College of Professional and Continuing Studies

LA SALLE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL AND CONTINUING STUDIES

PROPOSAL FOR NEW GRADUATE COURSE

SECTION I: DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Course Prefix, Number, and Title / ANA 617Modeling and Simulation for Data Analytics
Program / MS Analytics
Name of Director / Margaret McCoey
Date Submitted / 12/15/2014
Course Description for Catalog / This course introduces students to modeling and simulation. Topics include basic queueing theory, the role of random numbers in simulations, and the identification of input probability distributions. Students will also learn to identify limitations of simulations and draw correct conclusions from a simulation study. Students will work with specialized simulation packages such as Simio. (Pre-requisite ANA 615)
Prerequisites / ANA 615
Rationale for New Course / This course is the third in the statistical sequence for the Analytics program.
Plan for staffing the course: name of faculty member(s) who will teach the course; indicate if the course will be team taught. / Highley, Adjunct
How many times a year will the course is offered? / Currently the plan is that the course will be offered once a year in fall, but depending on the number of students this may change.
Semesters to be offered / Fall
Anticipated enrollment for each semester / 15
What specialized classroom or laboratory facilities will be used? Indicate if any need to be purchased and the approximate cost. / NA
List additional resources needed, such as library resources, advisers, career services, technology. / We will use data sources available from free sources and technology available via academic initiatives. Examples in VMWare, IBM Modeler, SAS, Tableau
List any courses that should be deleted when the proposed course is approved. / NA
If this course was offered as a Special Topics course, provide:
the Special Topics course number and name, how many times it was offered, which semesters,
enrollment each semester. / No
Indicate if this course will normally be offered in a face-to-face, online, or hybrid mode.
If online or hybrid, explain how the required number of class minutes (2100 + final assessment) will be addressed. A hybrid course has 50%-99% online components. Has the instructor completed the online learning training? / Online—There is an equivalency grid at the end of the syllabus which addresses this question.
Faculty have completed the online training.

*****************************************************************************

SECTION II: COURSE EXPECTATIONS AND SYLLABUS

COURSE TITLE AND NAME: / ANA 617Modeling and Simulation for Data Analytics
CONTACT INFORMATION: Email, telephone, fax, office-TBD based on instructor
OFFICE HOURS OR VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS: Faculty are available via email. Conferences will be set based on student and faculty agreed time. Students are able to access the Program Director to help coordinate meetings.
(Indicate availability to students, such as by appointment, office hours, online communication; set an expectation of how quickly a response will be provided.)
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
This course introduces students to modeling and simulation. Topics include basic queueing theory, the role of random numbers in simulations, and the identification of input probability distributions. Students will also learn to identify limitations of simulations and draw correct conclusions from a simulation study. Students will work with specialized simulation packages such as Simio. (Pre-requisite ANA 615)
COURSE PREREQUISITES: ANA 615
COURSE GOALS:

Create simulation models
Perform simulation studies

EXPECTED STUDENT OUTCOMES:
At the end of the semester, the student should be able to:

Calculate exact results for simple systems with basic queueing theory

Differentiate between systems that can be solved with static analysis and those that would benefit from a simulation model

Design and build simulation models for systems that are too complex for static analysis

Identify appropriate input distributions for a simulation study

Explain common pitfalls related to simulations

Analyze the results of simulations

Evaluate results that have been drawn from a simulation study

CLASS ENVIRONMENTS/METHODS: Teaching pedagogies and learning environments
The course will be taught in online fashion. Students will be provided with course materials describing and demonstrating (via videos) techniques for modeling and simulating examples. Students will work on “class lab” examples to master the techniques. Discussion formatted questions will be used to develop a compare/contrast and critique of student proposed problem solutions.
GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESS:
Materials for this area are provided in the attached ANA Course Syllabus Resource Template which is attached.

All these areas are addressed at the public version of this document.
Academic Integrity: (Reference the University’s Academic Integrity Policy
and how violations will be handled.
Also reference the University’s Intellectual Property Policy
Classroom etiquette: (indicate the importance of etiquette and netiquette and how violations, such as late arrival to class, non-participation, disrespect will be handled.)
This is an online course. Classroom etiquette is based on behavior and expectations in synchronous sessions. Additional information is available in the page called ANA Course Syllabus Resources Template.
Participation: (indicate how class participation and attendance will be handled)
Students are required to complete task activities within the weekly timeframe. Because of the different geographic locations, students are able to listen to recorded sessions and comment on specific questions related to the discussion to demonstrate mastery of the topic for the recorded session.
Other …

STANDARDS FOR GRADUATE EDUCATION

As stated in the La Salle University Graduate catalog (p. 5) in graduate work at La Salle, all students are expected to:

•Think critically and independently and master the skills presently demanded in their field of study;

•Understand both current and traditional approaches to their discipline;

•Become thoroughly familiar with the current literature of their discipline by regular use of the standard references, current journals, and professional publications;

•Contribute substantially to courses through research projects, seminar papers, case studies, and supervised field experiences;

•Apply ideas and facts learned in courses to original or application-oriented projects and papers; and

•Adhere in their written work to high standards of grammar, punctuation, organization, and style. When appropriate, the official manual of style adopted by the discipline should be followed.

MATERIALS: Students need access to computer facilities to access the LMS and the recorded materials. Specific software required for the course will be provided based on academic licensing.
TECHNOLOGY:Students will need to have access to the simulation tool being used for the course. This will be decided based on the current strategy and the licensing.
REQUIRED READING:
Simio & Simulation: Modeling, Analysis, Applications by Kelton, Smith, Sturrock and Verbraeck
Publisher: McGraw Hill
Release date: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-07-340888
RECOMMENDED READING:
RESOURCES: Other readings or web pages
COURSE REQUIREMENTS

GRADING SCHEME

As stated in the University’s Graduate Catalog (p. 6)

The following is the breakdown and definitions of grades distributed for courses completed:

4.0 A indicates the demonstration of a superior level of competency.

3.67 A- indicates the demonstration of a very good level of competency.

3.33 B+ indicates the demonstration of a good level of competency.

3.0 B indicates the demonstration of an average, satisfactory level of competency.

2.67 B- indicates the demonstration of a less than average level of competency.

2.0 C indicates a level of competence below that expected of graduate work.

0.0 F indicates failure to demonstrate even a marginal level of competency.

I Indicates work not completed with the term.

W indicates an authorized withdrawal from a course unit after the term has commenced.

ASSIGNMENTS: Sample assignment is listed below. Sample group project is included below

ASSESSMENT:

Online Quizzes 15%
Graded Discussions 15%
Assignments 20%
Project 50%
-- Project Status Reports 15%
-- Project Final Submission 25%
-- Project Presentation 10%

TENTATIVE SYLLABUS: Week by week schedule of topics, readings, assignments

Week / Topic / Readings / Class Work / Assignment / Assignment Due Date
1 / Introduction to Simulation / Chapter 1 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Synchronous session: 1 hour / Asn 1 (individual)
2 / Basic Queueing Theory / Chapter 2 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Discussion questions
Online Quiz
3 / Approaches to Simulation / Chapter 3 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Synchronous session: 1 hour / Asn 2 (individual) / Asn 1
4 / Input Analysis / Chapter 4 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Discussion questions
Online Quiz
5 / Introduction to Simulation Software / Chapter 5 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Synchronous session: 1 hour
Online Quiz / Asn 3 (individual) / Asn 2
6 / Output Analysis / Chapter 5 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Discussion questions
Semester Project Work
Online Quiz / Project (groups)
7 / Intermediate Modeling / Chapter 6 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Synchronous session: 1 hour
Semester Project Work / Asn 3
8 / Data Representation in Simulation Software / Chapter 7 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Discussion questions
Semester Project Work
Online Quiz / Asn 4 (pairs)
9 / Simulation Animation / Chapter 8 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Synchronous session: 1 hour
Semester Project Work
10 / Advanced Modeling / Chapter 9 from Kelton, et al / Video: 2 hours
Discussion questions
Semester Project Work
Online Quiz / Asn 4
Project status report due
11 / Case studies / Varies / Video: 2 hours
Synchronous session: 1 hour
Semester Project Work
12 / Project presentations / Synchronous session: 2 hours / Project due
ONLINEHOURCOURSEEQUIVALENCY
ONLINEComponent / Learning HourEquivalency (InHours)
Videos / 22.0
Synchronous Sessions (1hour/session—Last Week 2 HRS) / 8.0
Discussion Questions (1.5 hour/session-5 sessions) / 7.5
Project Work (6 weeks with time devoted to project work) / 6.0
Online Quizzes (approximately 6) / 1.0
Total / 44.5

Sample Individual Assignment

Assignment will include problems from the text to demonstrate proficiency in the use and application of material covered.

This would be a sample assignment tied to material from Chapters 2 and 3 from the text book.

Chapter 2, Problem 2
Chapter 2, Problem 4: evaluate for Problem 2 only. Pay special attention to the word, “Discuss.” Make sure you explain the meaning of your numbers.
Look at Chapter 2, Problems 9-12. We explored these in class. Answer the questions using the following numbers: Inter-arrival times are exponentially distributed with a mean of 4 minutes. The service times at each node are exponentially distributed with means (in minutes) of 4 for Sign In, 6 for Registration, 80 for Trauma Rooms, 22 for Exam Rooms, and 20 for Treatment Rooms. Assume the following number of servers: 2 for Sign In, 2 for Registration, 5 for Exam Rooms, 5 for Trauma, and 5 for Treatment Rooms. (Note that our summation tables only went to 5, so you will need to modify them if you add a 6th server anywhere.)
Chapter 3, Problem 1
Chapter 3, Problem 2
Chapter 3, Problem 3

Sample Group Project

ANA 617 Sample Semester Project

100 points

Written Report Due and Oral Presentations.

You will work in groups of four. Your project consists of a simulation implementation, a written report and an oral presentation at the end of the semester. Each group will decide what role each member will play. With four students per group, it may be possible for you to “hide.” Don’t. It is up to you to identify and fill a significant role within the group. Each student will provide an evaluation of their teammates. (See sample form, attached.) A grade will be assigned for the group, but grades for the individual members may be adjusted up or down based on their roles within the group – both the amount and the quality of the contribution.

Your report must cover the following:

Problem definition: Describe what you are simulating and why you are simulating it. What is the purpose of the simulation? Why does the simulation matter? Who are the stakeholders?
Input analysis: What input distributions are you using? Justify the decisions you made. Describe any data collection you had to do. Describe the sensitivity analysis that you did to determine what your most important input distributions were.
Model design and description: Describe the structure of your simulation. Describe and defend the abstractions that you made. Describe the major parts of the simulation and how they interact. If you used any advanced techniques that were not discussed in class, describe them.
Model animation: Describe anything about the model animation that is important but not immediately obvious.
Experimental design: What experiments did you run and why?
Output analysis, conclusions and recommendations: What do the results of your experiments mean? In this section, clearly state the numeric results of the simulation study. Use the numeric results to support your conclusions and recommendations regarding your chosen problem.

As a guideline, your report should be ten to fifteen pages long.

Your oral presentation will be approximately 20 minutes long, followed by approximately 5 minutes of Q&A. Here are some suggestions of what to include in your oral presentation:

Clear presentation of your problem
Clear presentation of your conclusions
Simulation results in support of your conclusions
Demonstration of your simulation animation
Walk through of the main parts of your simulation
Discussion of any difficulties you encountered during the project
Discussion of any advanced techniques that your model required that we did not discuss in class

Submit your written report and your simulation (via Blackboard) by the due date.

The first two groups to submit written reports may earn bonus points. If the first two written reports are received by April 19, those groups will present on April 20 and also earn bonus points for early submission (4 points for the first group and 2 points for the second). If fewer than two groups submit their reports early and there are no volunteers, groups will be chosen at random to present on April 20. Remaining groups will present on April 29.

Evaluation:

Written report and simulation
Delivery
Organization and presentation(_____ / 5)
Negative points for spelling, grammar, etc.(_____)
Content
Clear problem definition(_____ / 10)
Input analysis(_____ / 10)
Model design and description(_____ / 25)
Experimental design, output analysis,
conclusions and recommendations(_____ / 25)
Model animation(_____ / 10)
Oral presentations
Organization, clarity, delivery, completeness(_____ / 10)
Class participation
Attendance and participation during the other groups’
presentations(_____ / 5)

Group Evaluation

This form will not be seen by the members of your group. The purpose is to determine whether each group member has contributed significantly to your project.

In one or two sentences, describe your contribution to the project. Explain how your contribution relates to the overall goal of the project.

List each of the other members of your group. In one or two sentences each, describe the contributions of the other members of your group.

If you were assigning grades to all of the members of your group (including yourself) and the average of the grades had to be 85, how would you assign the grades?