Syllabus

This class is offered in two independent sections. The homework and online assessments will be the same for both classes, though the exams will be different.

Prerequisites

There will be a lot of math in this class and if you do not come prepared, life will be rough. You must be able to take derivatives by hand (preferably of multivariate functions). You must know what the chain rule of probability is, and Bayes' rule. More background is not necessary but is helpful: for instance, dot products and their relationship to projections onto subspaces, and what a Gaussian is. We provide some reading material to help you refresh your memory, but if you haven't at least seen these things before, you will need to invest a significant amount of time to catch up on math background.

On the programming side, projects will be in Python; you should understand basic computer science concepts (like recursion), basic data structures (trees, graphs), and basic algorithms (search, sorting, etc.).

Grading

The purpose of assignments & grading is to provide extra incentive to help you keep up with the material and assess how well you understand it, so that you have a solid background in machine learning by the end of the semester.

I expect students to - Come to class prepared, having completed the assigned readings. - Complete the assigned weekly homework assignments before class, and be prepared to discuss their solution in class. - Participate actively in discussions both in person and online.

Your grade will be based on:

Communication and Discussion

We will be using Piazza for class-related discussion and communication. The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates, the TA, and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, please post your questions on Piazza (either as public discussions or as private posts to instructors). All messages sent to the instructors email addresses will be redirected to Piazza.

Find our class page at: https://piazza.com/umd/spring2018/cmsc422-0101/home

If you have any problems or feedback for the developers, email team@piazza.com.

Policies

Late-ness

Late homeworks are not allowed. Period. No exceptions. The time deadlines are automatic and unforgiving.

Late projects are allowed: you get two extra days. However, once the project is 1 minute late, you lose 25% (absolute).

If you handed something in and do not get a score for an assignment, you have one week to let us know about the issue.

Excused Absences

Any student who needs to be excused for an absence from a single lecture, recitation, or lab due to a medically necessitated absence shall:

The self-documentation may not be used for the Major Scheduled Grading Events as defined below and it may only be used for only 1 class meeting (or more, if you choose) during the semester. Any student who needs to be excused for a prolonged absence (2 or more consecutive class meetings), or for a Major Scheduled Grading Event, must provide written documentation of the illness from the Health Center or from an outside health care provider. This documentation must verify dates of treatment and indicate the timeframe that the student was unable to meet academic responsibilities. In addition, it must contain the name and phone number of the medical service provider to be used if verification is needed. No diagnostic information will ever be requested. The Major Scheduled Grading Events for this course include: the midterm exam, and the final exam.

Disability Support

Any student eligible for and requesting reasonable academic accommodations due to a disability is requested to provide, to the instructor in office hours, a letter of accommodation from the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS) within the first TWO weeks of the semester.

Academic Integrity

In this course you are responsible for both the University’s Code of Academic Integrity and the University of Maryland Guidelines for Acceptable Use of Computing Resources. Any evidence of unacceptable use of computer accounts or unauthorized cooperation on tests and assignments will be submitted to the Student Honor Council, which could result in an XF for the course, suspension, or expulsion from the University.

Note that posting project solutions in a public online location is a violation of your academic integrity policy.

Any homework or exam that is handed in must be your own work. However, talking with one another to understand the material better is strongly encouraged. Recognizing the distinction between cheating and cooperation is very important. If you copy someone else's solution, you are cheating. If you let someone else copy your solution, you are cheating. If someone dictates a solution to you, you are cheating. Everything you hand in must be in your own words, and based on your own understanding of the solution. If someone helps you understand the problem during a high-level discussion, you are not cheating. We strongly encourage students to help one another understand the material presented in class, in the book, and general issues relevant to the assignments. When taking an exam, you must work independently. Any collaboration during an exam will be considered cheating. Any student who is caught cheating will be given an E in the course and referred to the University Student Behavior Committee. Please don't take that chance - if you're having trouble understanding the material, please let us know and we will be more than happy to help.

Anti-Harassment

The open exchange of ideas, the freedom of thought and expression, and respectful scientific debate are central to the aims and goals of this course. These require a community and an environment that recognizes the inherent worth of every person and group, that fosters dignity, understanding, and mutual respect, and that embraces diversity. Harassment and hostile behavior are unwelcome in any part of this course. This includes: speech or behavior that intimidates, creates discomfort, or interferes with a person’s participation or opportunity for participation in the course. We aim for this course to be an environment where harassment in any form does not happen, including but not limited to: harassment based on race, gender, religion, age, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Harassment includes degrading verbal comments, deliberate intimidation, stalking, harassing photography or recording, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. Please contact an instructor or CS staff member if you have questions or if you feel you are the victim of harassment (or otherwise witness harassment of others).

Course evaluations

We welcome your suggestions for improving this class, please don’t hesitate to share it with the instructor or the TA during the semester! You will also be asked to give feedback using the CourseEvalUM system at the end of the semester. Your feedback will help us make the course better.

Right to change information

Although every effort has been made to be complete and accurate, unforeseen circumstances arising during the semester could require the adjustment of any material given here. Consequently, given due notice to students, the instructor reserves the right to change any information on this syllabus or in other course materials.

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