Northeastern University

College of Professional Studies

Course Syllabus

Course Number:	ALY6140
Course Name:	Analytics Systems Technology
CRN:	23083
Quarter / Year:	Winter 2021 CPS Quarter – Second Half
Term Length	6 Weeks
Start / End Dates	3/1/21 – 4/10/21 - Monday
Course Format:	Online
Instructor Name:	Richard He
Instructor E-mail:	[email protected]
Office Hours	Virtual – By Appointment

Technical Requirements

In order to access this course, you will need a NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES online Canvas account, which can be obtained via the following link: http://nuonline.neu.edu/ Additional technical requirements include access to Adobe Acrobat and PowerPoint. Please see the Technical Help section of the course in Canvas.

Each student is expected to be responsible for his or her access to the internet for purposes of this course and for research. Internet access is a required component of this course and will not be accepted as an excuse for missed work. If you know that you will be traveling, then make sure you plan accordingly.

Note regarding e-mail/voicemail: If you e-mail me, please include your name and class title. I will try to reply within 24 hours, but please allow up to 48 hours for an email reply. All class correspondence will go to your assigned NEU email account. Any emails being sent to the whole class will go to your NEU email. It is mandatory you use your NEU/Husky email account when contacting your instructor. If you leave me a voicemail, please remember to include your name, class title, and phone number.

Course Materials:

Course Textbook: This course does not have a specific textbook.

Optional Reference Books:

•  Learning Python, 5th edition, O'Reilly

•  Python for data analysis, O'Reilly

•  Python Machine Learning, 2nd edition Packtpub

Software (required):

•  Python 2.7.6 or newer (3.x preferred)

•  Jupyter notebook

Course Prerequisites

•  Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: CPS – Graduate

•  Familiarity with analytical techniques

•  Previous experience with R or other programming language will be useful but not necessary

Course Description

This course introduces a selection of Analytics Systems Technologies that are deployed in lab sessions throughout the analytics program. A multitude of Analytics Systems Technologies are used for different purposes to describe data numerically and graphically, for data visualization, file systems (HFS) for a large data mart, applications of structured query language, and filtering & transforming to ingest the data through scripting languages. Some of the tools are taught in greater detail (e.g. Python, Machine Learning), whereas others are introduced more broadly.

Expectations

•  Workload

o  One (1) academic credit requires 50 minutes a week of classroom or faculty instruction and about two hours of out of class student work for a 15-week course; 100 minutes a week of classroom or direct faculty instruction and about 3.5 hours of out of class student work for a 7.5-week course.

o  For a three-credit course, students should expect 2.5 hours a week of classroom or faculty instruction and a minimum of 5 hours of out of class student work for a 15-week course; 5 hours of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of 10 hours of out of class student work for a 7.5-week course.

o  APA citations

Attendance Policy

As the weekly class session is a vital part of the learning experience, all students are expected to attend every week, be on time for the start of class, and stay until the end of class.

However, in the event of extraordinary, legitimate and unavoidable situations, students may be excused for lateness or absence. Extraordinary, legitimate and unavoidable situations include personal illness, urgent family business, work-related issues, transportation-related issues, religious requirements. If at all possible, students should let the instructor know by e-mail about the excused absence or lateness before class.

Policy on late work

Each assignment is due on the date indicated - late assignments will not receive any points. There are no make-up dates, extensions, or re-works for the assignments after they are handed in, except for documented personal emergencies or special permission granted by the instructor in writing. Special permission must be requested in writing to the instructor at least two days prior to the due date of the assignment.

Course Methodology

Each week, you will be expected to:

1.  Review the week's learning objectives.

2.  Complete all assigned readings (approximate time spent: 2 hours).

3.  Complete all lecture materials for the week (approximate time spent: 1.5 hours).

4.  Participate in the Discussion Board (approximate time spent:1.5 hours).

5.  Complete and submit all assignments and tests by the due dates (approximate time spent: 5-8 hours).

Northeastern University Workload Standards:

For a three-credit course, students should expect a minimum of 5 hours of out of class student work for a 12-week course; and a minimum of 10 hours of out of class student work for a 6-week course.

It is important that you allot yourself with the appropriate amount of time to participate in this class and fulfill the assignment requirements. Arrange your schedule per the regular deadlines outlined in the chart below, setting aside regular blocks of time each week to be “in class.”

Participation/Discussion Board

•  During each week, learners are required to post a “primary response” by Thursday, 11:59 P.M. (Eastern). The primary response should consist of a minimum of 250 words.

•  Learners are required to comment twice on other student’s primary response - “secondary response” by Sunday, 11:59 P.M. (Eastern). The secondary response should consist of a minimum of 80 words.

•  The Discussion Board is a space for academic exchanges. As a result, you must check for proper and exacting punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

•  Last minute postings that are empty of substance and essence will result in significant point deductions.

•  When responding to the Discussion forum, learners should support their comments with logical reasoning and with the techniques of data analysis. Simply stating that agree or disagree without further describing why will not be accepted as a valid discussion.

•  Copying and pasting from any source into the discussion board is considered a form of plagiarism and is unacceptable.

•  In addition, you must reference all outside sources in correct citation format. A minimum of one reference should be cited in each primary response.

•  Each weekly discussion is worth 100 points (2.5% of the course grade). The collection of five weekly discussions constitutes 10% of the course grade.

Evaluation Standards

All assignment rubrics are included in the assignment documents and visible from the Canvas assignments.

Discussion Board Rubric

All discussions will be graded by using the following criteria:

•  Comprehension (20%)

•  Participation (30%)

•  Critical Thinking (20%)

•  Writing Mechanics and Citation (10%)

•  Timeliness (10%)

Communication/Submission of Work

•  The course will have four programming assignments due in Week 2 through Week 5

•  The primary discussion posts are due midnight on Thursday, the two secondary responses are due before the next lecture (11:59:59 PM on Sunday).

•  The assignments are due midnight before the next lecture date (11:59:59 PM on Sunday)

•  The Capstone Project is due on the last day of the course.

•  To communicate your content-oriented inquiries and questions, please use the Discussion Board. For private questions, use Email.

•  To view each assignment, go to the Assignment folder, and click on the View/Complete Assignment link.

•  Use the View/Complete Assignment link, attach your completed assignment files (often consisting of an Excel workbook and a Word document), and click Submit to turn them in to me.

•  Once your assignment has been graded, you will be able to view the grade and feedback I have provided by clicking on My Grades in the Tools module from the Northeastern University Online Campus tab.

•  Completed assignments that are sent to me by Emails will not be accepted.

Grading

Statements on metrics. How will student learning be assessed? Participation? Exams? Papers? Projects? How will grades be assigned, calculated, and weighed? What does each grade mean? What is the grading scale, e.g., A = 93% - 100%; A- = 90% - 92.99%? How does absence or late work submission impact grade? Note that there is no A+ grade. The following breakdown is suggested but may be amended.

Graduate Programs Grading Scale

95-100%      A	87-89.9%      B+	77-79.9%      C+	69.9% or below      F
	84-86.9%      B	74-76.9%      C
90-94.9%     A-	80-83.9%      B-	70-73.9%      C-

Grade Breakdown:

	Title	Grade (Pts or %)
1	Discussions (4x2.5%)	10%
2	Weekly Assignments (4x12%)	48%
3	Capstone Project	42%
	Total	100%

Course Schedule Week/Dates	Topic	Exercises/Assi gnments with due date
Week 1	•  Introduction to Python     •  Python and its "batteries included" ecosystem     •  Python for data analysis     •  Comparison with R and its ecosystem     •  Python packages and virtual environments     •  Anaconda and Jupyter notebook installation and     •  walkthrough     •  PyCharm IDE     •  Python language features     •  Course capstone project expectation     •  Pre-course survey	None
Week 2	Getting Data into Python     •  Extracting data using pandas     •  CSV files     •  Excel files     •  Reading from databases         o  SQLite         o  MySQL         o  SQLAlchemy     •  Reading and parsing from the web     •  Primary Data Sources	Python Script & Discussion Due
Week 3	Introduction to data analysis tools     •  Introduction to NumPy     •  Introduction to Pandas     •  Introduction to Matplotlib     •  Data transformation with python         o  Aggregation         o  Column and row transformation         o  Summary statistics of data	Python Script & Discussion Due
Week 4	Project Management   Introduction to visualization tools     •  Introduction to matplotlib     •  Introduction to bokeh     •  Introduction to plot.ly	Python Script & Discussion Due
Week 5	Introduction to Predictive Analytics     •  Descriptive analytics vs. Predictive analytics     •  Predictive analytics using statsmodels     •  Predictive analytics using sklearn     •  Description of the capstone project and resources	Python Script & Discussion Due
Week 6	Capstone project synthesizes the learning of the last five weekly   lectures. The capstone project should consist of the following   features:     •  Selecting a data source of interest     •  Cleaning up and summary analysis of the data     •  Visualization of interesting trends     •  Analysis of the data	Capstone Project Due Last Day of Classes

THIS CLASS MEETS ON MONDAY (NOT TUESDAY)

Communication/Submission of Work

In the Assignments folder, click on the View/Complete Assignment link to view and each assignment. Attach your completed assignments here and click Submit to turn them in to me. Once your assignment has been graded, you will be able to view the grade and feedback I have provided by clicking on My Grades in the Tools module from the Northeastern University Online Campus tab.

Documentation Guidelines

The MPS in Analytics program requires the use of APA guidelines for citing sources. Why is proper citation important? It signals that every student is an active and informed participant in the College’s academic community. It enables instructors to understand how sources are used to support perspectives and conclusions. And it forms the basis for ethical communication practices that are expected in a professional career in communications or any other field.

For these reasons, students are responsible for learning how to use proper APA citation methods. To do so, students can review APA guidelines on the Purdue Online Writing Lab website, or make an appointment with the International Tutoring Center or the Writing Center on the Northeastern campus. Please use the refer to the middle column in the linked citation chart under APA: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20110928111055_949.pdf

Failure to use APA guidelines to document sources will result in grade deductions. For a pattern of careless citation errors, the maximum possible grade a student can earn on that particular assignment (or section of an assignment) is 70% of the total possible points. For instances of plagiarism and other types of violations of academic integrity such as unauthorized collaboration with another student or submitting work from a prior course, the maximum possible grade a student can earn on that particular assignment is 50%, as well as possible referral to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.

Each paper need to be handed in in via Turnitin; every paper that contains more than 20% non-original material will not be accepted.

C. Late Submission of Work

Each assignment is due on the date indicated - late assignments will not receive any points. There are no make-up dates, extensions, or re-works for the assignments after they are handed in, except for documented personal emergencies or special permission granted by the instructor in writing. Special permission must be requested in writing to the instructor at least two days prior to the due date of the assignment.

D. Attendance/Tardiness (Blended/Hybrid/Traditional Classes Only)

As the weekly class session is a vital part of the learning experience, all students are expected to attend every week, be on time for the start of class, and stay until the end of class.

However, in the event of extraordinary, legitimate and unavoidable situations, students may be excused for lateness or absence. Extraordinary, legitimate and unavoidable situations include personal illness, urgent family business, work-related issues, transportation-related issues, religious requirements. If at all possible, students should let the instructor know by e-mail about the excused absence or lateness before class.

Academic Integrity Policy

A commitment to the principles of academic integrity is essential to the mission of Northeastern University. The promotion of independent and original scholarship ensures that students derive the most from their educational experience and their pursuit of knowledge. Academic dishonesty violates the most fundamental values of an intellectual community and undermines the achievements of the entire University.

As members of the academic community, students must become familiar with their rights and responsibilities. In each course, they are responsible for knowing the requirements and restrictions regarding research and writing, examinations of whatever kind, collaborative work, the use of study aids, the appropriateness of assistance, and other issues. Students are responsible for learning the conventions of documentation and acknowledgment of sources in their fields. Northeastern University expects students to complete all examinations, tests, papers, creative projects, and assignments of any kind according to the highest ethical standards, as set forth either explicitly or implicitly in this Code or by the direction of instructors.

The following is a broad overview, but not an all-encompassing definition, of what constitutes a violation of academic integrity. Also, we will start each course with an Academic Integrity tool that you are required to study.

Cheating: The University defines cheating as using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. When completing any academic assignment, a student shall rely on his or her own mastery of the subject.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

•  Unauthorized use of aids such as but not limited to notes, text, the Internet, cell phones, etc. to complete any academic assignment.

•  Copying from another student’s academic work.

•  Unauthorized communication during an examination.

•  Handing in the same paper for more than one course without explicit permission from the instructor(s).

•  Intentionally viewing a test before it is administered.

•  Storing notes in a portable electronic device for use during an examination.

Fabrication: The University defines fabrication as falsification, misrepresentation, or invention of any information, data, or citation in an academic exercise.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

•  Inventing data, facts, or sources for an academic assignment.

•  Altering the results of a lab experiment or survey.

•  Citing a source in a bibliography that was not used.

•  Stating an opinion as a scientifically proven fact.

Plagiarism: The University defines plagiarism as using as one’s own the words, ideas, data, code, or other original academic material of another without providing proper citation or attribution. Plagiarism can apply to any assignment, either final or drafted copies, and it can occur either accidentally or deliberately. Claiming that one has “forgotten” to document ideas or material taken from another source does not exempt one from plagiarizing.

The following sources require citation:

•  Word-for-word quotations from a source, including another student’s work.

•  Paraphrasing (using the ideas of others in your own words).

•  Unusual or controversial facts not widely recognized.

•  Audio, video, digital, or live exchanges of ideas, dialogue, or information.

Students unclear as to whether or not a source requires citation should speak with their professor.

Unauthorized Collaboration: The University defines unauthorized collaboration as instances when students submit individual academic works that are substantially similar to one another. While several students may have the same source material, any analysis, interpretation, or reporting of data required by an assignment must be each individual’s independent work unless the instructor has explicitly granted permission for group work.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

•  Submitting work that closely matches that of another student, even when the work is to be original to the student handing in the assignment.

•  Sharing a take-home examination, case write-up, lab report, or any other assignment with a peer without express permission from the instructor.

Participation in Academically Dishonest Activities: The University defines participation in academically dishonest activities as any action taken by a student with the intention of gaining an unfair advantage over other students.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

•  Misrepresenting oneself or one’s circumstances to an instructor.

•  Stealing an examination.

•  Purchasing a pre-written paper.

•  Selling, loaning, or otherwise distributing materials intended for the purpose of cheating, plagiarism, or other academically dishonest acts.

•  Destroying, altering, stealing, or forging another student’s work, library materials, laboratory materials, academic records, course syllabi, or examination/course grades.

•  Intentionally missing an examination or assignment deadline to gain an unfair advantage.

•  Forging information or signatures on official University documents. 

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: The University defines facilitating academic dishonesty as intentionally or knowingly helping or contributing to the violation of any provision of this policy.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

•  Doing academic work for another student.

•  Making available previously used academic work for another individual who intends to resubmit the work for credit.

Obligation to Uphold Academic Integrity: All members of the Northeastern University community have a role in upholding the Academic Integrity Policy. Any member of the community who witnesses a violation of this policy should report it to the appropriate faculty member or the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution web page (OSCCR).

College of Professional Studies Policies and Procedures

For comprehensive information, please see the Registrar University Catalogs page as well as the Student Resources page of the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies website.

Student Accommodations

The College of Professional Studies is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities to students with documented disabilities (e.g. mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical). To ensure access to this class, and program, please contact The Disability Resource Center (http://www.northeastern.edu/drc/) to engage in a confidential conversation about the process for requesting reasonable accommodations in the classroom and clinical or lab settings. Accommodations are not provided retroactively so students are encouraged to register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as soon as they begin their program. The College of Professional Studies encourages students to access all resources available through the DRC for consistent support.

Resources for International Students

The list below includes some resources at Northeastern University to support international students.

Global Student Success (GSS)

Website: http://www.cps.neu.edu/gss

•  Global Student Success supports the success of international students at Northeastern University. GSS provides international students with high-quality language, academic and cultural support. Below are the resources that fall under GSS.

International Tutoring Center (ITC)

The ITC offers both English as a Second Language (ESL) tutoring and language and culture workshops. Services are available in-person and online.

•  ESL Tutoring: Provides high-quality comprehensive English language and academic support for international students through 50-minute individual and group tutoring appointments. Sessions focus on areas including academic writing, listening, speaking, reading and TOEFL preparation. ITC also offers conversation tutorials on various topics.

•  Language and Culture Workshops: The workshops cover English language skills, American culture, and general tips for academic success. There are in-person and recorded workshops.

•  Listening & Speaking Classes – These courses offer listening and speaking practice for students to improve their pronunciation, listening comprehension and speaking skills. College of Professional Studies students register via MyNEU.

International Student & Scholar Institute (ISSI)

Website: http://www.northeastern.edu/issi

•  ISSI is committed to being an active resource to the university’s community of international students, scholars and their families. The staff provides professional expertise and advice to ensure that students maintain compliance through their immigration, academic and employment experiences. They also offer cultural and fun activities throughout the year to help students be more engaged with the Northeastern and broader community.

Accent & Communication Training

Website: http://www.northeastern.edu/bouve/csd/clinic/accent-and-communication-training-act/

•  The Accent & Communication Training is for non-native speakers of English who want to enhance their communication skills in academic, professional, and social situations. It is offered through the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY'S BOUVÉ COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES.

Northeastern University Writing Center

Website: http://www.northeastern.edu/writingcenter/

•  The Northeastern University Writing Center is housed in the Department of English within the COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES. It is open to any member of the Northeastern community and exists to help any level writer from any academic discipline.

NUCALLS

Website: http://www.nucalls.neu.edu/

•  NUCALLS is a student organization at Northeastern University that is dedicated to offering free language classes to the Northeastern community. Students who are interested in improving their English language or other foreign language skills can take advantage of these resources.

End-of-Course Evaluation Surveys

Your feedback regarding your educational experience in this class is very important to the College of Professional Studies. Your comments will make a difference in the future planning and presentation of our curriculum.

At the end of this class, please take the time to complete the evaluation survey at the NEU EvaluationKit website. Your survey responses are completely confidential. Surveys will be open for the last two weeks of the class. An email will be sent to your HuskyMail account notifying you when surveys are available.

Online Proctoring

In this class, some tests may be administered remotely by an online authentication and proctoring service called Examity® , which gives you the flexibility to schedule exams at your convenience and take them wherever you want.

To prepare for using Examity® , you will need to meet the following technical requirements: