Machine Learning, Spring 2004

Course Description:

Prerequisite: CMSC 421 or equivalent or permission of instructor. Covers both statistical machine learning and traditional symbolic machine learning. Topics include: supervised learning with discriminitive models (linear models, decision trees, nearest neighbor, SVMs); supervised and unsupervised learning with generative models (graphical models such as Bayesian networks); and learning theory (VC dimension, bias/variance tradeoff, PAC models). More complex models for sequence data (HMMs, CRFs) and graph data (MRFs, SCFGs) will be covered as time permits.

Final exam:

Tuesday May 18, 1:30-3:30 pm (one double sided page of handwritten notes allowed).

Time and Place:

Tuesday\Thursday: 12:30pm- 1:45pm (CSI 2120)

Mailing list: cmsc726@cs.umd.edu

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Grading Policy

• Grading: homeworks(20%), midterm(20%), final(30%) and class project(30%).
• Homeworks: There will be four or five written homeworks. Students will be allowed to work together on written homeworks. Students may discuss the homework to understand the problem and reach a solution. However, each student must write down the solution independently, and without referring to written notes from the joint session. In other words, each student must understand the solution well enough in order to reconstruct it by him/herself. In addition, each student should write on the problem set of collection of people with whom s/he collaborated.
• Late Homeworks: Homeworks are due at the start of class on their due date. Recognizing that students may face unusual circumstances and require some flexibility in the course of the semester, each student will have a total of seven free late (calendar) days to use as s/he sees fit. No additional individual extensions will be given. Once these late days are exhausted, which should only happen under very unusual circumstances, any homework turned in late will be penalized at the rate of 50% per late day (or fraction thereof). Homeworks will not be accepted more than a week after its due date. Late days are from noon to noon for homeworks. Late homeworks should be handed in to the TA. If not available (e.g., on weekends), write the date and time on the assignment and push it under Prof. Getoor's door. It is a honor code violation to write down the wrong time.