Course Information

Course Number and Section: CS:4980:0003 (22C:196:003)

Semester, Year: Fall 2014

Time: 12:30pm - 1:20pm, Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Location: 105 MacLean Hall

Instructor: Tianbao Yang

Office hours: 1:20pm - 2:20pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday or by appointment

DEO: Alberto Segre, 14D MacLean Hall

Course Description and Objective

Description: Machine learning is a field of study that gives computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed. In the past decade, machine learning has created tremendous value with its application in various domains, including information retrieval, speech recognition, understanding of human genome, etc. In this class, students will not only learn the fundamental machine learning techniques, but also gain the hands-on experience by applying these techniques and developing new techniques for solving problems from the real world. In addition, students will learn some recent advances in big data analytics. Topics of interest include: (1) Regression (least square regression, lasso). (2) Classification (support vector machines, logistic regression). (3) Kernel Methods. (4) Unsupervised methods (k-means clustering, spectral clustering, dimensionality reduction). (5) Stochastic Optimization. (6) Deep Learning. By the end of class, students are expected to accomplish a project related to machine learning either individually or in a group.

Texts

Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning, Bishop, Springer ©2007 $94.95 ISBN: 9780387310732

University Book Store, Iowa Book

Optional: The Elements of Statistical Learning, Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani, Jerome Friedman

Grading System and the Use of +/-

The plus/minus grading system will be used.

Percentage of Final Grade

Participation of class: 10%

Homework (6 homework assignments): 40%

Project: 50% (Proposal 10%, Presentation 10%, Report 30%)

Note: Homework assignments include both theoretic derivations and hands-on experiments with various learning algorithms implemented by your own choice of programming languages.

Late Policy

Homework is worth full credit at the beginning of class on the due date (later if an extension has been granted). It is worth at most 90% credit for the next 24 hours. It is worth at most 50% credit for the following 24 hours. It is worth 25% credit after that. If you need an extension, please ask for it (by sending email to the instructor) as soon as the need for it is known. Extensions that are requested promptly will be granted more liberally. You must turn in all assignments.

A Note on Collaboration

Homework The purpose of student collaboration is to facilitate learning, not to circumvent it. Studying the material in groups is strongly encouraged. It is also allowed to seek help from other students in understanding the material needed to solve a particular homework problem, provided no written notes are shared, or are taken at that time, and provided learning is facilitated, not circumvented. The actual solution must be done by each student alone, and the student should be ready to reproduce their solution upon request. Any form of help or collaboration must be disclosed in full by all involved on the first page of their assignment. In any case, you must exercise academic integrity.

Project Collaboration of 1-2 people is encouraged on the final project. Each student on a research team is expected to complete a similar amount of work and to contribute equally to the final project. Each student will complete a self-evaluation and a group evaluation, describing this equality or the lack of it during the group’s work. For more information, see the assignment sheet, the grading rubric, and the self-evaluation form for the project. Students who misrepresent themselves as equal partners in this collaborative project but who are actually letting others do the bulk of the work will be reported to the College for academic dishonesty.

Resources for Students

Students will find the Writing Center and the Speaking Center very useful for this course; the Tutor Iowa site is also very valuable for students seeking extra help:

Writing Center: http://www.uiowa.edu/~writingc/

Speaking Center: http://clas.uiowa.edu/rhetoric/for-students/speaking-center

Tutor Iowa: http://tutor.uiowa.edu/

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Important Policies and Procedures

Administrative Home
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Different colleges may have different policies. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall, or see the CLAS Academic Policies Handbook.

Electronic Communication
University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Faculty and students should use this account for correspondence (Operations Manual, III.15.2. Scroll down to k.11).

Accommodations for Disabilities
A student seeking academic accommodations should first register with Student Disability Services and then meet with the course instructor privately in the instructor's office to make particular arrangements. See www.uiowa.edu/~sds/ for more information.

Academic Honesty
All students taking CLAS courses have, in essence, agreed to the College's Code of Academic Honesty: "I pledge to do my own academic work and to excel to the best of my abilities, upholding the IOWA Challenge. I promise not to lie about my academic work, to cheat, or to steal the words or ideas of others; nor will I help fellow students to violate the Code of Academic Honesty." Any student committing academic misconduct is reported to the College and placed on disciplinary probation or may be suspended or expelled (CLAS Academic Policies Handbook).

CLAS Final Examination Policies
The date and time of every final examination is announced by the Registrar generally by the tenth day of classes. No exams of any kind are allowed during the last week of classes. All students should plan on being at the UI through the final examination period. It is the student's responsibility to know the date, time, and place of the final exam.

Making a Suggestion or a Complaint
Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit with the instructor (and the course supervisor), and then with the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident (CLAS Academic Policies Handbook).

Understanding Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Comprehensive Guide on Sexual Harassment for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy.

Reacting Safely to Severe Weather
In severe weather, class members should seek appropriate shelter immediately, leaving the classroom if necessary. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. For more information on Hawk Alert and the siren warning system, visit the Public Safety website.