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version ] Quick Facts: Credits: 3 Prerequisites: An introductory course in statistics and familiarity with spreadsheets. Lectures: Course material is distributed via the web and in class in regular intervals for self-study Discussions: Frequent on-line chat, bulletin board discussions, and class are planned to discuss course material. These discussions promote student-student and student-instruction interactions. Hardware and Software: Students must have Internet connectivity, a multimedia capable computer and appropriate software for the course. Refer to the course's Required Software and Hardware. Interaction: Participation, contribution and interaction during the course are strongly encouraged. I have designed the course to encourage interactivity so that you may achieve your educational goals. When you finish this course, I want you to have mastered the content, met others in the course, and enjoyed your learning experience. Course Description: The focus of this course is on quantitative decision-making tools with applicability to common problems and issues confronting managers and executives in the agribusiness industry. Tools such as queuing theory, decision analysis, and forecasting, as well as detailed study of linear programming are included in the course material. Emphasis in the course is placed on problem identification and interpretation of solutions. Case studies, numerical examples, and economic application are used throughout the course to illustrate the theory. Course Objectives: Specific course objectives include:
Course Requirements: There is a required text for the courses (see below). Assigned readings will be posted on the web as part of the class module to which they pertain. In addition to assigned readings, students will be asked to expand their knowledge of quantitative methods by seeking outside articles, cases and examples. Students will then be asked to share insights with their classmates and instructors. Throughout the course, cited materials are linked to websites that contain additional information about the source. Frequently, there will be a one-hour discussion session at a pre-defined time. Students, as well as the course instructor will be connected through WebCT's chat facility which allows shared access to course material via a live online E-mail format. These discussion sessions will be used to discuss questions posed by the instructor, to review the units, and for addressing questions regarding readings, exercises, etc. Course Text: The required text for this course is: Contemporary Management Science with Spreadsheets, by David R. Anderson, Dennis J. Sweeney and Thomas A. Williams. Cincinnati: South-Western College Publishing. 1999, ISBN 0-324-05494-7 This book is an excellent resource, as it provides background (both text and illustrations) for the material that we are covering. It also specifies, in detail, how to use MSExcel for problem solving. In addition, the book has numerous problems, self-test exercises, and case studies. Solutions to even numbered problems and self-test problems are included in the text. The text can be purchased from amazon.com for $81.95 and barnesandnoble.com for $80.00 for a new book and $60.00 for a used book. I would encourage you not to wait until the last minute to order your book as there may be delays in obtaining it from the publisher or in shipping. Course Format: This course is part of the Master of Agribusiness program at the University of Florida. One medium for communication between course staff and students will be through WebCT, an integrated Web-based classroom management tool. Thus, in order to make the learning as pleasant and effective as possible, my mode of teaching for this course may vary from that used in a standard classroom setting. As a prerequisite, I expect every student to have Internet access as well as a multimedia capable computer. Specifically, I recommend that students use the University of Florida computer and software requirements to make sure that their computers are "AEB 5516 capable." One key point of contact will be the class Web site located at http://webct.nerdc.ufl.edu:8910/public/AEB5516/index.html. I will make available many of the class-related materials for downloading and viewing at this site. Access to this class site is restricted to registered students in the class. I have broken the course material into modules, which are divided into smaller units. The modules and their units are available in various forms such as standard web pages, PowerPoint presentations and interactive learning exercises (i.e. games, self-tests, etc.) All course material and PUBLIC communications between staff and students will be archived. Course Organization: The units in each module are organized in a similar fashion. For each module there will be a reading assignment from the text, web-based material to work through, and a variety of activities including: (a) self-tests (graded and ungraded), (b) bulletin board discussion sessions, (c) chat room discussions, (d) interactive exercises (such as a self-test) to enhance your ability to utilize quantitative methods for decisions, and (3) exploration of links to additional resources for additional explanation of the topics covered in a given module. Reading Assignments: Reading assignments associated with each unit are posted on WebCT. You are expected to read the assignment BEFORE the beginning of the unit. Upon the completion of the unit, you are expected to complete all the exercises in the homework assignment and submit them for evaluation. You will find similar exercises and corresponding explanations in your text. Bulletin Board Discussions and Chat Sessions: In order to develop a learning community, each student will be required to make bulletin board postings throughout the course. These postings are intended to generate student-student interactions and student-instructor interaction. In addition, they will demonstrate that you are able to apply the concepts being taught to a problem and to critique postings of your classmates. The self-tests and internet exercises will often tie into the bulletin board postings. These postings will be graded, with part of the grade being whether or not you posted your assignments, and the rest being on the quality of the posting. Quality is difficult to measure. However, I will evaluate the quality of your postings on relevance, appropriate use of text material, and whether the postings make use of specific concepts presented in the course. I expect you to show that you understand the concepts being presented. I also expect you to practice proper "Netiquette" in your postings. If you are not familiar with this concept, please read these Core Rules. Generally speaking, the assigned bulletin board posting assignments for each unit must be posted on the class web bulletin board by Friday noon of each week. This will allow time for classmates to respond to bulletin board postings before the start of the next unit. Homework Assignments, Major Evaluations (Exams): Homework assignments and major evaluations are available for download at the appropriate times. Completed work must be submitted to the instructor on or before the due date (usually Friday noon). The week before the major evaluations will be reserved for review. During this time students will be given the opportunity to seek clarification on possible test material. The instructor will correct your homework assignments and major evaluations and contact each student individually about your work and grade received. Students can check their progress in the course by viewing their grade records on-line. Evaluation Procedure (Grading): Students in the course will accrue points. A total of 800 points are possible. Possible points for the course are:
Upon completion of all the assigned work students will have accumulated points. Students will receive a grade for the course according to the table below.
Students with Disabilities:
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