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Learner reviews & feedback for Optimization for Decision Making

4.790 reviews

About this course

In this data-driven world, companies are often interested in knowing what is the "best" course of action, given the data. For example, manufacturers need to decide how many units of a product to produce given the estimated demand and raw material availability? Should they make all the products in-house or buy some from a third-party to meet the demand? Prescriptive Analytics is the branch of analytics that can provide answers to these questions. It is used for prescribing data-based decisions. The most important method in the prescriptive analytics toolbox is optimization. This course will introduce students to the basic principles of linear optimization for decision-making. Using practical examples, this course teaches how to convert a problem scenario into a mathematical model that can be solved to get the best business outcome. We will learn to identify decision variables, objective function, and constraints of a problem, and use them to formulate and solve an optimization problem using Excel solver and spreadsheet.

Featured reviews

5.0Reviewed Sep 17, 2021

Very insightful course. Love the detail explaination for solving simple LP problems.

5.0Reviewed Jan 15, 2024

The professor was easy to follow. I learned more from this course than a whole semester of Optimization in my graduate class.

5.0Reviewed May 31, 2021

There are a lot of examples to work through and learn from which I find helps make the material easier to learn.

5.0Reviewed May 15, 2021

Good teaching style with step by step guidance. Thanks for the connecting high school math (that I learned many years ago) to real life context. I look forward to the next course.

4.0Reviewed Apr 16, 2021

It was an interesting refreshed for the most part and went very quickly. Could have used just a little more info on using Excel Solver. Thanks for the class!

5.0Reviewed Jul 16, 2023

I found this course excellent, almost one could say, optimal!

5.0Reviewed Aug 15, 2025

The course is good for learning fundamentals of optimisation using linear programming !

5.0Reviewed May 19, 2023

I love the calmness and the fact the course was detailed and concise as possible. Professor Soumya Sen is a great teacher.

5.0Reviewed Dec 10, 2025

hands on oriented. good balance of theory and practical

All reviews

Showing: 18 of 18

Frederick K. Asare

5.0

Reviewed Feb 19, 2024

I thoroughly enjoyed this Coursera course on “Optimization for Decision Making”. Having been fascinated by optimization during my high school days, I eagerly enrolled. The course content surpassed my expectations. The lecturer’s clear explanations and engaging case studies provided both a refresher and a deep dive into solving optimization problems.

Chananthorn Sornnurak

5.0

Reviewed Sep 15, 2021

Optimization for Decision Making is good course.It 's not too complex for me.I can make easy and immidiately decision from use graphical.Moreover, I can decision which have to buy or making something .It's very useful for all business to control your cost.

CHIN WAH LOO

5.0

Reviewed May 16, 2021

Good teaching style with step by step guidance. Thanks for the connecting high school math (that I learned many years ago) to real life context. I look forward to the next course.

John Bonfardeci II

5.0

Reviewed Jan 16, 2024

The professor was easy to follow. I learned more from this course than a whole semester of Optimization in my graduate class.

Abayomi Ebenezer Olawumi

5.0

Reviewed May 20, 2023

I love the calmness and the fact the course was detailed and concise as possible. Professor Soumya Sen is a great teacher.

J Hyde

5.0

Reviewed Jun 1, 2021

There are a lot of examples to work through and learn from which I find helps make the material easier to learn.

Vivek Pandey

5.0

Reviewed Aug 16, 2025

The course is good for learning fundamentals of optimisation using linear programming !

Noaman Rasul

5.0

Reviewed Sep 18, 2021

Very insightful course. Love the detail explaination for solving simple LP problems.

Toby Beynon

5.0

Reviewed Jul 17, 2023

I found this course excellent, almost one could say, optimal!

Aditya Joshi

5.0

Reviewed Dec 11, 2025

hands on oriented. good balance of theory and practical

chong peng kong

5.0

Reviewed Sep 12, 2023

Good course.very practical orientated.

Yiyang Song

5.0

Reviewed Jan 6, 2023

Lectures were very clear and concise!

Muhammad Yasin

5.0

Reviewed Feb 9, 2024

Very nice course, thanks coursera

jain maria

5.0

Reviewed Jul 16, 2021

It is an excellent course. Thanks

Denilton Macário de Paula

5.0

Reviewed Apr 19, 2025

Excelente

Kuldeep Soni

5.0

Reviewed Sep 20, 2025

good

carl wilburn

4.0

Reviewed Apr 16, 2021

It was an interesting refreshed for the most part and went very quickly. Could have used just a little more info on using Excel Solver. Thanks for the class!

Muhammad Meidy Nur Hafidz

3.0

Reviewed Apr 19, 2024

it will be better if we can download the pdf for the course materials so the learner will be easier to review the course without going back to the video (especially when doing the practice or the graded exam). since i think the learner target is for the beginner level, it also better if we also able to download all of the excel files that used in this course (at least the default template) As for the course itself I find it helpfull and interesting