Decision Support Systems (36334)

Fall 2024/2025

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 704, Thur.: online
& location Section 2: Mon: 9:30 – 11:00 in room 701, 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. www.baselinemag.com
6. www.technologyevaluation.com

Instructor Dr. Nour Damer

Building B, 1st floor
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours Sun, Tues: 12 – 13
Mon, Wed, Thurs: 12:30 – 13:30

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 in
DSS at different levels (descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive). Topics covered include data
warehouse, business intelligence, modelling, and decision analysis.
3. Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):

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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 the written communication skills essential in business settings
PLO7: Demonstrate effective use of the oral presentation skills that are essential in business

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

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 skills PLO 6 4.4.1

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5. Curriculum Design

Week Topics Chapter in

textbook
1–2 Introduction to analytics Chapter 1
3–4 Nature of data and modelling Chapter 3
Project material uploaded into eLearning
5–6 Descriptive analytics Chapter 3
7–8 Data mining Chapters 4
9 Project progress check
Midterm exam (TBD by DAR)
10 Text mining & Web mining Chapter 7
12 – 14 Prescriptive analytics Chapter 8
15 Final review of marks and material
16 Final exam
Disclaimer: Instructors may deviate from the schedule

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

7. 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 - Midterm exam 30%
- Quizzes (3) 10%
- Project: Business Analytics 20%

Final work Final exam 40%

Total 100%

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 The link between each assessment and CLO/PLO are:

Assessment CLO1 CLO2 CLO3 CLO4 CLO5

Midterm exam √ √ √
Quiz 1 √
Quiz 2 √
Quiz 3 √
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.
Rubric for Midterm 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 (30) 0-5 6-15 16-25 25-30

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

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 Rubric for Analytical Project
Criteria/band Fail Marginal Merit Distinction

Students put a lot of effort into

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

Outstanding data preparation in

Weak preparation, the data used
Data understanding & No Data is pre-processed as needed to terms of tools used and resulting
in the analysis has main quality
preprocessing (15%) submission conduct the analysis data. Selected pre-processing
issues
tools are justified

Good analysis describing the data Perfect analysis describing the

Descriptive analytics No
Weak preliminary analysis properly with a suitable selection of data at different levels with a
(CLO3, 20%) submission
tools selection of tools

An outstanding discussion of
Results interpretation No Results are not discussed or are Results are discussed and interpreted
results. The team could build new
(CLO3, 15%) submission wrongly discussed correctly
analysis on some results

Good comments and

(No or weak) comments and Outstanding comments and
Recommendations No recommendations for the decision-
recommendations. The team did recommendations show a very
(CLO3, 15%) submission makers with a connection to the
not add their own opinion good analytical capability.
results

Report length & Not formatted according to the The report is formatted correctly.
No 1 – 4 deviations from the
formatting * requirements. See below. Less More than 4000 but without
submission requirements. 2500 – 4000 words
(CLO5, 10%) than 2500 words duplication.

Team members show good

No or bad communication skills. Very good comm. skills. They are
Teamwork No communication skills. They show
Students do not show respect to working in a collaborative way
(CLO4, 15%) submission respect to each other's and the
each other's showing a high level of respect.
audience

Mark (20) 0 1-8 9-15 16-20

* 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, a list of figures, a list of tables, and references. Pages are numbered. Citation and references are
according to the APA format. The expected length is 2500 – 4000 words.

8. 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

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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.
AI-generated work: using AI-generated text is not allowed under any circumstances. So, make
sure to use your language in all of the assignments required to complete this course.