Course Syllabus

The goal of the course is for students to develop awareness of what prevents rational, data-driven decisions and the attainment of collective objectives. Students are further taught how to overcome such hurdles. The course teaches theories and abstract concepts and illustrates them in practical labs and experiments. Throughout this course, the student is assigned to a team, and the performance of the team and its members is monitored by each student by means of a self-reflective protocol. Students’ practical implementation of the theories is assessed, and feedback is provided in weekly team seminars.

The course follows a weekly rhythm over 10 weeks. For each week, there is a theme and related reading material accompanied by a pre-recorded video by the instructors. At the beginning of the week, the student studies the reading material and video before joining a Q&A-session on the theme. For the team, there is an assignment to prepare during the week for dissemination in a seminar at the end of the week. In the middle of the course, a written exam assesses the student's knowledge about a set of core concepts. The course ends with a team-specific seminar where the team and the team members critically evaluate the team's and the members' performance during the course.

Previous years' course evaluations indicate that the course is reasonably in workload, strongly promotes critical thinking, and deeply impacts the student's view on decision-making, firstmost with regard to collecting, manipulating, and analyzing data but also more broadly on business decisions and preferred decision style.

Course sessions take place on Campus Borlänge, but a hybrid option may be offered during Christmas and New Year's Eve. The course is intended primarily for students taking the Master’s Programme in Business Intelligence or Data Science. Before the first session that kicks-off the course, each student should have read the course handbook.