Information Retrieval
Fall 2019

CSCI-539-01

Syllabus

Course Description

An introduction to the theories, designs, and implementation techniques used to construct modern search engines. Topics include: search engine architecture, search interfaces, query expansion, crawling, indexing, ranking, retrieval models (e.g., TF-IDF, BM25), and search engine evaluation. Additionally, students will study current directions in the research literature. The course is project-based. Lectures will initially cover core concepts, gradually moving toward topics pertinent to student projects. For their projects, students will construct parts of a search engine in groups, provide written reports, and give related presentations in-class.

Important Note: Students are expected to have background comparable to CSCI 331 (Introduction to Intelligent Systems). Credit Hours: 3

Course Outcomes

The following are the learning outcomes for the course. The assessment method(s) for each outcome are shown in parentheses.
  • Students will describe the basics of search interface and search engine architecture and design. (Assignments)
  • Students will select appropriate techniques to address information retrieval problems. (Assignments and Projects)
  • Students will apply performance evaluation methods for information retrieval. (Projects)
  • Students will apply information retrieval techniques. (Project implementations)
  • Students will summarize modern information retrieval techniques verbally and in writing. (Project presentations and written reports)

Instructor Contact

Dr. Richard Zanibbi
Office: GOL-3551
E-mail: rxzvcs@rit.edu
Website: http://www.cs.rit.edu/~rlaz
Phone: 585-475-3551

Note: I try to respond to email within 24 hours. However, email received on Friday afternoons and weekends I may not respond to until the following Monday. I will also not answer homework or project-related questions the day they are due. 

Course Policies

  • Submissions. All homework, both written and code, must be handed in via MyCourses. Note that for all programming homeworks/labs, they must be (easily) executable on the CS lab Linux machines. More details on allowed and available libraries etc will be given with each assignment (what is allowed for some may not be allowed for others).
  • Late Policy. Late submissions will be accepted up to 48 hours after the deadline, with a 20% penalty.
  • Homeworks, projects, and exam grade can be disputed within one week after the graded work is handed back. Discuss any grading concerns that you have with the instructor, and not the TA.
  • Homework and Projects. The homework assignments (not projects) in this course are to be done on your own. You may discuss homeworks with your classmates, tutors, and the instructor, but you must create all submitted work for assignments on your own. It is not acceptable for a student to prepare an answer or answer set and share this with other students. Projects will be done by groups of 2 students - for this work, the same restrictions apply as for homeworks, except to the group rather than the individual.
  • Lecture. This is an advanced course that will cover a wide variety of topics, some being complex and/or counter-intuitive. Students should raise their hands to ask a question when thins are unclear, they want to check their understanding, or have an idea to share. Sometimes the instructor will not call on the student right away to make sure that the course progresses at a reasonable pace. Students are always welcome to send questions over email or talk to the instructor during office hours (see top of page).
  • Readings. Students are expected to actually complete all assigned readings. For research papers, students will be selected at random to comment and discuss on papers in-class (in a panel format), and/or submit a brief written analysis. 
  • Grading. For full points, deliverables in the course including question answers, code, presentations and write-ups must be: 
Correct and complete (all parts/aspects of the question are covered).
Jusitified: if an assignment or test question asks for an explanation or justification, it must be provided for full points.
Clearly written: answers/reports should be written with care and attention to language, and provide the context needed to understand the answer with a reasonable effort. Note that the goal here is clarity, not complexity. Make your answer understood in simple terms wherever possible.
Provided in the requested format. For example, files are submitted in the correct format, a question that asks for a written description is not a bulleted list, etc.

Attendance Policy and Absences from Class

This section was added at the request of Dr. Ellen Granberg, Provost and  Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

RIT’s official policy on attendance states that:

"Absences, for whatever reason, do not relieve students of their responsibility for fulfilling normal requirements in any course. In particular, it is the student’s responsibility to make individual arrangements in advance of missing class due to personal obligations such as religious holidays, job interviews, athletic contests, etc., in order that he or she may meet his or her obligations without penalty for missing class." (RIT Governance Policy D4.0, Section I.B)

Therefore, if a student needs to miss class, there are mutual responsibilities for students and faculty. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the faculty member in advance of the planned absence. With advance notice of the planned absence, it is the faculty member’s responsibility to ensure that the student can fulfill all class assignments and expectations without penalty or bias.

To encourage student communication about planned absences, this expectation should be stated in the first class and included in the syllabus posted in MyCourses.

Required Materials

All required materials for the course will be provided through MyCourses. Some additional resources may be found on the resources web page.

Grading

Component Weight
 2 Research Paper Discussions   10%
 5 Assignments   40%
 3 Projects
  (10%, 20%, 20%) 
  50%

Common Course Policies for the RIT Department of Computer Science 

  • Rescheduling an Exam. Exams can not be made up except for real emergencies in which case proper documentation (like a doctor's note) will be required. If at all possible, you should contact me prior to the exam. Oversleeping, cars that don't start etc. do not constitute a valid excuse. RIT's Academic Senate revised the Final Examination Policies on March 28, 2013. Please refer to the policies for related questions.
  • Course withdrawal. During the add/drop period, you may drop this course and it will disappear from your transcript. After that time, you can only withdraw from the course; the course will appear on your transcript with a grade of W. See the institute's calendar regarding the add/drop period and latest withdrawal date.
  • Disability Services. RIT is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. If you would like to request accommodations such as special seating or testing modifications due to a disability, please contact the Disability Services Office. It is located in the Student Alumni Union, Room 1150; the web site is www.rit.edu/dso. After you receive accommodation approval, it is imperative that you see me during office hours so that we can work out whatever arrangement is necessary. 
  • Academic IntegrityThe Department of Computer Science Policy on Academic Honesty will be enforced. You should only submit work that is completely your own. Failure to do so counts as academic dishonesty and so does being the source of such work. Submitting work that is in large part not completely your own work is a flagrant violation of basic ethical behavior and will be punished according to department policy.