About

Instructor:

Jeremy Shafer (jeremy@temple.edu)

Physical Office: 209D Speakman Hall

Phone: (215) 204-6432

Profile: htt p ://communit y .mis.tem p le.edu /j shafer

Office Hours:

Office hours are in effect 8/26/2024 through 12/9/2024
Monday and Wednesday, 2:30 to 3:30
Other times by appointment

Class Locations and Time:

Section 1: 1pm – 2:20pm, Monday, Wednesday – In Person, A239

Prerequisites:

None

Course Description:

This course provides the knowledge and skills to leverage emerging and innovative information technology to create business opportunities for both new entrepreneurial ventures and traditional firms. As we move into the digital world, the ways by which companies create value is fundamentally shifting from products to experiences. The rapid convergence to digital technology opens up new opportunities to offer novel products and services that did not exist before. In this course, students will be asked to think how entrepreneurs and companies produce radically new products and services in the increasingly digital world.

The course focuses on how organizations can design novel and desirable products and services. Through applied projects, student teams will learn how to evaluate and apply new innovative technologies to create new digital experiences, products, and services.

This course is designed to provide business students with a foundational understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) concepts and their applications in a business context. Students will explore the potential of AI/ML technologies to transform industries, drive innovation, and enhance decision-making processes. Through a combination of theoretical learning, practical applications, and case studies, students will develop the skills necessary to leverage AI/ML tools to solve real-world business problems. Specific technologies used in this course include (but are not limited to) Python, Microsoft Excel and ChatGPT.

Course Objectives:

Define and explain fundamental AI and ML concepts.
Understand the role of AI/ML in various business domains.
Identify opportunities for AI/ML integration in business processes.
Evaluate ethical and social implications of AI/ML in business.
Apply AI/ML algorithms to real-world business scenarios.
Communicate AI/ML concepts and solutions to non-technical stakeholders. Which AI/ML paradigm is being applied, and why?

How this course will be taught:

This is an in person class, that meets on Monday and Wednesday each week. The instructor will deliver instruction using lecture, class discussion, assigned listening/viewing, class activities and assignments.

MIS Department Instructional Practices:

MIS faculty intentionally nurture student behaviors that promote critical thinking, curiosity, and perseverance.

In this class, this means: coming to class prepared, taking notes, submitting your work on time, testing/discovering the limits of AI, discerning between AI hype and reality, constructively participation in class discussion, and choosing project work that is meaningful to you.

Required Textbook:

None. Selected readings and/or viewing will be assigned.

Students may be required to purchase access to “ChatGPT Pro” for one month. This will cost $20.00.

Evaluation and Grading:

Items

Item	Percentage
Mid-term	20%
Final	20%
Quizzes (5)	20%
Assignments (5)	20%
In-class activities and Group Discussions	20%

Scale

94 – 100	A	73 – 76.99	C
90 – 93.99	A-	70 – 72.99	C-
87 – 89.99	B+	67 – 69.99	D+
83 – 86.99	B	63 – 66.99	D
80 – 82.99	B-	60 – 62.99	D-
77 – 79.99	C+	Below 60	F

Exams:

There will be two exams: a midterm exam and final exam.

The final exam is comprehensive and taken during finals week.

There will be no impromptu (‘pop’) quizzes or exams.

Quizzes:

There will be 5 in-class quizzes. Quizzes are time-restricted, closed book, paper-based assessments given during class.

Quizzes are used to reinforce and evaluate student comprehension of the prior week’s material. Most quiz questions will be multiple choice questions.

Any collusion among students to save or share quiz and exam materials will result in disciplinary action.

Students are to complete each quiz in 20 minutes or less.

Assignments:

There will be 5 assignments. All assignments should be submitted via Canvas before the due date. They are to be done individually and should represent your own work.

This is a tentative list.

#	Assignment
1	Breaking the ChatBot
2	AI features in Excel (part 1)
3	AI features in Excel (part 2)
4	Business applications of AI
5	Your Business Proposal

Please note that assignments 4 and 5, taken together, form a small end of semester project.

Late Assignment Policy:

All assignments and activities are graded on a 100-point scale. If an assignment is turned in on or before its due date, it is on time. Assignments turned in later are automatically assigned a 20 point penalty, no matter what the reason. Assignments may not be turned in more than three days late. These assignments get a grade of zero.

For the assignment to be considered “on time,” you must attach all necessary files specified in the assignment instructions by the due date. If additional/revised/corrected documents are received after the due date, then the 20-point penalty will be applied to the assignment.

In-Class Activities:

In-class activities (ICAs) 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 day unless otherwise notified.

ICAs have the same late policy as assignments.

Deliverables from in-class activities will be graded as success (100), some problems (80), unacceptable (50) or failure (0).

Missing submissions will also receive a zero (fail) grade. Equipment failure is not an acceptable reason for turning in a deliverable late.

Participation:

Constructive conversation in the classroom is important. When called on, respond to the instructor’s questions thoughtfully.

It is important to come to class prepared. Students who do not come to class with assigned setup work completed will not be accommodated in class.

Participation does account for a significant portion of your grade in this class. Participation grades are assigned at the discretion of the instructor.

There will be multiple opportunities for students to evaluate the work of their peers. The instructor will consider those peer assessments when determining each individual participation grade.

Cold calling:

The instructor may use the class roster to “cold call” students. This ensures that every student has a chance to participate. This practice is intended to promote student participation. Students are expected to provide thoughtful answers.

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:

Please see the following:

http://bulletin.temple.edu/undergraduate/about-temple-university/student-responsibilities/

It is important to do your own work, and to not present the work of others as if it were your own. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class.

In this course, you will develop critical thinking and coding skills by working on assignments and activities.

Doing this work independently is an important part of the learning process. Consequently, unless otherwise directed by your instructor, students may not use ChatGPT, AI, or any other tool that generates code to complete any part of your assignments.

Sharing your work with another student via One-Drive or any other file sharing technology is prohibited. Unless otherwise directed by your instructor, students are not to share their work with other students.

Likewise, any attempt to deliberately interfere with the technology used in this class (e.g. the class servers), or to electronically impersonate a student other than yourself, or to knowingly share your credentials with another student for the purpose of sharing your work, will also be treated as a case of academic dishonesty. All students involved in such events or activities will be penalized.

Penalties for such actions range from a failing grade in the entire course to expulsion from the program. Instances of cheating and plagiarism are very likely to be reported to the University Disciplinary Committee.

Disability Disclosure Statement:

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a documented disability, including special accommodations for access to technology resources and electronic instructional materials required for the course, should contact the instructor privately to discuss the specific situation by the end of the second week of classes or as soon as practical. Students should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) at 215-204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to learn more about the available resources. The instructor will work with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities.

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: htt p ://p olicies.tem p le.edu/g etdoc.as p ?p olic y _no=03.70.02

Class recordings:

Class meetings will not be recorded.

Getting Help:

Students may email the instructor at jeremy@temple.edu. Students who do this can expect to receive a response from the instructor by the end of the next business day.