BUS 210 Data Literacy for Business and Social Sciences

FALL 2021-2022

Instructor Name: Prof. Mehmet Gençer Course Schedule:

E-mail: mehmet.gencer@ieu.edu.tr Course Location:
Office Location: Course Credits: 3
Office Hours: ECTS Credits: 5

Course Description

Data can be about anything. This course is about the data itself. Through this applied course
students develop a critical perspective to identify data sources relevant to a problem in hand,
learn how to: describe technologies and data management processes in contemporary
corporate systems; combine and convert data across various sources, formats and standard;
assess and improve data quality; articulate insights into a business or social science problem
by visualizing and interpreting features of data and basic data analysis.
The course consists of three modules:
1. Data and Life (4 weeks): Identifying sources of data in business and social sciences
and what it represents. Translating theories and hypothesis to data. Sources and costs
related to data. Data liabilities, ethics, security and theft, privacy concerns.
Associational, relational, and geographic data.
2. Managing data in the real world (5 weeks):SQL, RDBMS, data cleaning issues,
unstructured data, the need for NoSQL databases in cloud and big data. Corporate ICT
systems: storage and flow of data and information on-site and in cloud.
3. Telling stories with data (5 weeks): Communicating analytics, using simple (Excel,
Kaggle) plots in reports, infographics.

Course Objectives

This course aims to prepare students in the fields of business and social sciences for the data skills
needed to perform their professional and research tasks in today’s data driven environments.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course you will be able to:

1. Assess the quality of a data source.
2. Describe technologies that enable data storage and retrieval.
3. Identify and correct problems with data sets to facilitate analysis.
4. Locate sources of data relevant to their field of study.
5. Combine data sets from different sources.
6. Convey meaningful insights from a data analysis through visualizations and inferences.
The Relationship Between Course Learning Outcomes And Program Competencies

Contribution
# Program Competencies/Outcomes Level
1 2 3 4 5
1 To be able to solve problems with an analytical and holistic
X
viewpoint in the field of business administration.
2 To be able to present the findings and solutions to the business
X
problems in written and oral formats.
3 To be able to interpret the application of business and economic
concepts, and philosophies at the national and international
levels.
4 To be able to use innovative and creative approach for real-life
business situations.
5 To be able to demonstrate leadership skills in different business
situations.
6 To be able to interpret the reflections of new technologies and
X
softwares to business dynamics.
7 To be able to integrate knowledge gained in the five areas of
business administration (marketing, production, management,
accounting, and finance) through a strategic perspective.
8 To be able to act in accordance with the scientific and ethical
values in studies related to business administration.
9
To be able to work efficiently and effectively as a team member.
X
10 To be able to have an ethical perspective and social
responsiveness when making and evaluating business decisions.
11 To be able to collect data in the area of business administration
and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language
X
("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1).
12 To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency
efficiently.
13 To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout the
human history to their field of expertise. X
*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest

Course Materials

Herzog, D. (2015). Data literacy: a user's guide. SAGE Publications.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483399966

Fundamentals of Analysis, a web book by Matt David and Dave Fowler:

https://dataschool.com/fundamentals-of-analysis/

Izmir University of Economics [2]

Course Requirements

A. Course Format

 Learner-centered teaching
 Hybrid course (flipped classroom): course videos outside class and face-to-face tutorial
classes in computer labs.
 Before class: You are expected to watch the lecture videos, read the case studies or
technical articles as instructed in the videos.
 During class: Students carry out the skill-building tasks. Each student may have difficulty with
different aspects of application and are supported accordingly. Home assignments ensure
applied skills checking.

B. Course Communication

Announcements will be posted to this course whenever necessary. It is your responsibility to check
your course page on Blackboard and your university email account regularly.
Below is how you check your email address in Blackboard:
o Access ieu.blackboard.com
o Click your name on the main Blackboard navigation panel on the left
o Review your email address. By default, Blackboard uses your university-issued email address.
Your email address in Blackboard coincides with your university email.

ECTS / Workload Table

Duration
Semester Activities Number Workload
(Hours)
Course Hours
16 2 32
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
Laboratory/Application Hours
16 2 32
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
Study Hours out of Class 16 1.5 24
Field Work
Quiz/Studio Critique
Homework/Assignments
Presentation/Jury
Project 3 20 60
Seminar/Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterm
Final Exam
  Total 148

Izmir University of Economics [3]

Technology Requirements

The weekly course videos, PowerPoint lecture presentations, links to articles, assignments, quizzes,
and rubrics are located on the Blackboard site for the course. To participate in learning activities and
complete assignments, you will need:
 Access to a working computer that has a current operating system with updates installed, plus
speakers or headphones to hear lecture presentations;
 Reliable Internet access and a university email account;
 A current Internet browser that is compatible with Blackboard (Google Chrome or Firefox are
the recommended browsers for Blackboard);
 Reliable data storage for your work, such as a USB drive or Office365 OneDrive cloud storage.
If your computer does not have Microsoft Word, Office 365 package is available to you free of charge
and allows you to install Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Office 365 also includes cloud
storage on OneDrive. To download Office 365, send an email to helpdesk@ieu.edu.tr.

C. Minimal Technical Skills Needed

You must have consistent and reliable access to a computer and the Internet. The minimal technical
skills you have include the ability to:
 Organize and save electronic files;
 Use IUE email and attached files;
 Check email and Blackboard daily;
 Download and upload documents;
 Locate information with a browser; and
 Use Blackboard.

If you need assistance, you can visit the TLC’s website: https://www.ieu.edu.tr/tlc/tr

Evaluation and Grading Scale

Semester Activities Number Weigthing

Participation 1 10
Laboratory/Application
Field Work
Quiz/Studio Critique
Homework/Assignment
Presentation/Jury
Project 1 90
Seminar/Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterm
Final Exam
Total 100

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade

Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
Total 100

Izmir University of Economics [4]

All grades will be posted on Blackboard. You are strongly encouraged to check your scores in
Blackboard regularly. A final letter grade will be assigned based on percentages.

Evaluation Information for Undergraduate Students:

90-100 AA 4,00 Successful

85-89 BA 3,50 Successful
80-84 BB 3,00 Successful
75-79 CB 2,50 Successful
70-74 CC 2,00 Successful
65-69 DC 1,50 Conditional Pass
60-64 DD 1,00 Conditional Pass
50-59 FD 0,50 Unsuccessful
49 and below FF 0,00 Unsuccessful

Academic Success

Successful learners:
1. Do not procrastinate;
2. Are open to sharing professional experiences online;
3. Enhance online discussions;
4. Have good written communication skills;
5. Use proactive communication;
6. Are self-motivated and self-disciplined;
7. Have a commitment to learning;
8. Have critical thinking and decision-making skills;
9. Believe quality learning can take place in an online environment; and
10. Have good time management skills.

University Library Resources

IUE Library
 IUE University Library has access to books, articles, subject specific resources, and more.
 Remember that if you use anything that is not your own writing or media (quotes from books,
articles, interviews, websites, movies – everything) you must cite the source in APA (or other
appropriate and approved) format.

Blackboard and Technology

Ekoeğitim - Teaching and Learning Center

Please visit the TLC’s website for detailed information about the learning management system and
support services.

Counseling Services

Psychological Development and Counselling Centre (PDCC): aims to support individual, social, and
academic development of students, ease their adaptation to university life, and help them improve
skills necessary to cope with potential problems in these areas. Psychological Development and
Counselling Centre also provides individual counseling to students who need help with depression,
anxiety, stress, anger management, interpersonal relationship problems, adaptation problems,
difficulties in decision-making, individual development and such.
Izmir University of Economics [5]
Disability Services

İEÜ Engelli Destek Birimi (EDB) empowers students to manage challenges and limitations imposed by
disabilities. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact me to discuss the logistics of any
accommodations needed to fulfill course requirements (within the first week of the semester). In order
to receive reasonable accommodations from me, you must be registered with the İEÜ Engelli Destek
Birimi. Any student with a documented disability should contact the İEÜ Engelli Destek Birimi to make
arrangements for appropriate accommodations.

Course Policies and Procedures

 Attendance Policy
Attendance is mandatory in this course.

 Academic Integrity
You are expected to practice the highest possible standards of academic integrity. Any deviation from
this expectation will result in a minimum academic penalty of your failing the assignment, and will
result in additional disciplinary measures. This includes improper citation of sources, using another
student's work, and any other form of academic misrepresentation.
 Plagiarism
Using the words or ideas of another as if they were one’s own is a serious form of academic
dishonesty. If another person’s complete sentence, syntax, key words, or the specific or unique ideas
and information are used, one must give that person credit through proper citation.

 Class Conduct/Netiquette

– Treat one another with respect. It will be expected that we will not attack one another
personally for holding different opinions.
– Do not use all CAPITAL LETTERS in emails or discussion board postings. This is considered
"shouting" and is seen as impolite or aggressive.
– Begin emails with a proper salutation (Examples: Dear Dr. Name; Ms. Name; Hello Professor
Name; Good afternoon Mr. Name). Starting an email without a salutation or a simple
"Hey/Selam" is not appropriate.
– When sending an email, please include a detailed subject line. Additionally, make sure you
reference the course number (Ex. BUS 210) in the message and sign the mail with your name.
– Use proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Text messaging language is not
acceptable.
– Use good taste when communicating. Profanity should be avoided.
– Re-Read, think, and edit your message before you click "Send/Submit/Post."

 Incomplete Grades
Incompletes will be granted only in accordance with the university policy.

Izmir University of Economics [6]

Course Schedule

Wee Subjects Required Materials

k
1 Course Introduction “Data Literacy”, Ch 1
MODULE 1: Data and Life “Fundamentals of Analysis”, Ch. 1
The basics of scientific inquiry in social sciences.
Populations, samples, and data.  Theory and
hypotheses formation in data terms. Data tables as
basic data form.
2 Identifying sources of data. Sources, open sources, “Fundamentals of Analysis”, Ch. 2
and costs of obtaining data. Data liabilities, privacy,
gender and ethics issues.
3 Structure of associational (i.e. co-occurrence),
relational (e.g. social networks), and geographic (e.g. “Fundamentals of Analysis”, Ch. 3
location based) data.
4 Adding value with data. Statistical learning
-
approaches.
5 MODULE 2: Managing data in the real world
Structure and quality of data in relation to its sources.
Aging of data and its structure.
“Fundamentals of Analysis”, Ch. 4
Beyond tables: Relational Data Base Management
Systems. Understanding basic design patterns.

6 Organizational and inter-organizational ICT systems.

Storage and flow of information between people,
organizations, and locations. ICT standards. The -
need for a Standard Query Language(SQL) and
ODBC standards.
7 SQL data retrieval and transfer. Basic join operations
“Fundamentals of Analysis”, Ch. 5
and table exporting from RDBMS.
8 “Fundamentals of Analysis”, Ch. 6
SQL and ODBC usage in practice. Usage patterns.
9 Big data storage and processing problems. NoSQL
-
databases. Cloud storage alternatives.
10 MODULE 3: Telling stories with data
Communication beyond oral and written visual
communication and role of graphics and infographics. “Data Literacy”, Ch 2
Visualizations: the good, the bad, and the too much,
focusing on the story.
11 Narrative patterns about co-occurrence and causality.
Types of data visualizations for narrative patterns. “Data Literacy”, Ch 3
Preferred tools for producing data plots.
12 Univariate and bivariate exploratory statistics and
“Data Literacy”, Ch 4
data plots with preferred tools.
13 Case exercise with univariate and bivariate statistics. “Data Literacy”, Ch 5
14 Combining office and spreadsheet tools for story
“Data Literacy”, Ch 6
building.
15 Semester Review
16 Semester review

Izmir University of Economics [7]

Izmir University of Economics [8]