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UNIV 4708 Syllabus

Course Syllabus

UNIV 4708 - Introduction to Business Intelligence

3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

This course is an introductory course on the topic of Business Intelligence (BI).  The student will acquire knowledge and skills to:

  1. Understand the value of BI for an organization
  2. Design and develop information systems that will capture relevant data from all segments of an enterprise
  3. Organize data into a coherent structure
  4. Provide the means to analyze data in order to make rational decisions.

Specific topics include data warehousing, data mining, text and web mining and reality mining.  Students will study real life cases and be exposed to business analytics, business performance management and their user interface. 

Course Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

  • Understand and discuss the value of Business Information for organizational decision-making.
  • Understand and define the Decision Support System (DSS) technologies required to implement a BI strategy for an organization.
  • Understand organizational and governance issues related to effect business intelligence (BI) implementation and management.
  • Understand and apply concepts, terminology, and techniques related to Business Performance Management (BPM).
  • Define, differentiate, and apply data mart and data warehousing concepts and techniques used in implementing a Business Intelligence (BI) strategy.
  • Understand and apply data mining concepts, processes, and tools within the context of business intelligence (BI).
  • Understand and apply information security concepts within the context of business intelligence (BI). • Understand and apply concepts related to text and web mining as a new form of business intelligence (BI).
  • Explore and plan for emerging trends in the BI industry (Social Networking, Web 2.0, Virtual Worlds, etc.)
  • Develop an awareness of legal and ethical matters related to business intelligence (BI)
Prerequisites & Co-requisites:

MATH 1530 and INFS 1010. As this is an introductory course in Business Intelligence, no previous experience either applied or theoretical is required. Students with prior professional experience in business intelligence will find this course very useful in expanding their knowledge and skills in the topic.

Course Topics:
  • Getting Started
  • Introduction to Business Intelligence.
  • Data Warehousing.
  • Business Performance Management.
  • Data Mining for Business Intelligence.
  • Text and Web Mining.
  • Looking Ahead: Emerging Trends in Business Intelligence.
Specific Course Requirements:
  • Ability to use email program, computer (general skills), and an Internet browser (Internet Explorer or equivalent).
  • Learning to use TUN/Microstrategy. Learning to use Tableau. Learning to use Twitter.
  • Completing all formal reading assignments, including: 6 chapters of the course textbook (see below), selected journal articles, and review of various websites.
  • Completing five (5) major project assignments.
  • Completing various case studies provided in the course textbook.
  • Completing two (2) formal case study assignments.
  • Completing End of Chapters (2) assignments.
  • Reviewing the end of chapters’ questions in the 6 chapters in the text in order to prepare for the 2 exams.
  • Logging in regularly and communicating with your instructor(s).
  • Participating in the discussion board activities. There will be six (6) formal discussions over the course of the semester.
  • Preparing for the Exams by taking the assigned (qty.=2) practice self- tests.
  • Completing & submitting two (2) formal exams.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course. Move your cursor over the "Books" link in the navigation bar and select "Textbooks & Course Materials." Select your Program, Term, Department, and Course; then select "Submit."

Supplementary Materials:

None

Hardware and Software Requirements:

Minimum hardware requirements can be found here.

Minimum software requirements can be found here.

Common applications you might need:

Web Resources:

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab (for APA, MLA, or Chicago style)

The Writing Center Online Writer's Handbook

Student Resources:
  • Technical support information can be found on the TN eCampus Help Desk page.
  • Smarthinking virtual tutoring is available FREE of charge. to access Smarthinking, visit the course homepage and select Smarthinking under Course Resources. You also view sample sessions to see what Smarthinking offers and how it works.
  • Information on other student issues or concerns can be located on the TN eCampus Student Resources page.

Instructor Information

Please see "Instructor Information" in the Getting Started Module for instructor contact information, virtual office hours, and other communication information. You can expect to receive a response from the instructor within 24-48 hours unless notified of extenuating circumstances.

Participation, Assessments, & Grading

Testing Procedures:

All formal assignments will be completed using standard resources within the online course learning management system. Case studies and written assignments will need to be submitted through their assigned drop-box folders and need to be in a standard Microsoft Office 2010 (or earlier) format. Formal quizzes and exams will use the D2L quiz tool. No proctoring or use of special technologies (e.g., Lockdown browser) will be required in this course. However, students should adhere to all TBR and institutional academic integrity guidelines.

Grading Procedures:
Grading Scale:

Letter grades in this course (based on your mathematical score from the table below) will be assigned as follows:

Grading Scale
Point RangeAssigned Grade
900 - 1000 PointsA
800 - 899 PointsB
700 - 799 PointsC
600 - 699 PointsD
under 600 PointsF

 

Assignments and Projects:

Your final grade in this course will be computed upon the scores you earn in each of the formal areas of activity as summarized in the table below:

Graded Items
DescriptionPoints
 Projects 1 through 4 each worth 90 points, with Project5 worth 180 points540 Points
6 Discussions, 15 points each 90 Points
2 Exams, 50 points each100 Points
2 Case Studies, 75 points each150 Points
2 End of Chapter Assignments, 60 points each120 Points
Total Points1000 Points

 

Class Participation:

To be successful in this course as a student, you must stay active and involved throughout the entire semester. Students are expected participate in all interactive aspects of the course. You should also regularly communicate with the instructor as part of your overall learning experience, check into the course frequently for announcements (usually on the course home page), and actively participate in threaded discussion events (both formal and informal). In addition to making the class more engaging and enjoyable, staying connected throughout is fundamental to your success in this class. We ask that you check e-mails and discussions often (at least three times weekly) and to ask questions whenever you do not understand something.

Late Policy:

If a graded assessment item is not submitted on time, the instructor will deduct 10% of the grade per late day. The student must get in touch with the teacher for a reason why he/she was late in order for the instructor not to deduct 10% late grade submission the course late policy for graded assessments.

Course Ground Rules

The following two statements (1., 2.) were derived from the TBR System-wide Student Rules document, released January 2012:

RULES OF THE TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS STATE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE SYSTEMWIDE STUDENT RULES CHAPTER 0240-02-03 STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS

Read the document in its entirety here.

1. Standards of Conduct:

  • Students are required to adhere to the same professional, legal and ethical standards of conduct online as on campus. In addition, students should conform to generally accepted standards of "netiquette" while sending e-mail, posting comments to the discussion board, and while participating in other means of communicating online. Specifically, students should refrain from inappropriate and/or offensive language, comments and actions.

2. Review the TN eCampus Academic Integrity/Academic Honesty Policy:

  • In their academic activities, students are expected to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited.

Such conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • an attempt by one or more students to use unauthorized information in the taking of an exam
  • to submit as one's own work, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, computer programs, or other products prepared by another person,
  • or to knowingly assist another student in obtaining or using unauthorized materials.

Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited.

Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, are subject to disciplinary action through the regular procedures of the student’s home institution.  Refer to the student handbook provided by your home institution to review the student conduct policy.

In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed, the instructor has the authority to assign an "F" or zero for an activity or to assign an "F" for the course.

Other Course Rules:

Students are expected to:

  • Participate in all aspects of the course
  • Communicate with other students
  • Learn how to navigate in Brightspace
  • Keep abreast of course announcements
  • Use the assigned course management (Brightspace) email address rather than a personal email address
  • Address technical problems immediately:
  • Observe course netiquette at all times.

Guidelines for Communications

Email:

  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members

Discussions:

  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in TN eCampus programs and courses. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading will be included within the course modules. To access the Virtual Library, go to the course homepage and select the Virtual Library link under Course Resources.

Students with Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this syllabus is for general information purposes only. While we endeavor to keep this information up-to-date and accurate, there may be some discrepancies between this syllabus and the one found in your online course. The syllabus of record is the one found in your online course. Please make sure you read the syllabus in your course at the beginning of the semester. Questions regarding course content should be directed to your instructor.


Last Revised on April 23, 2018