ISOM3230 Fall 2016
ISOM3230: Business Applications Programming [3-0-1:3]
Course goals
This course will provide you with skills and knowledge of business applications programming and
experience in designing and developing business applications.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Explain the relationships among computer, programming and programming language
Apply programming concepts to solve business problems
Describe the logic and flows of given programs
Predict the output of a program
Write programs with common programming practices
Identify and fix logical and runtime errors in programs
Course description
This course is designed to train students to understand programming, in particular business
applications programming. Students will learn why we need to use programming in their professions
and why they build business applications, how business applications influence business workflows,
how programming could be more beneficial and useful in business applications, and so on. Students
will learn basic programming syntax and structure, and how to build basic business applications
using high-level programming languages.
Teaching approach
This is a blended learning course, which applies the basic concepts of flipped‐classroom model. In
this course, students are required to watch video lecture before applying the knowledge and skills
acquired from the video lecture in the lecture and lab. After watching video lecture, students are
required to answer questions in Quizzes, and also participate in discussion forum. This will ensure
students to possess sufficient knowledge and skill for in‐class exercises and lab works. Lecture and
Lab are used for practicing programming skills with questions and exercises. The following is the
study pattern for one week of study.
By James Kwok
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ISOM3230 Fall 2016
In general, the teaching approach of this course is based on the notion of sustained, deep learning
by applying knowledge through programming, hands‐on practices, and individual assignments.
Lecture sessions are also structured to engage the students in learning proactively (pre‐readings,
pre‐class assignments, and pre‐class video lectures), actively (in‐class exercises of programming and
in‐class discussion of business applications) and reflectively (in‐class discussion of personal views
through the answers of in‐class exercises). The individual assignments and the group assignment are
there to deepen student’s learning through knowledge application while at the same time providing
students with opportunities to develop essential workplace skills such as critical thinking, written
and oral communications, team work, and lifelong learning.
Teaching & Learning
Activities
Lecture
Laboratory
Assignment
By James Kwok
Roles in the Course
Explain key concepts to
students using an active
learning approach, video
lecture, forum discussion, inclass exercise, and after-class
discussion of questions.
Apply concepts presented in
video lectures to hands-on
exercises.
It requires students to apply
their understanding in
programming to solve
business problems.
Course Learning Outcomes
addressed
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
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ISOM3230 Fall 2016
Assessment scheme
An inevitable part of this end of any university course is the evaluation, and the grade. Actually, in
any course, the most important evaluation is your self‐evaluation. How many new and useful ideas
and skills did you learn from the course? Has the course changed your views about yourself, work
groups and organizations? If so, your efforts here will have paid off. Your course goals will be
assessed in the following manner, and the percentage of your grade may be broken down as below:
Components
A. Midterm Exam
B. Final Exam
C. Lab Assessment
D. Assignment
E. Online Quiz (1% each)
And
Discussion (1% overall)
TOTAL:
Learning goals assessed
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Percentage of the grade
20%
30%
8%
30%
12%
100%
A. Midterm Exam (20%)
All course materials, assigned readings, lecture notes, exercises, and discussions are subject to the
examination.
B. Final Exam (30%)
The final exam is non-cumulative.
C. Lab Assessment (8%)
Students are required to show our TA their understandings of lab materials through lab
demonstrations. Throughout the semester, each student will perform TWO lab demonstrations (one
will be before midterm exam and the other one will be before final exam) and students need to
inform TAs their available time slots. Then TA will randomly selects a group of students for each lab
demonstration and informs the selected students one day in advance about the details of lab
demonstration. The duration of lab demonstration is 5 minutes per student. The demonstration will
be a face‐to‐face demonstration to be held in FYP room (LSK 4048). Late demonstration will result
in 0 marks.
D. Assignment (30%)
The objectives of this assignment are to analyze business problems and resolve these problems using
VB and VBA. The details of the assignment will be announced later in the course.
Assignment 1 (Individual) - (15%)
Write a program in Visual Basic (VB). The program is required to meet ALL requirements set out in
the assignment. This assignment will be released on Sept 24, 2016 and due on Oct 24, 2016.
By James Kwok
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ISOM3230 Fall 2016
Assignment 2 (Group) - (15%)
Write a program in VBA only. The program is required to meet ALL requirements set out in the
assignment. This assignment will be released on Nov 1, 2016 and due on Nov 29, 2016.
E. Online Quiz and Discussion (12%)
Every week, students are required to watch a set of videos about the topics to be covered by lecture.
After watching video lecture, there are some follow‐up questions for students to answer. The
primary purpose of online quiz is to enable students to verify what they learned from video lecture.
As long as a student can get ALL correct answers within three attempts, they will receive 1 point for
that week. The deadline of quiz is 5:00 p.m. of the day before next lecture. There will be NO markup
online quizzes.
[If a student would like to have additional attempts, the student may send a request to James Kwok
or Michael Cheung or Sam Ng with the reasons and/or supporting documents before the quiz
deadline. It is likely that we will grant a permission for the student to do the questions if an
acceptable reason is provided.]
There is a discussion forum exclusively for this course. Students may discussion problems regarding
the course materials, problems and solutions there. The course instructor will participate in the
discussion to provide directions for discussion and/or addition information for students to discuss.
Students are required to participate in the discussion in order to score the discussion point, which is
1 point overall.
Grade appeal
All scores will be uploaded to Canvas when ready. It is the student's responsibility to check their
scores and make sure they are correct. Any appeal to score has to be filed through email to
[email protected] and [email protected] and [email protected]. No appeal to a particular score shall be
allowed 72 hours after its score release day.
[For example, if a student contributed in discussion forum but we did not give any discussion mark to
the student due to our human mistakes or any other reasons. It is always the student’s responsibility
to appeal during the 72-hour appeal period for possible corrections to the student’s score. I am afraid
we will not change/correct his/her discussion mark after the appeal period.]
Make-up policy
There will be no make-up exams except due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control
such as medical emergencies. If there is a conflict in exam schedule with another course, you should
resolve it before the add-drop period (e.g., consider taking a different course during add/drop
period). In case of absence due to medical emergencies, you have to submit appropriate
documentation issued by a registered medical practitioner in order to be considered for a make-up
exam.
By James Kwok
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ISOM3230 Fall 2016
Student learning resources
Reference Books
The following reference books will be used throughout the course and are available at the University
library.
Halvorson, Michael (2013), Microsoft Visual Basic 2013 Step by Step, Microsoft Press.
(The link is http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0790145351883.do)
Walkenbach, John (2013), Excel 2013 power programming with VBA, John Wiley & Sons.
(The link is http://ustlib.ust.hk/record=b1245633)
In addition, we will use assorted readings posted on Canvas.
Course Website
Updates of the course contents and other information will be posted on the course website http://canvas.ust.hk/. You are advised to check this site regularly throughout this course.
Course schedule
The course is offered in lecture session and laboratory session.
L1
Wed 15:00-16:30;
Friday 15:00-16:30
RM5620
L2
Wed 13:30-15:00;
Friday 13:30-15:00
RM5620
LA1
Thursday 16:30-17:30
LSK G021
LA2
Wednesday 16:30-17:30
LSK G021
LA3
Thursday 12:00-13:00
LSK G021
LA4
Thursday 13:30-14:30
LSK G021
Tentative Course Schedule. Please visit Canvas for updated schedule, readings, and assignments.
Schedule of Lecture (Tentative)
Wk.
Date
1
2
2/9
7/9
9/9
3
14/9
16/9
21/9
4
By James Kwok
Video
Lecture
Topics
Readings
Introduction
Introduction to Programming
Visual Basic: Data
[Video]
Visual Basic: Input/Output
Holiday
Visual Basic: Input/Output
*Ch. 2,
11 -12,
14
Assignment
Due/Remark
Video for
Visual Basic:
Data
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ISOM3230 Fall 2016
23/9
5
6
7
8
28/9
30/9
5/10
7/10
12/10
14/10
19/10
21/10
[Video]
[Video]
[Video]
[Video]
9
22/10
26/10
28/10
2/11
[Video]
10
4/11
9/11
11/11
16/11
18/11
23/11
[Video]
11
12
13
[Video]
[Video]
Visual Basic: Conditional Statements
Asg. 1 Release
(24/9)
Visual Basic: Conditional Statements
Visual Basic: Looping
Visual Basic: Looping
Visual Basic: Arrays
Visual Basic: Arrays
Visual Basic: Methods
Visual Basic: Methods
Revision
Asg. 1 Due
(24/10)
Mid-term Exam (LTA 10:00-12:00)
VBA: Class and Objects
+ VBA Basics
Excel Objects
Excel Objects
Range Objects
Range Objects
BA1: Data Manipulation and Validation
BA1: Data Manipulation and Validation
BA2 - Implementing Formula
BA2 - Implementing Formula
#Ch. 5 –
9
Asg. 2 Release
(2/11)
* Microsoft Visual Basic 2013 Step by Step
# Excel 2013 power programming with VBA
Schedule of Laboratory (Tentative)
Wk.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Date
No.
8/9
15/9
22/9
29/9
6/10
13/10
20/10
LA1
LA2
LA 3
LA 4
LA 5
LA 6
LA 7
Video Lab
[Video]
[Video]
9
10
11
12
13
27/10
3/11
10/11
17/11
24/11
LA 8
LA 9
LA 10
LA 11
LA 12
Topics
Introduction to Visual Basic 2013
Introduction to Visual Basic 2013
VB: Data
VB: Input/Output
VB: Conditional Statements
VB: Looping
VB: Array
VB: Methods
Introduction to VBA and Macro Recording
VBA: Basics
VBA: Excel Objects: Workbooks and Worksheets
VBA: Range Objects: Cells Manipulation
VBA: Simple Monthly Expenses
VBA: Formula
Teaching staff contact details
Prof. Kwok’s office is in LSK 4080, 4th floor. You are more than welcome to drop by any time with
any of your questions. For any urgent matters, you may contact Prof. Kwok by phone (2358‐7652),
By James Kwok
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ISOM3230 Fall 2016
but the best way is email. Prof. Kwok will check email frequently. Teaching Assistants (TA) for this
course are Michael Cheung ([email protected]) and Sam Ng ([email protected]), they will be
available for any questions regarding subject materials. They are also responsible for grading and
other administrative formalities.
Academic honesty
Academic integrity is a critical value of the university community. Integrity violations destroy the
fabric of a learning community and the spirit of inquiry that is vital to the effectiveness of the
University. Prof. Kwok has absolutely no tolerance for cheating and there are no acceptable excuses.
Anyone caught cheating, plagiarizing, and any other form of academic dishonesty will have their
course grade lowered by at least one letter grade. In addition, Prof. Kwok is bound to report any
unethical behavior or evidence of dishonesty in this course to the University. Please remember the
current university rule: "If a student is discovered cheating however minor the offence, the course
grade will appear on the student's record with an X, to show that the grade resulted from cheating.
This X grade stays on the record until graduation. If the student cheats again and "earns" another X
grade, the student will be dismissed from the University." Plagiarism is copying anything (text or
ideas) from another source without citing that source. If you use another person's idea you must cite
it, even if you rewrite the idea in your own words. Extreme care must be taken to avoid passing of
other's work as one's own. You are required to provide appropriate citations when you use ideas and
arguments or otherwise draw on others' work. If you use research from another source or from the
Web you MUST cite the source. This is true even if you use only the general idea and not the exact
words.
Learning environment
Prof. Kwok welcomes feedbacks on his teaching throughout the semester. You are encouraged to
contact Prof. Kwok or Michael or Sam Ng any time you have any questions, suggestions, concerns, or
would like to ask for advice. After the student groups are formed, Prof. Kwok will ask for one
volunteer from each group (optional) to serve on the student feedback committee. The purpose of
this committee is to act as a feedback channel for Prof. Kwok to improve his teaching and enhance
your learning experience. Prof. Kwok will meet with this committee to gather your feedback
periodically. It would be a good opportunity if you wish to take a more active role in class
management rather than waiting to submit your comments after the course is over.
By James Kwok
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