DISC 112 Computers and Problem Solving Spring Semester 2017 Instructor Room No. Office Hours Email Telephone Secretary/TA TA Office Hours Course URL (if any) Muhammad Adeel Zaffar To be communicated by the individual instructor adeel.zaffar@lums.edu.pk Sec: Ahmad Ali http://suraj.lums.edu.pk/~ro/ COURSE BASICS Credit Hours 3 Lecture(s) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week 2 Duration 75 minutes Recitation/ (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week Duration Tutorial (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week Duration COURSE DISTRIBUTION Core Elective Open for Student Category Close for Student Category Yes COURSE DESCRIPTION Problem solving is an essential skill that managers use in their daily task of decision making on behalf of their departments, divisions and organizations. The contemporary manager must be aware of the computer based tools and techniques that can make his/her work more efficient and effective. Computers support problem solving in two essential ways: (1) handling heavy data driven decisions; and (2) solving problems where the number of component issues is too many for the human mind to handle mathematically. Built around the spreadsheet software, Microsoft Excel, this course is an introduction to problem solving using computers. However the course is not merely about the skills involved in spreadsheet modeling, but also the craft of modeling, which includes abstracting the essential features of a situation into a model and translating model results into managerial insights. COURSE PREREQUISITE(S) None COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. To introduce students to the concept of modeling as the process of building, refining and analyzing the representation of data for greater insights and improved decision making 2. To equip students with technical skills of working with the spreadsheet software, Excel. 3. To develop the student s analytical and craft skills to model managerial problems using computer software. 4. To develop skills that enable effective data representation 5. To introduce students to databases and explain how data can be extracted from these into decision models Page 1 of 5
LEARNING OUTCOMES After completing this course student will be able to o Understand basic concept of modeling and how this approach can help in using computers to solve problems o Use computer based tools to model business problems effectively o Extract essential analysis from a spreadsheet of data, or even external data o Represent data using charts o Automate very basic repetitive tasks of analysis and user input and output o Understand, in general terms, key elements of IT infrastructure (e.g. databases and network protocols) and how they support distributed problem solving. UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS & OBJECTIVES General Learning Goals & Objectives Goal 1 Effective Written and Oral Communication Objective: Students will demonstrate effective writing and oral communication skills Goal 2 Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to identify and address ethical issues in an organizational context. Goal 3 Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to identify key problems and generate viable solutions. Goal 4 Application of Information Technology Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to use current technologies in business and management context. Goal 5 Teamwork in Diverse and Multicultural Environments Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to work effectively in diverse environments. Goal 6 Understanding Organizational Ecosystems Objective: Students will demonstrate that they have an understanding of Economic, Political, Regulatory, Legal, Technological, and Social environment of organizations. Major Specific Learning Goals & Objectives Goal 7 (a) Discipline Specific Knowledge and Understanding Objective: Students will demonstrate knowledge of key business disciplines and how they interact including application to real world situations (Including subject knowledge). Goal 7 (b) Understanding the science behind the decision making process (for MGS Majors) Objective: Students will demonstrate ability to analyze a business problem, design and apply appropriate decision support tools, interpret results and make meaningful recommendations to support the decision maker Indicate below how the course learning objectives specifically relate to any program learning goals and objectives. PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Goal 1 Effective Written and Oral Communication Goal 2 Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Goal 3 Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills Goal 4 Application of Information Technology COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES COURSE ASSESSMENT ITEM Objective 4 Midterm, Final Objectives 1, 3 Final, Quizzes, Exercises Objectives 1,2,3,4 and 5 Midterm, Final, Quizzes, Exercises Page 2 of 5
Goal 5 Teamwork in Diverse and Multicultural Environments Goal 6 Understanding Organizational Ecosystems Goal 7 (a) Discipline Specific Knowledge and Understanding Goal 7 (b) Understanding the science behind the decision making process Objectives 1,2,3,4 and 5 Objectives 1,2 and 3 Midterm, Final, Quizzes, Exercises Midterm, Final GRADING BREAKUP AND POLICY Quizzes:...25% (total 9 quizzes, n 2 applies) Assignments:...10% Project:.. 10% Midterm Examination:... 25% Final Examination:... 30% (Post mid only) EXAMINATION DETAIL Midterm Exam Yes/No: Yes Combine Separate: Combine Duration: 2 hours Preferred Date: Saturday, February 22 nd Exam Specifications: Pre Mid Syllabus, Close Book and Notes Final Exam Yes/No: Yes Combine Separate: Duration: 2 hours Exam Specifications: All Syllabus, Close Book and Notes Attendance, Quizzes and Class Policy Your class presence is required. Therefore by missing a class you forfeit an opportunity to participate in class activities. Maximum four (3) absences are tolerated. Any further absences shall count towards deduction from your overall grade. Petitions should be submitted along with proper documentation (e.g. a medical certificate certifying illnesses or OSA certifying participation in OSA activity) and shall be approved on case by case basis. You are also expected to arrive in class exactly at the prescribed time. There will be no grace for late arrivals and you will be marked absent. Once all four absences have been used up, 1% deduction from the grade will made for every extra absence. Cell phone usage will not be tolerated. Therefore make sure they are switched off when you arrive in class. You are required to attend with your designated section. Neither quiz nor attendance can be transferred to any other section. A total of eleven (9) unannounced quizzes shall be given throughout the course, usually at the beginning of the class. The highest and lowest quiz will be dropped. A missed (without petition approval) quiz will automatically be graded zero (0). Page 3 of 5
SESSION NO. 1 2 3, 4 5,6,7 8 TOPICS Course Introduction, File Management, Assignment submission @ LUMS, Basic framework of model building Problem Solving by Computer Modeling Introduction to Spreadsheets: Cells, Ranges, Worksheets & Workbooks, Formatting and Entering Data, Performing Calculations of Data Filtering Specific Data, Sorting Data, Creating Charts Advance Excel Functions (logical, statistical and lookup functions) 9 Influence Diagram Introduction 10 11 Influence Diagrams Exercise Iceberg for Kuwait 12 13 Modeling Icebergs for Kuwait TEXT TO READ Fairhurst Chapter 1 & 2 Curtis Frye: Chapter 1 & 2; Curtis Frye: Chapter 3 & 4 Curtis Frye: Chapter 5, 6, 10 Powell & Baker Chapter 2 Powell & Baker Chapter 2, Case: Ice Berg for Kuwait Chapter 5, Case: Ice Berg for Kuwait AUDITORIUM/ LAB Auditorium Auditorium SESSIONS OBJECTIVES To introduce the students to model building As above To familiarize the students with the basic skills required for using MS Excel To develop MS Excel skills such as limiting data, manipulating worksheet data, sorting worksheet data, organizing data into levels and creating charts To present some advanced functions in excel To introduce students to Influence Diagrams To understand the use of Influence Diagrams in a real context To learn model building 14 Mid term exam 15 16 17 Analysing Alternative Data (Goal Seek, Scenario Manager and Descriptive Statistics) Iceberg for Kuwait (What if Analysis) Combining Data from Multiple Sources Curtis Frye: Chapter 8 Case: Ice Berg for Kuwait Curtis Frye: Chapter 7 18 Databases, DBMS & Networks To define an alternative data set; to vary data to get a desired result by using Goal Seek and Scenario Manager; and to Analyze data by using descriptive statistics To learn What If Analysis To link to data in other worksheets and workbooks and consolidate multiple sets of data into a single workbook To introduce the use of databases Page 4 of 5
19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Developer Ribbon, Automating Repetitive Task by using Macros and VBA 24 Solver, Advance Array Functions 25 26 27 Reid Rasin (Spreadsheet Engineering) Reid Rasin (What if Analysis and Solver) Creating Dynamic Worksheets by using Pivot Tables Chapter 12 Curtis Frye; Chapters 4,5,7,8,9 HarveyG Solver Part from Chapter 8 Curtis Frye Array Functions, Chapters7 Harvey G Chapter 5, Case: Reid Rasin Chapter 6 Case: Reid Rasin Curtis Frye: Chapter 9 To develop an understanding of further concepts including the use of a developer ribbon, macros and Visual Basic To introduce Solver and Advanced Array Functions To explain the use of spreadsheet engineering To build upon the previous knowledge of What If Analysis and Solver using a case To teach the effective use of Pivot tables 28 Review *NOTE The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the grading system and the syllabus as appropriate during the semester. TEXT BOOK(S)/SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS Frye, Curtis D. (2010) Step by Step: Microsoft Excel 2010, Microsoft Press. Powell, S. G. and Baker, K. R. (2009) Management Science: the Art of Modeling with Spreadsheets, 3/e, Wiley. Fairhurst, D.S. (2012) Using Excel for business analysis a guide to financial modeling fundamentals. Wiley. Harvey, G. (2010) Excel 2010 for dummies. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley Pub. Page 5 of 5