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Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - LIS6700
Tracking Number - 4832

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Current Status: Approved by SCNS - 2014-11-01
Campus: Tampa
Submission Type: New
Course Change Information (for course changes only):
Comments: received post 3/3/14; To Chair; Appd 5/19/14. to USF sys 5/20/14; to SCNS 5/28/14. Appd eff 11/1/14

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Detail Information

1. Date & Time Submitted: 2013-10-15
   
2. Department: Library and Information Science
   
3. College: AS
   
4. Budget Account Number: 124800
   
5. Contact Person: Randy Borum
   
6. Phone: 43520
   
7. Email: borum@usf.edu
   
8. Prefix: LIS
   
9. Number: 6700
   
10. Full Title: Information Strategy and Decision-Making
    
11. Credit Hours: 3
    
12. Section Type: C - Class Lecture (Primarily)
    
13. Is the course title variable?: N
    
14. Is a permit required for registration?: N
    
15. Are the credit hours variable?: N
    
16. Is this course repeatable?: N
    
17. If repeatable, how many times?: 0
    
18. Abbreviated Title (30 characters maximum): Info Strategy/Decision-Making
    
19. Course Online?: O - Online (100% online)
    
20. Percentage Online: 0
    
21. Grading Option: -
    
22. Prerequisites: No course pre-reqs
    
23. Corequisites: No course co-reqs
    
24. Course Description: This course builds on the idea that understanding strategy is a foundation for making information meaningful. Student will learn strategic concepts, tools, and tradecraft and how to apply them to improve decision making.
    

25. Please briefly explain why it is necessary and/or desirable to add this course: Needed for new program/concentration/certificate
    
26. What is the need or demand for this course? (Indicate if this course is part of a required sequence in the major.) What other programs would this course service? This course is a necessary foundation for the study of strategy and intelligence studies.
    
27. Has this course been offered as Selected Topics/Experimental Topics course? If yes, how many times? Yes, 1 time
    
28. What qualifications for training and/or experience are necessary to teach this course? (List minimum qualifications for the instructor.) Expertise in strategic theory and decision making.
    
29. Objectives: Using techniques of discovery learning and engaging, interactive web-based technology throughout, the course begins by introducing information and strategic theory and the relationships between them. Then, the course examines the human dimensions of analytic and strategic thought. We explore the complexity of human judgment and cognition and their roles in analyzing information. We examine analytic methodology as a form of problem-solving – a process of matching “data” and approaches to specific questions. We use the scientific method as an analogue for critical analysis, exploring how to generate and evaluate hypotheses in every day life, how to understand the relative merits and limitations of qualitative and quantitative research methods, and how to apply statistical reasoning and inference to forecast outcomes. Finally, we review a range of assessment methods and tools for structuring problems and evaluating courses of action.
    
30. Learning Outcomes: • Define and deconstruct a problem or policy question

    • Apply strategic theory and analyze strategic objectives

    • Engage in rigorous, creative problem-solving and systematic decision-making;

    • Generate, analyze and present information concerning possible answers or courses of action

    • Understand limitations and cognitive bases in human judgement and decision making

    • Link options and alternatives to an organization’s mission and goals

    • Consider hypotheses and analytic results from different cultural perspectives
    

31. Major Topics: Understanding Analysis

    Strategic Theory

    Strategy & Strategists Throughout History

    Foundations of Human Cognition & Decision Making

    Cognitive Heuristics & Biases

    Self-Awareness

    Elements of Thought & Thinking Styles

    - Fox-Hedgehog

    Estimating Probability and Risk

    Systems Theory & Complexity

    Practical Theory Building

    Using the Scientific Method for Problem Analysis

    Problem Solving

    Structuring Analytic Judgments

    Strategic Assessment Tools
    

32. Textbooks: Pherson, K. & Pherson, R. (2012). Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage/CQ Press
    
33. Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases: Moore, D. (2007). Critical Thinking and Intelligence Analysis. Washington, DC: National Defense Intelligence College.

    - What Is Critical Thinking? Pp. 8-18

    - How Can Intelligence Analysts Employ Critical Thinking? Pp. 48-60.

    Thinking that we know – Kahneman (46:52)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di6kl4ViWgk

    Excerpt from: Gray, C. (March, 2006). Irregular Enemies And The Essence Of Strategy: Can The American Way Of War Adapt? Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College.

    Haugstad, B. (1999). Strategy Theory: A Short Review of the Literature. Oslo, Norway: SINTEF Technology.

    Smith, M.L.R. (April 28, 2011). Strategic theory: What It Is…And Just as Importantly, What It Isn’t. e-International Relations, Available at: http://www.e-ir.info/2011/04/28/strategic-theory-what-it-is…and-just-as-importantly-what-it-isn’t/

    Michael Porter- On Five Forces Model- (13:12) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FzYhdS4pqM&feature=related

    Competitive Strategy in 3 Minutes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl5cyZlay4k&feature=related

    Handel, M. (1991). Sun Tzu And Clausewitz: The Art Of War And On War Compared. Carlisle, Pa: Strategic Studies Institute.

    Nation, C. (2006). Chap. 13 - Thucydides And Contemporary Strategy. In J. Bartholomees (Ed.) U.S. Army War College Guide To National Security Policy And Strategy (2 Ed.). (pp. 175-188) Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute.

    The Art of War – Documentary (History Channel)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5jLYgc4nBs

    http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/art-war/

    Davis, P., Kulick, J., & Egner, M. (2005). Implications of Modern Decision Science for Military Decision-Support Systems. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.

    The Human Brain: How We Decide (2:34)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2iJF2I94pg

    Cognitive Biases: What They Are, Why They're Important

    The Critical Thinker (13:19)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTJLchCHsrc

    Fernandez, E. A Visual Study Guide to Cognitive Bias. Royal Society of Account Planning. Available at: RoyalSocietyofAccountPlanning.blogspot.com.

    We're All Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely

    (20 min- ForaTv)

    http://youtu.be/JhjUJTw2i1M

    Which are deadlier: sharks or horses? (2:09)

    http://youtu.be/2_wkv1Gx2vM

    Exercise in Self-Awareness (MBTI, Thinking Styles, Fox-Hedgehog)

    Fox and Hedgehog

    http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9SNSNY3

    Decision Making Inventories: http://www.sjdm.org/dmidi/

    Risk Literacy

    http://riskliteracy.org/dnn/

    Paul, R & Elder, L. (2009). The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools. The Foundation for Critical Thinking.

    Edward de Bono - discusses the Six Thinking Hats (2:55)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3ew6h5nHcc&feature=share&list=PLB77847B2F386B5D3

    Six Thinking Hats Overview (3:00)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjVxSk1MqO4&feature=share&list=PLB77847B2F386B5D3

    Why Foxes are Better Forecasters than Hedgehogs. Fora.Tv

    http://fora.tv/2007/01/26/Why_Foxes_Are_Better_Forecasters_Than_Hedgehogs

    Bloom's Taxonomy according to Andy Griffith

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrLWxa-cKKc

    Hilson, D. & Hulett, D. (2004). Assessing Risk Probability : Alternative Approaches. 2004 PMI Global Congress Proceedings – Prague, Czech Republic.

    Peters, E. (2008). Numeracy and the Perception and Communication of Risk, Annals of the NY Academy of Sciences, 1128, 1-7.

    Dan Gilbert: Why we make bad decisions (TED) (34:10)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-4flnuxNV4

    The Monty Hall Problem

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhlc7peGlGg

    Bayes Formula:

    http://youtu.be/pPTLK5hFGnQ

    If You Can Calculate Risk You Can Make Better Judgments

    David Spiegelhalter

    http://www.dolectures.com/lectures/if-you-can-calculate-risk-you-can-make-better-judgments/

    Levy, D. (1994). Chaos Theory and Strategy: Theory, Application, and Managerial Implications, Strategic Management Journal, 15, 167-178.

    Mason, W. Complexity Theory. In Encyclopedia of Business (2d Ed.) Available at: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Bun-Comp/Complexity-Theory.html#b

    Eric Berlow: Simplifying complexity (TED 5:43)

    http://youtu.be/UB2iYzKeej8

    Chaos Theory (4:49)

    http://youtu.be/JnlkKdDXk-I

    Complex Systems :An overview (4:00)

    http://youtu.be/eO9uiMk19As

    Christensen, Clayton, Carlile, Paul, and Sundahl, David (2003). The Process of Theory Building. Working Paper: Harvard Business School.

    Hoover, K. & Donovan, T. (2011). Thinking Scientifically (Ch. 1). In The Elements of Social Scientific Thinking (10th Ed.). Belmost, CA: Wadsworth.

    The Scientific Method Made Easy (10:00)

    http://youtu.be/zcavPAFiG14

    Lady Tasting Tea - Inferential Statistics and Experimental Design

    http://youtu.be/lgs7d5saFFc

    Corner, J., Buchanan, J., & Henig, M. (2001). Dynamic decision problem structuring. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, 10, 129-141.

    Pretz, J., Naples, A., & Sternberg, R. (2003). Recognizing, defining, and representing problems. In J. Davidson & R. Sternberg (Eds.). The Psychology of Problem Solving (pp. 3-20) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Problem Solving Ideas That Work

    http://youtu.be/t2ZlEk5oHzo

    Solving Problems using Mind Maps

    http://youtu.be/FT9n2xKDzqY

    Jones, M. (1996). Better Decisions Through Structured Analysis: Overcoming the Subjective Tendencies of the Human Mind. In E. Hoffman & W. Lawbaugh (Eds.) Issues in NASA Program and Project Management (pp.7-10) Washington, DC: NASA.

    US Government (March, 2009). A Tradecraft Primer: Structured Analytic Techniques for Improving Intelligence Analysis

    Making A Checklist, And Checking It (6:59)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjhG17YbFGI

    Cadle, J, Paul, D., & Turner, P. (2010). Business Analysis Techniques: 72 Essential Tools for Success. Swindon, UK: British Informatics Society Limited.

    Downey, J. (October, 2007). Strategic Analysis Tools, Topic Gateway Series No. 34. London: The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

    Chermack TJ, Lynham SA, Ruona WEA. (2001). A review of scenario planning literature. Futures Research Quarterly 7–31.

    Quants: The Alchemists of Wall Street

    http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/quants-alchemists-wall-street/
    

34. Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: Grading Scale: The following grading scale will be applied:

    90% - 100% is an A

    80% - 89% is a B

    70% - 79% is a C

    60% - 69% is a D

    less than 60% is an F.

    Your performance in this class (and consequently, your grade) will be judged and weighted on the following basis:

    Presentation and Reading Quizzes: 65%

    Final Exam: 25%

    Final Project: 10%
    

35. Assignments, Exams and Tests: Quizzes will be given every two weeks covering material from the readings, presentations and multimedia material during that two-week period.

    A final project consists of an analytic memo and an electronic briefing.

    The final exam is cumulative.
    

36. Attendance Policy: Course Attendance at First Class Meeting – Policy for Graduate Students: For structured courses, 6000 and above, the College/Campus Dean will set the first-day class attendance requirement. Check with the College for specific information. This policy is not applicable to courses in the following categories: Educational Outreach, Open University (TV), FEEDS Program, Community Experiential Learning (CEL), Cooperative Education Training, and courses that do not have regularly scheduled meeting days/times (such as, directed reading/research or study, individual research, thesis, dissertation, internship, practica, etc.). Students are responsible for dropping undesired courses in these categories by the 5th day of classes to avoid fee liability and academic penalty. (See USF Regulation – Registration - 4.0101,

    http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/ogc%20web/currentreg.htm)

    Attendance Policy for the Observance of Religious Days by Students: In accordance with Sections 1006.53 and 1001.74(10)(g) Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6C-6.0115, the University of South Florida (University/USF) has established the following policy regarding religious observances: (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/gc_pp/acadaf/gc10-045.htm)

    In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.
    

37. Policy on Make-up Work: Policy on Make-up Work

    As a general policy, there are no make-ups for quizzes, projects or the final exam. If a student wishes to submit an assignment late, the instructor may accept it at his/her discretion and assess a suitable grade penalty.

    System Emergencies

    In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor the Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.

    Scheduled Absences

    Students are expected to notify their instructors at the beginning of each academic term if they intend to be absent for a class or announced examination for religious reasons. They will be given reasonable opportunities to make up any work missed. For further information, please refer to: http://generalcounsel.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-10-045.pdf

    Academic Dishonesty

    The University of South Florida has in place specific policies and procedures regarding academic dishonesty or disruption of academic process (also see below for more detail). Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: copying or relying on another’s work and using it as your own; representing work you previously prepared for another class as work that was prepared for this class; and using any material during a quiz exam that has not been approved by the professor.

    Academic dishonesty will result in a grade of “FF” and, possible dismissal from the program. An “FF” received as a result of academic dishonesty puts you on Academic Warning for the remainder of your time at USF. A class in which you receive an “FF” as a result of academic dishonesty is not repeatable. All papers, research, and examinations will be monitored carefully and students found cheating will be punished to the fullest extent allowed by the University and the Department.

    In an effort to ensure compliance, plagiarism tracking software (SafeAssign) may be employed in this course. The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarism detection service which allows instructors to submit student assignments to be checked for plagiarism. Your assignments may be submitted to this detection system, in which they are compared to a large database of journal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers. Because all papers will be submitted to SafeAssign, you should know your rights:

    You may be required to submit your paper to a plagiarism detection site that will be identified by your instructor. In order to comply with federal (FERPA) and state privacy laws, you (students) are not required to include personal identifying information such as your name, SSN, and/or U# in the body of the work (text) or use such information in the file naming convention prior to submitting. Please follow carefully your instructor’s instructions regarding what identifying information to include. Your submission will be placed in the course grade center in your account that can be accessed by the instructor and attributed to you.

    If you have any questions, please refer to USF’s Procedures for Alleged Academic Dishonesty or Disruption – http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0809/adap.htm and Student Academic Grievance Procedures – http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0809/arcsagp.htm
    

38. Program This Course Supports: M.S. in Information Studies with a focus on Strategy & Information Analytics
    
39. Course Concurrence Information: M.S. in Cybersecurity - Concentration in Cyber Intelligence
    

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- if you have questions about any of these fields, please contact chinescobb@grad.usf.edu or joe@grad.usf.edu.