment Policy
All assignments will be assessed a 50% penalty (subtracted from that assignment’s score) for the first day(i.e. 24 hours) they are late. No credit will be given for assignments turned in more than 24 hours past the deadline.
Please note:
- Equipment failure is not an acceptable reason for turning in an assignment late.
- In case the Canvas submission link does not work, you must send the submission to the instructor’s email by the due date.
- For the assignment to be considered “on time,” you must attach all necessary files specified in the assignment instructions by the due date. For any revisions or additional documents received after the due date, the usual late penalty applies.
A Note on Regrade Requests
Instructor and the ITA will make every effort to return exam/assignment grades within 1 week of submission. If you believe that your grade is inaccurate, you may request a regrade under the following conditions:
- Regrade requests must be submitted within 1 weekof the date when the grade was returned.
- For project and assignment grades, regrade requests must be emailed to the ITA and must outline the reasons you deserve a higher grade. Referencing another student’s grade is inappropriate and irrelevant.While we do our best to apply an even standard across students, we can’t discuss anyone else’s grade with you, so we need to deal with the merits of your particular case.
- For exam grades, regrade requests must be made during office hours.
- I reserve the right to regrade the entire assignment/project/exam and thus your grade may go up or down.
In-Class Activities
In-class activities are very hands on in nature, where students will be expected to work with various examples and data sets based on instructions and class discussions.
After we complete the in-class activities, you are required to submit your solutions through Canvas by the end of the class unless otherwise notified.
You are allowed to miss two submissions for in-class activities.Deliverables from in-class activities will be graded by success or fail. Missed or late submissions will receive a zero (fail) grade. Equipment failure is not an acceptable reason for turning in a deliverable late.
Class Participation
Participation:I strongly encourage your active class participation and discussion. Involvement during class is also important. Being present in class to ask and answer questions is essential to the learning process. Don’t feel shy to speak up, ask questions or answer them. All students are expected to come prepared for the class and volunteer answers.
Online Participation: To facilitate learning the course material, we will discuss course material on the class blog in between classes. Many weeks, I will post interesting articles or opinions in the blog or post questions arising from the class discussions that week on the course blog. I will also post questions for the students to comment on and discuss on this forum. Participation on the online blog will count towards class participation grade.
Laptop Requirement
- The software that we use in the course works on Windows and MacOS. Students should bring a laptop in class to follow the course materials (e.g., ICAs).
- Chromebooks are not considered as laptops as they are a Google tablet/device.
https://its.temple.edu/shoppers-guide
Classroom Etiquette
The environment you and your fellow students create in class directly impacts the value gained from the course. To that end, the following are my expectation of your conduct in this class:
- Arrive on time and stay until the end of class.
- Turn off cell phones, pagers and alarms while in class.
- Limit the use of electronic devices (e.g., laptop, tablet computer) to class-related usage such as taking notes. Restrict the use of an Internet connection (e.g., checking email, Internet browsing, sending instant messages) to before class, during class breaks, or after class.
- During class time speak to the entire class (or breakout group) and let each person “take their turn.”
- Be fully present and remain present for the entirety of each class meeting.
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism and academic dishonesty can take many forms. The most obvious is copying from another student’s exam, but the following are also forms of this:
- Copying material directly, word-for-word, from a source (including the Internet)
- Using material from a source without a proper citation
- Turning in an assignment from a previous semester as if it were your own
- Having someone else complete your homework or project and submitting it as if it were your own
- Using material from another student’s assignment in your own assignment
If you use text, figures, and data in reports that were created by someone other than yourself, you must identify the source and clearly differentiate your work from the material that you are referencing. There are many different acceptable formats that you can use to cite the work of others (see some of the resources below). You must clearly show the reader what is your work and what is a reference to somebody else’s work.
Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses. Penalties for such actions are given at my discretion, and can range from a failing grade for the individual assignment, to a failing grade for the entire course, to expulsion from the program.
Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities
The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link:
http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02
Disability Statement
Any student who has need of accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Temple University’s Disability Resources and Services (DRS) office at (215)204-1280 at 100 Ritter Annex to coordinate accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Please contact your instructor and the DRS within the first week of class, at the beginning of the semester. DRS will establish your needs, and make necessary arrangements with faculty. If you choose not to contact DRS, and have difficulty, you will be unable to receive accommodations retroactively, once exams are completed and/or course grades are submitted. Such decisions are made jointly between the DRS office and the instructor, at their discretion based on circumstances. Accommodation letters must be received by the instructor during the first two weeks of the semester.
Professional Achievement Point Requirement (MIS Majors Only)
The MIS department has instituted a professional achievement point requirement for MIS majors. We have found that our most successful students are not only engaged inside the classroom but also with the department and our Student Professional Organization, AIS. Students will be required to create a portfolio which documents their achievements in the classroom, with the department, and within AIS. For each addition to their portfolio, a student will earn some number of “professional achievement points”. Students will be required to accumulate 1,000 professional achievement points to meet this graduation requirement.
MIS 2502 will serve as a checkpoint to ensure that students are focused on this requirement and on track to earn their 1,000 points by graduation. All MIS majors are required to earn a minimum of 200 professional achievement points by the end of the semester. Students who have earned a “C” or better but do not earn the minimum number of professional achievement points by the end of the semester will receive an “Incomplete” for this course regardless of performance on exams or class participation! If a student earn earns the minimum number of professional achievement points within one year from the end of the semester and notifies their instructor, the instructor will update their grade from “Incomplete” to a traditional grade. If a student fails to earn the minimum number of professional achievement points within one year from the end of the semester or does not notify their instructor that they have earned the minimum number of professional achievement points then their “Incomplete” will be changed to an “F” automatically by the system and will be the student’s permanent grade.
Technology Usage
The use of technology is an important aspect of this course. Please review the Temple University Technology Usage Policy.