DISC 112-Computers and Problem Solving-Muhammad Naiman Jalil-Zehra Waheed
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Lahore University of Management Sciences Page 1 of 4 DISC 112– Computers and Problem Solving Spring Semester2014 Instructors Muhammad Naiman Jalil/Zehra Waheed Room No. 426 (SDSB Building) – Naiman, 436 (SDSB Building) – Zehra Office Hours By appointment Email [email protected]/[email protected] Telephone 8038 – Naiman/8426 – Zehra Secretary/TA TBA TA Office Hours TBA Course URL (if any) Suraj.lums.edu.pk COURSE BASICS Credit Hours 3 Lecture(s) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week 2 Duration 75 minutes Recitation/Lab (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week Duration Tutorial (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week Duration COURSE DISTRIBUTION Core Yes Elective NA Open for Student Category SDSB Freshman/Sophomores & ACF Seniors & Juniors Close for Student Category NA 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) problems where the number of component issues are too many for the human mind to handle mathematically. Built around the popular office tool, Microsoft Excel, this course is an introduction to problem-solving using computers. COURSE PREREQUISITE(S) None COURSE OBJECTIVES • After completing this course student will potentially be able to: • Use computer-based tools to model business problems more effectively. This includes scenarios such as: o Extracting essential analysis from a spreadsheet of data, or even external data; o Represent data using charts; o Build spreadsheets that can model profit and loss accounts and basic financial analysis o Automate very basic repetitive tasks of analysis and user input/output • Understand basic concept of “modeling” and how this approach can help in using computers to solve problems. • Understand, in general terms, key elements of IT infrastructure (e.g. databases and network protocols) and how they support “distributed” problem-solving.
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Transcript of DISC 112-Computers and Problem Solving-Muhammad Naiman Jalil-Zehra Waheed
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Page 1 of 4
DISC 112– Computers and Problem Solving Spring Semester2014
Instructors Muhammad Naiman Jalil/Zehra Waheed Room No. 426 (SDSB Building) – Naiman, 436 (SDSB Building) – Zehra Office Hours By appointment Email [email protected]/[email protected] Telephone 8038 – Naiman/8426 – Zehra Secretary/TA TBA TA Office Hours TBA Course URL (if any) Suraj.lums.edu.pk COURSE BASICS Credit Hours 3 Lecture(s) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week 2 Duration 75 minutes Recitation/Lab (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week Duration Tutorial (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week Duration COURSE DISTRIBUTION Core Yes Elective NA Open for Student Category SDSB Freshman/Sophomores & ACF Seniors & Juniors Close for Student Category NA 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) problems where the number of component issues are too many for the human mind to handle mathematically. Built around the popular office tool, Microsoft Excel, this course is an introduction to problem-solving using computers.
COURSE PREREQUISITE(S) None COURSE OBJECTIVES
• After completing this course student will potentially be able to: • Use computer-based tools to model business problems more effectively.
This includes scenarios such as: o Extracting essential analysis from a spreadsheet of data, or even external data; o Represent data using charts; o Build spreadsheets that can model profit and loss accounts and basic financial analysis o Automate very basic repetitive tasks of analysis and user input/output
• Understand basic concept of “modeling” and how this approach can help in using computers to solve problems. • Understand, in general terms, key elements of IT infrastructure (e.g. databases and network protocols) and how they
support “distributed” problem-solving.
Lahore University of Management Sciences
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
As above GRADING BREAKUP AND POLICY Quizzes/In-lab Assignments: .................................................................................. 40% (12 each, best 5+5 will be counted) Midterm Examination: ........................................................................................... 30% Final Examination: .................................................................................................. 30% (Post-mid only) There will also be an ungraded final project, non-completion of which will attract a penalty (deduction) from the overall grade. EXAMINATION DETAIL
Midterm Exam
Yes/No: Yes Combine Separate: Combine Duration:3 hours Preferred Date:Saturday, February 22Exam Specifications: Pre Mid Syllabus, Calculator and Formula Help sheet Allowed. Close Book and Notes
nd
Final Exam
Yes/No: Yes Combine Separate: Duration: 3 hours Exam Specifications: Post Mid Syllabus, Calculator and Formula Help sheet Allowed. Close Book and Notes
TEXTBOOK(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.
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 (4) 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.
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A total of twelve (12) announced quizzes shall be given throughout the course, usually at the beginning of the class. The best five (5) pre-mid and best five (5) post-mid (for each student) shall count towards quiz component of overall grade. A missed (without petition approval) quiz will automatically be graded zero (0).
Course Outline*
Session No. Topics Text to Read Auditorium/
Lab Objectives
1 Course Introduction, File Management, Assignment submission @ LUMS, Basic framework of model building
Auditorium To introduce the students to model building
2 Problem Solving by Computer Modeling Fairhurst- - Chapter 1 & 2 Auditorium As above
3, 4
Introduction to Spreadsheets: Cells, Ranges, Worksheets & Workbooks, Formatting and Entering Data, Performing Calculations of Data
Curtis Frye: Chapter 1 & 2; Curtis Frye: Chapter 3 & 4 Lab
To familiarize the students with the basic skills required for using MS Excel
5,6,7 Filtering Specific Data, Sorting Data, Creating Charts Curtis Frye: Chapter 5, 6, 10 Lab
To develop MS Excel skills Ch as limiting data, manipulating worksheet data, sorting worksheet data, organizing data into levels and creating charts
8 Advance Excel Functions (logical, statistical and lookup functions) Lab
To present some advanced functions in excel
9 Influence Diagram Introduction Powell & Baker Chapter 2 Auditorium To introduce students to Influence Diagrams
10 Influence Diagrams Exercise Iceberg for Kuwait
Powell & Baker Chapter 2, Case: Ice Berg for Kuwait Lab
To understand the use of Influence Diagrams in a real context
11 Modeling Icebergs for Kuwait Powell and Baker Chapter 5, Case: Ice Berg for Kuwait Lab To learn model building
using a case
12 Analysing Alternative Data (Goal Seek, Scenario Manager and Descriptive Statistics)
Curtis Frye: Chapter 8 Lab
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
13 Iceberg for Kuwait (What if Analysis) Case: Ice Berg for Kuwait Lab To learn What-If Analysis using a case
14 Mid Term Exam
15 Combining Data from Multiple Sources Curtis Frye: Chapter 7 Lab
To link to data in other worksheets and workbooks and consolidate multiple sets of data into a single workbook
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16 Databases, DBMS & Networks Auditorium / Lab
To introduce the use of databases
17,18, 19,20
Developer Ribbon, Automating Repetitive Task by using Macros and VBA
Chapter 12 Curtis Frye; Chapters 4,5,7,8,9 HarveyG Lab
To develop an understanding of further concepts including the use of a developer ribbon, Macros and Visual Basic
21 Solver, Advance Array Functions
Solver Part from Chapter 8Curtis Frye Array Functions, Chapters7 Harvey G
Lab
To introduce Solver and Advanced Array Functions
22 Reid Rasin (Spreadsheet Engineering) Powell and Baker Chapter 5, Case: Reid Rasin Lab
To explain the use of spreadsheet engineering using a case
23 Reid Rasin (What if Analysis and Solver) Powell and Baker Chapter 6Case: Reid Rasin Lab
To build upon the previous knowledge of What-If Analysis and Solver using a case
24, 25 Creating Dynamic Worksheets by using Pivot Tables Curtis Frye: Chapter 9 Lab To teach the effective use
of Pivot tables
26,27 Case Study on Spread Application Design To be announced Lab
To integrate all the concepts and skills learnt during the course to create an MS Excel-based application
28 Review Lab
*NOTE
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the grading system and the syllabus as appropriate during the semester.
