BUSN3051/6051 Mini Project

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BUSN3051/6051 Mini Project [10%]

An Overview of this Mini Project

The upcoming mini project is an individual task. Each student will be given a unique dataset, and no two datasets are identical. You are required to run analyses with Weka on your dataset and present your findings using Tableau to create charts and graphs.

In this mini project, the project objective is to answer the question: How are the characteristics of loan applicants associated with the outcomes of loan applications and the likelihood of loan default?

This mini project is different from those in other courses. Unlike structured questions and answers, this mini project contains open-ended questions. You are encouraged to run any analyses that you have learnt in this course and that you consider relevant, interesting, and appropriate. This will enable you to use your creativity and think outside the box.

Please note that the objective of this mini project is to assess your analytics knowledge and presentation skills. This mini project aims to foster the development of essential soft skills, such as problem-solving, creativity, decision-making, critical thinking, and communication. These skills are fundamental for successful job-seeking after your graduation.

The deliverable is a video presentation. To ensure the integrity of the assignment, you are asked to record your presentations while showing your face in Zoom for grading purposes. If you have any privacy concerns to be recorded, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected] to arrange a Zoom presentation without recording.

Any recorded presentations submitted without showing your face will receive a 50% penalty. This is because the instructor has no way to confirm that the work presented is the result of your independent efforts. Again, if anyone has resistance to be recorded, please email me to arrange a Zoom live presentation.

To Start With ...

Please download the Excel spreadsheet using a filename that matches your student ID. The dataset is password-protected, and you can access it by using your first name (note: case-sensitive) as the password. The dataset contains a single, large table, with the variable names and descriptions available both in the top row of the "Data" sheet and on the remaining sheets of the Excel file.

Upon reviewing all the sheets in the Excel file, you will gain a more comprehensive understanding of the data's structure. I encourage you to explore diverse data analysis methods. For instance, you can divide the extensive table into several smaller tables for more manageable processing by copying the data into different spreadsheets. Depending on the questions you intend to explore, you might contemplate converting continuous variables into binary ones to facilitate additional analyses. Additionally, you can segment the applicants into distinct groups and conduct varied analyses for each group.

In summary, there is no predefined correct answer for this mini project. You are free to explore and utilize your creativity to uncover interesting findings. I hope you enjoy the journey of exploring and analyzing the data.

Note: Every semester, I receive numerous queries from students inquiring about how to save data files that are compatible with analytics software like Weka. For further details, please consult the demonstration provided on Wattle Echo360 under SuperBlock. These inquiries are related to fundamental computer operations. I urge students with questions such as "how to change file extensions on a MAC" and "how to convert an Excel file to a comma-separated file?" to seek answers through Google searches. In 2023 Semester 1, a student emailed me 22 hours before the mini project deadline, expressing their inability to open the file on Weka for data analysis. I hope to avoid receiving similar student queries this semester.

Deliverables

You are not required to write any reports for this project. In this project, we will be focusing on your analytics knowledge, quality of your findings, and your presentation skills.

The sole deliverable is a 15-minute Zoom presentation. Please name your Zoom video file as YourFullName_ANUstudentID; for instance, HOSusanna_u1234567.mp4.

Please make sure to upload your presentation video to the provided shared folder.

Due Date: Week 9 Tuesday 23:59:59

• If you have any questions or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to the instructor ([email protected]).

Important notes:

This mini project aims to develop students’ analytics skills and professionalism at work. There may be penalty on students’ carelessness and unprofessionalism.

• You are advised to use the semester break to finish the mini project. Quiz 2 is scheduled for Monday of Week 10, so allocate Week 9 for preparing.

• The assignment aims to enhance problem-solving skills. Students are required to independently engage with the project, drawing from their own knowledge and efforts. Occasionally, one or two students may inquire about which variables in the dataset are independent and dependent variables. In such cases, please utilize your real-life observations and common sense to provide appropriate responses.

• Students are expected to convert the Data tab of the Excel file into a CSV format. Every semester, one or two students inform me that they are uncertain about how to perform this conversion and subsequently open the data in Weka. They send emails seeking my assistance. It's important to note that these are fundamental computer operations, and university students should possess the ability to independently troubleshoot these issues.

• Students commonly encounter challenges like wrong file extensions (e.g., "u1234567.csv.xlsx" instead of "u1234567.csv") or missing commas in CSV files. I suggest Googling for solutions. About 95% already know how to solve these. Those needing Windows/Mac assistance should ask peers.

• Instances occur where a student or two struggle to load Excel data for Weka analysis. This assignment tests student knowledge and ability. If issues arise, I suggest Google search. Also, peer support aids classmates significantly.

• Once you upload the file to the shared drive, you cannot delete or modify it. Therefore, please ensure that the uploaded file represents the final version of your work. If multiple files are submitted by a student, only the file with the correct filename will be evaluated. A penalty of 0.5 mark if a student requests to delete a wrong file upload.

• In the past, several students have not followed the guidelines for labeling their files, which indicates a deficiency in attention to detail and organization. A penalty of 0.5 mark for an incorrect filename will be applied.

• Sometimes, students email about being slightly late in mini project submission and ask about penalties. I usually start grading the next day. The deadline is Tuesday of Week 9, 23:59:59, and I might not be online to reply. Prioritize starting your mini project early!

Guidelines of the 15-minute Presentation

The 15-minute presentation must contain the following components. Possibly, a presenter may need to switch the shared screen of Zoom from one application to another application. To ensure clarity and avoid confusion, kindly pause the video recording when switching from one application to another.

1. Introduction: To present the basic information like the PowerPoint slides displayed on page 4. Remember, these findings should not be arbitrary; they must be relevant to the project objective and the key question.

2. Tableau demonstrations: To present descriptive statistics relevant to the research question. Specifically, you are required to switch the Zoom recording to the Tableau screen and use Tableau to present for a minimum of 5 minutes. Using Tableau stories to present the findings will receive a higher score. In contrast, providing only a few screen captures of Tableau may not fully address the requirements of Part 2, and may result in a serious penalty.

3. Modelling with Weka: To demonstrate how to use Weka to run analyses. Please note that it is not necessary to demonstrate every single step and analysis during your presentation. Instead, please choose a "signature" analysis that showcases your key findings and insights and focus on that in your Zoom recording. You may also describe any analyses that you attempted but did not work well, or any surprising findings that you expected but did not appear.

Keep in mind that meeting the mini project requirements does not necessarily mean that any three Weka analyses will suffice. You should run many Weka analyses on the dataset and identify the three most insightful findings from your overall analyses.

Please note that only using Microsoft PowerPoint to give presentations with a few screen captures will not be accepted. You must use Tableau to create interactive and visually appealing visualizations that demonstrate your understanding of the data and your analysis.