Decision Support Systems (36334)

Spring 2022/2023

Business Information Technology Department

King Talal School of Business Technology

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1. Course Information:

Course Decision Support Systems (36334)

Prerequisites Management Information Systems (MIS)
Course Type Department Mandatory
SDG Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality education

Credit Hours 3 hours

Level 3rd year
Schedule Section 1: Sun, Tues: 11:00 – 12:00 in room 831, Thur.: online
& location Section 2: Mon: 9:30 – 11:00 in room 831, Wed.: online
Textbook Analytics, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence: Systems for decisions
support (2021), by: R. Sharda, D. Delen & E. Turban, 11th edition, Pearson
Education, Inc., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J.
References 1. Decision Support, Analytics, and Business Intelligence (2017), by: D.
J. Power & C. Heavin, 3rd edition, Imprint: Business Expert Press.
2. https://www.journals.elsevier.com/decision-support-systems/recent-
articles
3. www.microstrategy.com
4. https://www.teradata.com/Resources?AssetType=Case+Studies&Search
Term=Decision+Support+System www.dw-institute.com
5. https://dssresources.com/
6. www.baselinemag.com
7. www.technologyevaluation.com
Instructor Dr. Nour Damer
Building B, 1st floor
E-mail: n.damer@psut.edu.jo
Office Hours Sun, Tues: 12-1,
Mon: 11-12,
Wed, Thur: 10-11

2. Course Description:
This course covers the overall decision-making process and how it can be supported by means of
decision support systems (DSS). The course demonstrates the importance of business analytics at
the different levels (descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive) in DSS. Topics covered include data
warehouse, business intelligence, modelling, and decision analysis.

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3. Course Objectives:
Course Objectives
Explain the concept of decision theory and DSS

Anayze simple decision making probelms in the business world

Choose the suitable analytical techniques for business analytical problems

Develop teamwork and communication skills

4. Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):

Knowledge and understanding

PLO1: Demonstrate knowledge in business and technology.
PLO2: Apply business and technology concepts that can help develop business solutions.
Critical thinking
PLO3: Critically analyze business issues taking into account economic, sustainable, and ethical
factors.
PLO4: Integrate key analytical methods that can help provide creative and innovative solutions.
Teamwork
PLO5: Collaborate effectively within a team to build jointly-prepared projects.
Communication
PLO6: Demonstrate written and oral communication skills essential to business settings.

5. Course learning outcomes (Knowledge, Understanding and Skills):

This course is intended to provide students with core understanding of decisions support systems
(DSS) concepts and allow them to demonstrate practical knowledge of the theory. Hence, the
course learning outcomes (CLO) are:

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 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) PLO SDGs target
CLO 1: Discuss the main concepts in the decision-making theory PLO 1 4.4.1

CLO 2: Analyse simple decision-making problems PLO 2 4.4.1

CLO 3: Choose suitable analytical techniques for simple business
PLO 4 4.4.1
problems
CLO 4: Demonstrate teamwork skills PLO 5 4.4.1

CLO 5: Demonstrate scientific writing & presentation skills PLO 6 4.4.1

6. Curriculum Design:

This course will cover core concepts in decision making and business analytics at different levels.
It also introduces BI, data mining, and decision analysis. The topics and their respective chapter
in the recommended textbook are highlighted below:

Week Topics Chapter in textbook

1–2 Introduction to analytics Chapter 1
3–4 Nature of data and modeling Chapter 3
4–5 Descriptive analytics Chapter 3
- Reporting
- Visualization
6 – 10 Predictive analytics Chapters 4 & 7
- Data mining
- Text mining
- Web mining
11 – 13 Prescriptive analytics Chapter 8
- Mathematical modeling
- Decision analysis
- Sensitivity analysis
- Simulation
14 - 15 Projects' presentations
16 Final exam
Disclaimer: Instructors may deviate from the schedule

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7. Teaching Methods:
• Lectures
• In-class assignments
• Guest speakers
• Case studies
• In-class discussion
• Data analytical tools (mainly excel, solver, and Weka)

8. Assessment:

The course intends to provide students with theoretical and practical knowledge that will help them
put theory into practice. Various assessment techniques will be used to assess students’
understanding of the module. The breakdown of the weight of each element is shown in the table
below:

Assessment Details Weight

Semester work - First exam (open book) 20%
- Second exam (open book) 20%
- Quizzes (3) 5%
- Presentation for a new trend in DSS 5%
- Data analytical project 10%

Final work Final exam 40%

Total 100%

The link between each assessment and CLO/PLO are:

Assessment CLO1 CLO2 CLO3 CLO4 CLO5

First exam √ √
Second exam √ √
Quiz 1 √
Quiz 2 √
Quiz 3 √
Presentation √
Data Analytical Project √ √ √ √
Final exam √ √

As for the marking criteria for each assessment technique, each has a rubric that demonstrates the
mark/band the students can achieve in this.

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 Rubric for First Exam

Criteria/band Fail Marginal Merit Distinction

Explaining the concept of No or wrong The answer shows a weak The answer is good enough to The answer is outstanding and shows a high
DSS answer understanding of the explain the concept but can be level of understanding the DSS concepts and
concept improved its terms

Analyse simple decision- No or wrong The answer does not The problem is clearly The problem is clearly defined and
making problems answer describe the problem defined suggested solutions are given
clearly

Mark (20) 0-2 3-11 12-16 17-20

Rubric for Second Exam

Criteria/band Fail Marginal Merit Distinction

Analyse simple decision- No or wrong The answer does not The problem is clearly The problem is clearly defined and
making problems answer describe the problem defined suggested solutions are given
clearly

Analytical techniques No or wrong The chosen tool is not The chosen tool is suitable for The chosen tool is the most suitable tool to
selection answer suitable for solving the solving the given problem solve the given problem
given problem

Mark (20) 0-2 3-11 12-16 17-20

Rubric for Final Exam

Criteria/band Fail Marginal Merit Distinction

Explaining the concept of No or wrong The answer shows a weak The answer is good enough to The answer is outstanding and shows a high
DSS answer understanding of the explain the concept but can be level of understanding the DSS concepts and
concept improved its terms

Analyse simple decision- No or wrong The answer does not The problem is clearly The problem is clearly defined and
making problems answer describe the problem defined suggested solutions are given
clearly

Analytical techniques No or wrong The chosen tool is not The chosen tool is suitable to The chosen tool is the most suitable tool to
selection answer suitable to solve the given solve the given problem solve the given problem
problem

Mark (20) 0-5 6-20 21-34 35-40

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 Rubric for Analytical Project
Criteria/band Fail Marginal Merit Distinction

Problem Students could create

No Weak level of Good level of understanding of
understanding creative ideas regarding the
submission understanding the problem
(CLO2, 20%) problem understanding

Students put a lot of effort

No effort is put into
Problem An effort is put into into understanding the
No understanding the
investigation understanding the problem from problem and investigating it
submission problem from outside
(CLO2, 10%) outside resources. from resources other than the
resources.
data they have.

Analytical tools used are

Analytical algorithms
No The analytical algorithms Analytical tools used are suitable and students could
selection
submission used are not suitable suitable explain their choices
(CLO3, 15%)
(compared to other tools)

Results interpretation No Results are not discussed
(CLO3, 20%) submission or are wrongly discussed
An outstanding discussion of
Results are discussed and
results. The team could build
interpreted correctly
new analysis on some results

(No or weak) comments Good comments and Outstanding comments and

Recommendations No and recommendations. recommendations for the recommendations show a
(CLO3, 10%) submission The team did not add their decision-makers with a very good analytical
own opinion connection to the results capability.

Not formatted according

Report length & 1 – 4 deviations from the The report is formatted
No to the requirements. See
formatting * requirements. 3000 – 5000 correctly. More than 5000
submission below. Less than 3000
(CLO5, 10%) words but without duplication.
words

No or bad communication Team members show good Very good comm. skills.
Teamwork No skills. Students do not communication skills. They They are working in a
(CLO4, 15%) submission show respect to each show respect to each other's and collaborative way showing a
other's the audience high level of respect.
Mark (10) 0 1-3 4-8 9-10

* The formatting requirements: font type times new roman, font size 12 points, the 4 margins
are 1 inch all around, line spacing 1.5 lines. Tables or figures are all named, spacing before and
after 0 points. The report contains a table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, references.
Pages are numbered. Citation and references are according to the APA format. The expected
length is 2500 – 4000 words.

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 Rubric for Presentation (a new trend in DSS)
Criteria/band Fail Marginal Merit Distinction

Topic selected No The topic is very traditional The topic is a trend in DSS The topic is completely
submission or is not related to DSS these days and is highly new in the DSS field
related to the course content.

LOU & question No Students have a weak level Students’ comments and The comments are
answering submission of understanding and could answers are suitable. They outstanding. Students
not answer any of the show a good LOU in their explain their choices and
questions work. answer all questions.

Presentation No Weak presentation Good Presentation Outstanding presentation

skills submission

Mark (5) 0 1-2 3-5 5

9. Rules and Regulations:

Class Attendance and Participation: according to the University rules, class attendance is
mandatory. Students are expected to attend all on-campus classes. Students who repeatedly arrive
late to the lecture will be considered absent.
Academic Integrity: students must refrain from copying each other's work or using information
without acknowledging the source of this information (i.e., providing a reference and in-text
citation). A Turnitin plagiarism of 15-20% could result in a range of disciplinary measures
ranging from a written warning to deductions of marks from the submitted work. However,
if the submitted work exceeds this percentage, the academic staff reserves the right to open a
plagiarism investigation case. At the initial investigation stage (before any formal allegation of
academic misconduct is made), a decision will be reached about whether the case constitutes
plagiarism as opposed to poor scholarship. Where an initial investigation is conducted, the case
will be forwarded to the Students’ Violation Committee to take appropriate action. If the case
constitutes plagiarism, the student(s) will be given a “0” mark for the entire course. This applies
to all submitted work including: assignments, presentations, and projects.
Late Assignments: assignments must be completed and submitted to me by the due date. Failure
to submit the assignment by the due date will automatically result in “0” mark given for this
assignment. If a student has an exceptional circumstance, they have to submit a mitigating
circumstances form to the module leader a week prior to the assignment due date. If the form is
approved, the student will receive an extra week to submit their work.