You are on page 1of 6

ORIE 4820: Spreadsheet-Based Modeling and Data Analysis Course Syllabus Spring 2012

COURSE OVERVIEW
Instructor:
Dr. Kathryn Caggiano kec4@cornell.edu 216 Rhodes Hall 607-255-2370 Office Hours: TWR, 3:00-4:00 pm 3 credits. Prerequisites: ORIE 3300, ENGRD 2700 or equivalent. Class Times: Monday 11:15 am - 12:05 pm, Wednesday 11:15 am - 1:10 pm Classroom: Rhodes 471

Teaching Assistants:
Tommy Roy tjr74@cornell.edu Office Hours: TBA Adam Schultz acs253@cornell.edu Office Hours: TBA Henry Yu my288@cornell.edu Office Hours: TBA

There must be an easier way to do this.


Have you ever said this to yourself while trying to build a model or manipulate data in an Excel spreadsheet? If so, you are not alone. Although Microsoft Excel is one of the most widely used software applications in the world today, the vast majority of people who use it, in fact, barely scratch the surface of its capabilities. Time and again, business professionals who use Excel for modeling or data analysis end up doing things the long, hard, and mistake-prone way not because they are incapable, but simply because they do not know any better.

Its time you knew better


Course Description and Objectives:
ORIE 4820 is a course in spreadsheet-based modeling and data analysis that is intended to complement the theory, skills, and modeling methods taught in other ORIE core courses. The primary objective is to enable you to use your analytical skills quickly and effectively in a typical business environment by developing practical spreadsheet models to evaluate situations and support decision making. A variety of data analysis and decision problems will be introduced that span a broad range of business applications. To address these problems, we will develop spreadsheet models via active learning exercises that incorporate relevant concepts from probability, statistics, and constrained optimization. This course is largely hands-on, with the majority of class time spent actively in the computer lab. Microsoft Excel (Office 2010 version) is the tool we will use.

Caggiano ORIE 4820 Syllabus, Spring 2012

Page 1 of 6

ORIE 4820: Spreadsheet-Based Modeling and Data Analysis Course Syllabus Spring 2012
Course Content:
The course is organized into three parts. In the first part (Weeks 1-2), we will cover fundamentals of spreadsheet design and navigation, as well as techniques for efficient data manipulation. Topics will include: organizing, summarizing, and presenting data; augmenting datasets using lookup and logical functions; creating dynamic charts and scalable histograms; and creating and manipulating PivotTables and PivotCharts. In the second part of the course (Weeks 3-8), we will focus on building decision models to address a wide variety of business problems whose characteristics require different modeling and solution approaches. Although some of the problems we consider will be deterministic, others will have significant elements of uncertainty in them. We will cover techniques for incorporating uncertainty into single-variable and multiple-variable decision models, both analytically and using simulation. We will demonstrate how to use data tables to enumerate alternatives and to conduct sensitivity analysis. Excels Solver will be introduced as an optimization tool that is useful for addressing certain types of decision problems. Fundamentals of VBA programming will be covered and used regularly. Particular attention will be paid to interpreting and evaluating model results from a practical standpoint. A 2-week interim period between the second and third parts of the course includes spring break (Week 9) and the mid-term examination (Week 10). The team project will be the focus of the third part of the course (Weeks 11-14). Once the project is introduced, we will spend several weeks on relevant topics, including additional VBA functionality. The course concludes with a wrap-up session in Week 15.

Course Materials and Website:


There is no required text for the course, but the following books may be helpful as references:
1. Microsoft Office Excel 2010: Data Analysis and Business Modeling, Wayne L. Winston, 2011. A previous version of this book (based on Excel 2003) is available to you online at no cost: https://catalog.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=6175724&DB=local 2. Management Science: The Art of Modeling with Spreadsheets, Second Edition, Stephen G. Powell and Kenneth R. Baker, 2007. 3. Spreadsheet Modeling and Applications: Essentials of Practical Management Science, S. C. Albright and W. L. Winston, 2005. 4. VBA for Modelers: S. C. Albright, 2007. Developing Decision Support Systems with Microsoft Excel,

Lecture notes and lab exercises will be posted on the Blackboard course website prior to each class session. If you are enrolled in the course, you should already have access. If you do not have access, please see me.

Caggiano ORIE 4820 Syllabus, Spring 2012

Page 2 of 6

ORIE 4820: Spreadsheet-Based Modeling and Data Analysis Course Syllabus Spring 2012

GRADING POLICY
Academic Integrity:
Violations of the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity will not be tolerated -- period. The Code of Academic Integrity is listed in full at: http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Academic/AIC.html All work that you submit in this course for academic credit must be solely your own, with the exception of assignments that are explicitly stated to be team or partner assignments. In these cases, all submitted work must be solely the effort of the designated group or partners. At a minimum, any student found to be giving or receiving unauthorized aid on a homework assignment will receive a zero on the work in question, to result in no less than a full letter grade deduction for the course. Any student found to be giving or receiving unauthorized aid on an examination will receive a grade of F in the course.

Course Grades:
Your course grade will be based on your performance on homework assignments, the mid-term examination, and the team project, as follows: 40% 35% 25% Homework Assignments (4 at 10% each) Mid-Term Exam (20% for in-class portion, 15% for take-home portion) Team Project

Although no points are explicitly given for class participation, your on-time attendance and participation in class are expected. Poor attendance and/or participation will result in a lowering of your course grade, at my discretion. You should let me know ahead of time (via email) if and why you must miss a class.

Homework Assignments:
There will be four homework assignments during the semester (due in Weeks 3, 5, 8, and 13). The first assignment may be completed individually or in pairs. The second and third assignments must be completed individually. The fourth assignment is a team assignment. These assignments will require you to develop spreadsheet models that implement methodologies and concepts we have covered in class, identify and analyze data and/or potential solutions to problems, perform what-if analyses, and/or justify a course of action. Assignments will be posted on the course website approximately two weeks before they are due. All assignments must be submitted electronically via Blackboard. The submission process will be covered in class. Assignments are due by 12:00 pm on the due date. In fairness to other students, and because solutions will be discussed in class, late assignments will not be accepted.

Caggiano ORIE 4820 Syllabus, Spring 2012

Page 3 of 6

ORIE 4820: Spreadsheet-Based Modeling and Data Analysis Course Syllabus Spring 2012
Mid-Term Examination:
The mid-term examination will be held in Week 10 and will consist of an in-class portion and a take-home portion. A review session will be held in class on Monday, March 26th. The in-class portion of the mid-term will take place on Wednesday, March 28th. It will be a computer-based exam that is intended to test both your proficiency and facility in implementing the spreadsheet modeling tools and concepts we have covered. You may use any built-in tools within Excel to complete the exam (including Help, the function prompter, and the VB Editor), but you may not use any other software, files, books, or notes. The take-home portion of the mid-term will be posted at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, March 28th, and is due by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 30th. It will involve developing and using a spreadsheet model to solve a decision problem. You will be evaluated on the clarity, completeness, and correctness of your work. You may use your own files, books, and notes on this portion of the exam. Any form of collaboration or communication about the exam with anyone other than the instructor is strictly forbidden. Mark your calendars NOW. Makeup exams will only be given under VERY unusual circumstances, and you must receive approval from the course instructor PRIOR to the scheduled exam date. Job interviews DO NOT qualify as an unusual circumstance.

Team Project:
The team project will be introduced in class during Week 11. Each team will be composed of 4 students (possibly 3, but not 5). The project will require you to analyze a multi-faceted business problem, develop a comprehensive evaluation and decision model, and make recommendations to management. Each team will be required to submit a stand-alone report summarizing their recommendations and analyses, along with the model itself. Peer evaluations are mandatory and will be used in determining your project grade. ALL project deliverables are due by 12:00 pm on Friday, May 4th. Peer evaluations are due by 12:00 pm on Saturday, May 5th.

Caggiano ORIE 4820 Syllabus, Spring 2012

Page 4 of 6

ORIE 4820: Spreadsheet-Based Modeling and Data Analysis Course Syllabus Spring 2012

CLASS SCHEDULE
Week
1

Dates
23-Jan 25-Jan 30-Jan 1-Feb 6-Feb 8-Feb

Lecture/Lab Topics
Course Introduction; Spreadsheet Fundamentals

Assignments Due (by 12:00 pm)

Organizing, Summarizing, and Presenting Data

Modeling and Simulating Uncertainty

10-Feb: Assignment #1

13-Feb 15-Feb 20-Feb 22-Feb 27-Feb 29-Feb 5-Mar 7-Mar 12-Mar 14-Mar

Modeling Decision Problems With Uncertainty

Solving Decision Problems Using VBA I

24-Feb: Assignment #2

Modeling and Solving Linear Optimization Problems Solving Decision Problems Using VBA II

Modeling and Solving Nonlinear Optimization Problems NO CLASS SPRING BREAK

16-Mar: Assignment #3

19-Mar 21-Mar

Caggiano ORIE 4820 Syllabus, Spring 2012

Page 5 of 6

ORIE 4820: Spreadsheet-Based Modeling and Data Analysis Course Syllabus Spring 2012
Week
10

Dates
26-Mar 28-Mar

Lecture/Lab Topics
Review for Mid-Term; MID-TERM EXAMINATION

Assignments Due (by 12:00 pm)


30-Mar: Take-home portion of Mid-Term due by 5:00 pm

11

2-Apr 4-Apr 9-Apr 11-Apr 16-Apr 18-Apr 23-Apr 25-Apr 30-Apr 2-May

Team Project Introduction

12

Project Topics - TBA

13

Project Topics - TBA

20-Apr: Assignment #4

14

Project Topics - TBA

15

Course Wrap-Up

4-May: Team Project 5-May: Peer Evaluations

Caggiano ORIE 4820 Syllabus, Spring 2012

Page 6 of 6

You might also like