Data Literacy for Business Syllabus
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Bella FuhrmanData Literacy for Business Syllabus
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Powered by AIThe emphasis on group projects in BUS 312 contributes to students' understanding of business analytics by encouraging collaboration, critical thinking, and application of data analytics techniques in a practical, team-based setting. The projects require students to use the SOAR model on pre-approved topics, fostering an environment where they can integrate and apply diverse analytical methods while honing their communication and presentation skills, which are crucial for real-world business environments .
BUS 312 integrates concepts from lower-division courses such as financial and managerial accounting, micro and macroeconomics, business law, and statistics to prepare business majors for advanced studies. This integration aims to enhance students' ability to apply data analytics techniques to analyze data and facilitate data-driven decision-making. By building on foundational knowledge, students can better understand and apply data cleansing, exploration, and analysis techniques for business decisions .
The grading criteria of BUS 312 align with the course objectives by distributing weight across various assessments that encourage students to engage with the material actively. The breakdown includes CEPD assignments (5%), assignments and quizzes (30%), group project presentations (15%), midterm examination (20%), final examination (20%), and class involvement (10%). These components assess students' understanding and application of data analytics techniques, reflecting course objectives such as learning to import, cleanse, analyze data, and understand techno-ethics and data privacy .
Students' performance and participation in BUS 312 are assessed through a combination of assignments, quizzes, exams, a group project, and class involvement. The course employs strategies such as dropping the two lowest homework and quiz grades to ensure fairness. Additionally, make-up exams are only allowed under specific conditions, such as emergencies or pre-approved absences, further ensuring that grading reflects students' consistent efforts and engagement with course materials .
The primary data analytics techniques taught in BUS 312 include data cleansing and validation, descriptive statistics, variation and data distribution analysis, data analysis using Excel's built-in functions, pivot tables, regression analysis, hypotheses testing, prediction and classification methods, and data visualization. These techniques support data-driven decision-making by equipping students with the ability to accurately interpret and manipulate data, thereby enhancing their capacity to make informed business decisions based on data insights .
The prerequisites for enrolling in BUS 312 include ACCT 220, ACCT 230; BLAW 280; ECON 160, ECON 161; ENGL 205; IS 212; MATH 103; MATH 140, or SOM 120. These prerequisites ensure that students have a solid foundation in relevant business and quantitative subjects, such as accounting, economics, business law, statistics, and mathematics, which are essential for understanding and applying data analytics techniques covered in the course .
Technology and software tools play a significant role in BUS 312. The course requires students to use Microsoft Excel (Windows or Mac), Tableau, and Microsoft 365. These tools are relevant because they enable students to perform tasks such as data cleansing, visualization, and analysis, which are key competencies in business analytics. The hands-on use of these software tools allows students to gain practical experience in handling real-world data analytics challenges .
CSUN provides various resources to support students enrolled in BUS 312, including counseling services, the Learning Resource Center (LRC), and a food pantry. These resources aid students by addressing personal, academic, and nutritional needs, enabling them to focus better on their studies by removing external stressors. Additionally, the availability of laptops through the Device Loaner Program ensures all students have the necessary technology to succeed in this data-intensive course .
The policies for class involvement and attendance in BUS 312 emphasize professionalism, engagement, and commitment. Students are expected to conduct themselves ethically and respect all class participants, with serious penalties for disrespect. Attendance is critical, and more than three absences result in penalized class involvement scores. Such stringent attendance and engagement requirements foster a disciplined learning environment that encourages active participation and continual learning, positively impacting student development and understanding of course content .
BUS 312 addresses techno-ethics and data privacy by reviewing these topics to cultivate students' awareness of ethical issues in the use of big data and analytics. The course deals with the importance of maintaining privacy and ethical standards while gathering, storing, and analyzing data, which is critical in assisting future business leaders to handle data responsibly .