SLP Assignment Expectations
Each Module, your SLP assignment will consist of filling out a report on your “adventures in software,” summarizing what you looked at and offering to the degree possible some critical evaluation of it; you’ll also be invited to reflect on your cumulative software experiences. As noted, you will be expected to review at least three but probably no more than five demos per module. In addition, each Module calls for a short summary review of the state of your learning about software up to that point. Use this example to model your response.
Here is an example (much too brief, but it will give you the general idea):
| Program | Brief description of the program and what it claims to do | Specific business needs being addressed by program and value delivered by it | Reasons you decided to check it out | Your overall evaluation of it, to the degree that you can judge; is it something you’d use? Why? (Please comment also on the effectiveness of the demo itself) |
| ProClarity 6 | Explore and gain a better understanding of your data with powerful analytic capabilities and unique data visualizations. | Numbers can be hard to interpret; visuals can summarize information and present decision opportunities more clearly, if well done. | I’m a believer in graphical displays and strong visuals, and I wanted to see what it offered along those lines | Very effective demo using flash graphics—a good feel for what the displays look like and how one might manipulate them. Actual utility of the information generated is not wholly clear; many claims about utility, but would need actual data related to my own decisions to assess further. I’d let someone else buy it first and see how it worked for them. |
| Cumulative learning | We’re just getting started, but it looks like an interesting way to get a feel for the kinds of tools out there. |
If you have any questions about how this works, check with your instructor.
For Module 1:
Go to the free demos: http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/download/byproduct.jsp
Select “Business Intelligence” and choose three of the demos for review. Make sure you include summary statements and comments in “Cumulative learning.” (For Module 2, you will select the other two and include concluding remarks in “Cumulative learning.”)
Your assignment will be evaluated based on the Rubric.
