Instructor's Note: Introduction to Decision Analysis

This instructor's note supports the teaching pack on Introduction to Decision Analysis in the context of public health. After differentiating simple "relatively automatic" decisions from those that might require more systematic analysis, students are introduced to the core elements of a decision analysis (e.g., objectives, alternatives, probabilities, and outcomes), and the basic steps of a decision analysis. In addition to the instructor's note, materials include videos, companion slides, a glossary, an annotated bibliography, and sample exercises.

Learning Objectives

1. Define decision analysis and describe the characteristics of decision problems that benefit from decision science methods.
2. Describe the basic steps of a decision analysis (e.g., structure and bound the problem, build and parameterize a model, conduct the base case analysis, conduct uncertainty analysis).
3. Identify the core elements of a decision analysis (e.g., objectives, alternatives, probabilities, and outcomes).

Teaching Pack Materials

• Instructor's Note: Introduction to Decision Analysis
• Videos, Part 1: Introduction to Decision Analysis (3 videos)
• Videos, Part 2: Introduction to Decision Analysis (2 videos)
• Companion Slides to Videos, Part 1: Introduction to Decision Analysis
• Companion Slides to Videos, Part 2: Introduction to Decision Analysis
• Glossary: Introduction to Decision Analysis
• Bibliography: Introduction to Decision Analysis
• Sample Exercises: Introduction to Decision Analysis

This teaching pack was developed by Sue J. Goldie at the Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The multimedia components were developed as part of a series of pilots in the CHDS Media Hub, led by Jake Waxman, where media-based pedagogy experiments contribute to new ways of thinking about short form content.