| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Innovation, Science & Sustainability |
| Unit Title: | Business Analytics and Decision Support |
| Unit ID: | ITECH2501 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | (ITECH1103 or ITECH1503) |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | (ITECH3101) |
| ASCED: | 020307 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit will cover business analytics and decision support, consisting of decision support systems (DSS), business intelligence (BI) and various decision-making techniques. Students will explore and examine theories and principles of business analytics and decision, including descriptive analytic, predictive analytic, and prescriptive analytic approaches. Students will have opportunities to apply these skills and knowledge to real-world business questions, comparing and selecting relevant analytic strategies, and formulating meaningful insights and solutions for supporting decision-making.
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| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: No |
| Supplementary Assessment: |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | |  | | | | | Advanced | | | | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Explain how data analytics can create a competitive advantage for businesses in the digital economy. |
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| K2. | Explain the practical application of various forms of data in a business setting. |
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| K3. | Apply relevant business analytics approaches to produce actionable outcomes. |
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| K4. | Generate alternate solutions to bolster data-informed strategic decisions. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Investigate business data using multiple analytic tools and experimental methods. |
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| S2. | Prepare descriptive or reporting analytics by using visualization techniques. |
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| S3. | Communicate and present findings of a business analysis using suitable visualisation methods. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Propose a solution to an identified business problem using business analytic tools and techniques to provide insights and aid decision-making. |
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| A2. | Communicate business decision-making strategies and solutions for a given scenario to a range of stakeholders. |
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| Unit Content: |
Topics may include:
1. Overview of business analytics and decision support.
2.
Foundations and technologies for decision making.
3. Modern business analysis and AI.
4. Visual analytics for business and decision making
5. Descriptive analytic approaches.
6. Predictive analytic approaches.
7. Text analytics and sentiment analysis
8. Social network, AI, IoT and decision making.
9. Emerging trends in business analytics and decision making. |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | Learning outcomes
(KSA) | Assessment task
(AT#) | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students will demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate, inter-act and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display skills in-person and/or online in: • Using effective verbal and non-verbal communication • Listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Showing empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | S3 | AT2 | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students will demonstrate the ability to apply professional skills and behaviours in leading others. Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating a collegial environment • Showing self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect • Inspiring and convincing others • Making informed decisions • Displaying initiative | K3,K4 | AT1, AT3 | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically • Evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Considering alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving. | K1, K2 | AT3 | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students will demonstrate the ability to work fluently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Finding, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information • Collating, managing, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Contributing actively to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and benefiting from digital learning opportunities. | S1, S2, S3 | AT2 | FEDTASK 5
Sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students will demonstrate the ability to consider and assess the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in global economic environmental and societal contexts • Committing to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Evaluating ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Embracing lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life. | Not applicable | Not applicable |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, S1, S2, A1 | Work individually or in groups to analyse business problems based on real-world business scenarios, design alternative solutions and evaluate the relevant theories and techniques to support business decision-making. | Assignment(s) | 30%- 40% | | 2. | K4, S3, A1, A2 | Design and develop a decision-support solution for an authentic business case. Draw upon relevant theories to justify your approach, choice of business analytics systems and techniques, and decision-making strategy, including alignment with the business problem. Formulate and present strategic recommendations to a stakeholder audience, considering both immediate operational improvements and long-term strategic objectives. Articulate how the proposed recommendations align with broader business transformation goals, and reflect on your learning. | Essay, Presentation and Reflection | 30%- 50% | | 3. | K1, K2, K3,K4, S3, A1 | Examinations/test will cover topics taught in the unit | Examination/test | 20%-30% |
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Professional Standards / Competencies: |
| | Standard / Competency | | 1. | Australian Computer Society - Core Body of Knowledge: 2023 accreditation |
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| Attribute | Assessed | Level | | Core ICT Knowledge | |
Information & Data Science and Engineering
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Nature of data, information and knowledge, meta-data, abstraction and representational quality
| | Yes | Intermediate | | |
Data Science and Engineering, data analytics, mining and visualisation, big data
| | Yes | Intermediate | | Professionalism as it applied in ICT | |
Professional Communication
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Forms and styles of documentation - technical reports and specifications, progress reports
| | Yes | Intermediate |
| | 2. | Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA): Version 8 |
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| Attribute | Assessed | Level | | Development and implementation | | Data and analytics | | | DATS Data science (Levels 2 - 7) Applying mathematics, statistics, data mining and predictive modelling techniques to gain insights, predict behaviours and generate value from data. | | Yes | 2 | | | BINT Business intelligence (Levels 2 - 5) Developing, producing and delivering regular and one-off management information to provide insights and aid decision-making. | | Yes | 2 | | | VISL Data visualisation (Levels 3 - 5) Facilitating understanding of data by displaying concepts, ideas, and facts using graphical representations. | | Yes | 2 |
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