18067 - Data processing (A-L)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the essential IT and information tools required for online research and for the selection and processing of bibliographic, documentary, statistical, financial and market data within economic, business and professional working groups operating in companies, financial support organisations, public administrations and the professions. In particular, students will be able to: - search the Internet for bibliographies, documentation and data, and select, locate and retrieve them, - process this information for the drafting of professional documents shared by the working group, - set up simple accounting templates in a spreadsheet, - calculate indicators and represent them graphically, carry out simple simulations of alternatives and present the results and resulting strategies to a meeting, - evaluate the various options for the automation of the organisation for which they work.

Course contents

Course presentation, introduction

1 – History of Computing

• Historical overview of the evolution of computing, from its origins to the present day.

2 – Fundamentals of Computer Science

• Types of computers, internal architecture of a computer, microprocessor, RAM, USB
• Data representation: binary notation, bits and bytes, SI and digital units of measurement, text encoding, Unicode, representation of audio, image, and video formats
• Input and output devices: the keyboard, other text input devices, pointing devices, other input devices, the screen, the printer
• Secondary storage: storage devices, storage categories, floppy disks, USB flash drives, hard disks and SSDs, CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs
• The operating system: functions, kernel, file/memory/device management, main operating systems, command-line and graphical user interfaces
• Application software: main software categories, office suites: Microsoft Office, Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice; Microsoft Office: main applications, EULA licenses

3 – Word Processing and Shared Professional Documents

• Advanced word processing: styles, automatic tables of contents, cross-references, footnotes, sections, templates, use of formulas in tables, header and footer management, footnotes, page breaks, creating a bibliography, inserting and editing charts
• Real-time collaboration: revisions, comments, version history, track changes
• Mail merge for mass communications
• Shared work tools: shared folders, access permissions

4 – Spreadsheets

• Spreadsheet basics: interface, cells, relative/absolute/mixed references, entering series of values, data types (text, number, date, time), data formatting (general, percentage, currency, accounting), sorting data, filters
• Basic functions (mathematical, logical, text, date/time), manual entry and autocomplete, percentage calculation
• Advanced functions: logical functions (IF, SUMIF, AVERAGEIF, COUNTIF), VLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH, financial functions, nested functions
• Conditional formatting, data validation, sheet/cell protection
• Introduction to Boolean algebra: the AND, OR, NOT functions
• Graphical data representation with basic charts (bar charts, pie charts, line charts), sparkline charts
• Essential principles of data visualization: choosing the right chart type based on the message to be conveyed, common chart mistakes
• Pivot tables and pivot charts for data analysis
• Building simplified financial statements on a spreadsheet
• Calculating financial ratios and indicators (ROE, ROI, liquidity)
• Scenario analysis and simulations: Goal Seek, Data Tables
• Introduction to "lightweight" Business Intelligence (Power Query, Power Pivot) for data cleaning and multi-table models

5 – Presenting and Communicating Results

• Creating a presentation, adding a slide, editing slide layout, formatting slide text, inserting drawing elements, inserting and managing graphic objects
• Presentation themes, using transitions between slides, using animations within a slide
• Delivering a presentation on screen
• Structure of a business presentation: executive summary, information hierarchy, from problem to solution, from strategy to recommendations
• Essential elements of oral communication to an audience: time management, clarity of delivery, anticipating questions

6 – Databases

• Basic characteristics of a database, the relational model, tables, schema and instance, primary/foreign keys, relationships (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many)
• Basic SQL queries: SELECT, WHERE, JOIN, ORDER BY, examples of database use

7 – Computer Networks and the Web

• Computer networks: network architectures (PAN, LAN, MAN, WAN), internetworking, circuit and packet switching, packets, protocols, IP and symbolic addresses, DNS, private connections (fiber and others)
• Email: message delivery, message structure, netiquette, writing effective emails, spam and scams
• The web: basic concepts, HTTP/HTTPS protocol, basic concepts of HTML, URLs, cookies and URL parameters
• Introduction to cloud computing (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)
• Digital citizenship: digital identity, SPID/CIE, digital signature, certified email (PEC), electronic invoicing (Italian/business context)

8 – Searching, Selecting, and Managing Information Online

• Search engines, performing a web search, analyzing results, SERP, SEO, deep web and dark web
• Economic and financial data sources: bibliographic databases (Scopus, Google Scholar), statistical databases (ISTAT, Eurostat, OECD, World Bank, Bank of Italy), financial statement databases (AIDA, Orbis, Cerved)
• Assessing source reliability (fact-checking, bias, disinformation)
• Downloading/exporting data in usable formats (CSV/Excel)
• Copyright, Creative Commons licenses, open data
• Searching for information, documents, publications, and regulations within the University Library System (SBA) databases
• Searching for theses and dissertations, books, articles, laws, and journals

9 – Cybersecurity and Privacy

• Common threats: phishing, malware, ransomware, social engineering
• Best practices: strong passwords, two-factor authentication, updates
• GDPR and corporate data privacy, handling sensitive data in an economic/financial business context
• Backup and business continuity

10 – Artificial Intelligence

• Introduction to artificial intelligence, types of AI (classification, generative, agentic, robotic), generative AI, transformers, attention mechanisms, Large Language Models, hallucinations, RAG
• Main AI players and tools, chatbots, using tools such as Copilot/ChatGPT/Claude for office work, risks of AI use, bias
• Introduction to prompt engineering techniques

Readings/Bibliography

Required reading:

The lecturer’s handouts and slides on the topics covered in class will be uploaded as and when required to the course’s ‘Virtual’ page; this material is sufficient to pass the theoretical part of the course.

Recommended reading:

For the practical part of the course, any book on Windows and Microsoft Office applications (from version 2010 onwards).

Further reading:

• Curtin et al., Informatica di base, 7° edizione, McGraw Hill Education, 2021.

• Snyder et al., Fluency. Conoscere ed usare l'informatica. 7° edizione, Pearson, 2020.

Teaching methods

• Lectures on the theoretical part

• Presentations on the software applications to be learnt

• Practical sessions supervised by the lecturer

• Teaching materials are available on the course’s ‘Virtual’ page.

Assessment methods

The grade consists of a pass/fail certification (idoneità) awarded upon successfully completing an exam, lasting a maximum of 90 minutes, administered as a quiz on the "EsamiOnLine" website.

The exam includes both closed-ended questions on the theoretical content of the course and questions designed to assess practical skills related to the use of spreadsheets, word processing tools, presentation software, and database querying.

Questions are randomly drawn from a question bank, generating a uniquely composed exam for each student.

The exam will be considered passed only if the student achieves a passing grade in both the theoretical and practical sections.

No aids are permitted during the exam.

With regard to assessment, the use of AI is prohibited. Any such use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Given the nature of the course, students are strongly advised to take the exam by the end of their first year of study.

Teaching tools

The lecturer uses slides and his own notes, which will be uploaded to the course page on ‘Virtuale’ as the lectures take place.

Office hours

See the website of Riccardo Billero