Overview
ADMN 368: Introduction to Data Analytics Technology is a three-credit, senior-level course at Athabasca University.
This course is designed to teach students how to use Microsoft data analytics tools that can be used to inform a wide variety of financial decisions in business. Following a review of PivotTables, you will learn how to use software named Power Query, Power Pivot, and Power BI Desktop. Next, you will understand how to extract financial data from a variety of sources, transform this data into usable information, analyze the information, and present it clearly and concisely using tables and charts.
Outline
ADMN 368 comprises eight lessons that correspond to eight textbook chapters:
- Lesson 1: PivotTables and PivotCharts
- Lesson 2: Power Query Basics
- Lesson 3: Extracting Data and More Transformations
- Lesson 4: Dates, Unpivoting, and Error Detection
- Lesson 5: Appending Data
- Lesson 6: Merging Data
- Lesson 7: Data Modelling
- Lesson 8: Data Visualization
Learning outcomes
After completing this course, students should be able to:
- Understand the cyclical steps used to gather business intelligence.
- Create PivotTables from structured data.
- Extract data from a variety of file formats.
- Create “queries” that transform data into the desired output form.
- Join data in separate tables to create a single output.
- Use a data model to combine data.
- Create tables and charts using data visualization software.
Evaluation
Your final grade in ADMN 368 is determined by a weighted average of the grades you receive on eight computer-based assignments.
To receive credit for this course, you must achieve an overall course grade of at least D (50 percent). In addition, you must
- achieve a grade of at least 50 percent on each assignment.
The following table summarizes the weights that will be applied to each assignment and examination in determining your final grade.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1 | 10% |
| Assignment 2 | 10% |
| Assignment 3 | 10% |
| Assignment 4 | 10% |
| Assignment 5 | 10% |
| Assignment 6 | 10% |
| Assignment 7 | 20% |
| Assignment 8 | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.
This course uses an OER (Open Educational Resource) written by Dr. David Annand
Other Materials
The course also includes many example files in MS-Excel, MS-Word, and other formats.
Minimum Computer Requirements
This course was designed using the Microsoft 365® versions of Excel® and Power BI Desktop®. Athabasca University supplies this software to students without extra charge.
Note that Power BI does not run on Macintosh operating systems. You need to purchase Windows emulation software to run Power BI on Macintosh computers.
For this course, the following minimum computer capabilities are recommended:
- Windows 10.x operating system
- 1 GB of memory
- 2.0 GHz processor speed
- Two desktop monitors: one to view the instructional material and the other to work with the software (e.g., Excel and Power BI).
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the ADMN 368 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the Challenge Assignment.
Challenge for credit course registration form