The University of Newcastle

CRICOS provider number 00109J

Faculty of Science and IT

School of Design, Communication and IT

Course Outline
INFO6090 Business Intelligence for the Enterprise 10 units
Trimester 1 - 2015 Callaghan Campus
Course
Coordinator
Teaching Staff

Student Hub
School Office

Dr. Geoff Skinner, Phone: 49854512,

Email: Geoff.Skinner@newcastle.edu.au
Dr. Geoff Skinner, Phone: 49854512,
Email: Geoff.Skinner@newcastle.edu.au
For general enquiries please see the student HUBs
Phone (02) 4921 5000, email enquiry@newcastle.edu.au
ICT Building, Callaghan Campus
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm
Phone (02) 4985 4500, email: Science-IT-SDCIT@newcastle.edu.au

BRIEF COURSE OVERVIEW

BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION
Business intelligence (BI) is an umbrella term that combines architectures, tools, databases, analytical tools,
applications and methodologies. The major objectives of business intelligence are to enable interactive access
to data and to give business managers the ability to conduct analysis and make better decisions. The course
covers how to design, implement and integrate business intelligence techniques and systems into the
enterprise.
ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE
Basic competency in Microsoft Excel.
TEACHING METHODS
Computer Lab
Integrated Learning
Lecture
CONTACT HOURS
Laboratory, 2 hours per week for full term.
Lecture, 2 hours per week for full term.
COURSE REQUISITES
NIL
MODE OF DELIVERY
Internal
COURSE WORKLOAD
Students are required to spend on average 120 140 hours of effort or total load (contact and non-contact)
including assessments per 10 unit course.

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DETAILED COURSE INFORMATION

COURSE OBJECTIVES / LEARNING OUTCOMES
On successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:
1. Describe and understand the concepts and components of Business Intelligence and how they are relevant
to an enterprise.
2. Critically evaluate use of BI for supporting decision making in an enterprise.
3. Understand and use the technologies, applications, tools and methodologies that make up Business
Intelligence.
4. Understand and design the technological architecture that underpins BI systems in an enterprise.
5. Plan and conceptually implement a BI enterprise system.
COURSE CONTENT
- Information value, classification of types and sources of value, and types of processing that can add value to
corporate data sources.
- The nature and role of business intelligence in contributing to the delivery of business value and competitive
advantage in modern enterprises.
- The relationship of the business intelligence environment, in particular data warehousing and data mining, to
different enterprise contexts.
- The data integration process, data profiling, data cleansing and data enhancement, and their contribution to
adding value to data.
- Data warehouse design; star schemas, redundancy, data distribution and security issues.
- Adding value to data; knowledge discovery, and data mining.
- Web-based decision support and mining technology in business intelligence.
Teaching program and sequence
A detailed list is available on the course UoNline site.
Timetable
Class dates, times and locations are available on the Timetable website at:
http://webapps.newcastle.edu.au/timetables/class_times/classtimes.cfm

LEARNING RESOURCES
UoNline site
Students enrolled in the course can login http://uonline.newcastle.edu.au/ to access the UoNline site used to
support this course. You need to visit the UoNline site on a regular basis.
Textbooks
Turban et al., Decision Support and Business Intelligence Systems, 9th Edition, Person New International
Edition, ISBN: 978-1-29202-426-4
Required Readings
A number of weekly tutorials and readings is required in each of the 12 weeks in the Trimester.
Other Resources
Microsoft Excel with Pivot Table plugin.

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ASSESSMENT ITEMS
Quiz - Class
Group/tutorial participation and contribution
Examination: Formal
Essays / Written Assignments
Assessment Item and Description

Examination - Class
On-line quiz administered during
computer lab session
Essay/Written Assessment
Written report of 1500 words.
Group/tutorial participation &
contribution
Online Lab exercises.

Method of
Submission

Due Date

Weighting
or pass/no
pass

Course
Learning
Objectives

Item
Returnable
Y/N

Submitted in
computer lab
session

Week 4,
7, 10, 13

1,2

Electronically
through
Blackboard

Week 6
and Week
12
Ongoing

48%
(12%
each)
40%
(20%
each)
12%

2, 3

2, 3

Completed
online.

*Further information about Compulsory Course Components is available at: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/policy/

Overview of Assessment Criteria

Class Exam the purpose and benefit of the class tests and/or regular quizzes is to provide the students with
regular feedback on student learning. These tests highlight areas of concern and may stimulate discussion
with tutors and lecturers.
Essay/Written Assessment Essays or written assessments meet the course objectives of knowledge
acquisition and demonstrated assimilation of data, upon reflection and analysis, to produce articulate and
concise documents which convey evidence-based understanding of the concepts and topics.
Group/tutorial participation and contribution The purpose of group and laboratory activity is to enable
peer-to-peer learning; develop oral communication skills and the ability to record data, synthesise an opinion
and convey this clearly in a well presented and articulate manner.
Marking and Grading for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses & Programs

Range of
marks

Grade

Long Description

85-100

High
Distinction
(HD)

Outstanding standard indicating comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the relevant

materials; demonstration of an outstanding level of academic ability; mastery of skills*; and
achievement of all assessment objectives.

75-84

Distinction (D)

Excellent standard indicating a very high level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant
materials; demonstration of a very high level of academic ability; sound development of skills*; and
achievement of all assessment objectives.

65-74

Credit (C)

Very Good standard indicating a high level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant materials;
demonstration of a high level of academic ability; reasonable development of skills*; and achievement
of all assessment objectives.

50-64

Pass (P)

Satisfactory standard indicating an adequate knowledge and understanding of the relevant materials;
demonstration of an adequate level of academic ability; satisfactory development of skills*; and
achievement of most assessment objectives.

0-49

Fail (FF)

Failure to satisfactorily achieve assessment objectives or compulsory course components. A fail

grade may also be awarded following disciplinary action.

Ungraded
Pass (UP)

A grade awarded in a course for which only a pass or fail is available

*Skills are those identified for the purposes of assessment task(s).

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Detailed Assessment Criteria

Detailed assessment criteria for each assessment task and any additional material will be available on the
course UoNline site no less than two weeks prior to the due date of each assessment.
Application for Adverse Circumstances
Applications for adverse circumstances are to be submitted via the electronic system for major assessment
items (those valued at 20% or greater).
Attendance and/or Other Class Requirements
Students are strongly advised to complete lectures and laboratories in order to gain a full understanding of the
theoretical and practical skills required in this discipline.
CONTINUOUS COURSE EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT
Each year feedback is sought from students and other stakeholders about the courses offered in the University
for the purposes of identifying areas of excellence and potential improvement. Information on previous course
offerings is available at http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/university-surveys/
The key themes of previous feedback, and any major changes that were made as a consequence of this are
outlined below.
1. Revisions have been made to the assessment regime with some being dropped and other assessment
items re-weighted accordingly.
2. Unit objectives have been modified while assessment items have been re-aligned to the new unit objectives.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) under the Student Academic Integrity
Policy [000608]. The purpose of this module is to help students understand referencing and plagiarism issues.
AIM is accessed through UoNline http://uonline.newcastle.edu.au/ by selecting the Academic Integrity Module
tab. Click on the UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC INTEGRITY MODULE link and follow the prompts.
All new students will be required to complete the Academic Integrity Module before the end of their first
enrolment period. Successful completion will be automatically stored against your student record. A hold will
be placed on your record if AIM is not completed within the designated period. This will prevent you from reenrolling or viewing your final results.
No alteration to this course outline after week one will be permitted without Head of School approval. If a change is
approved students will be notified and an amended Course Outline will be provided to students in the same manner
as the original.

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