NTU 922 U0960: Machine Learning
Hsuan-Tien Lin
Dept. of CSIE, NTU
Course Introduction, 09/14/2009
Five Reasons for NOT Taking the Course (1/5)
Only English
English teaching
English homework writing English email communications English forum discussions
exception: Mandarin face-to-face discussions
If you are not comfortable withEnglish-teaching classrooms, ...
Five Reasons for NOT Taking the Course (2/5)
Complicated Contents
from a Taiwanese student taking MIT ML class (translated):
The professor started writing math equations as if he was using some writing accelerator. After class I always felt feeble. The worst part is: I needed to understand the contents as soon as I can. Otherwise I cannot finish the homework and cannot follow up in the next class.
NTU ML class: designed to beas good asthe best classes in the world
similar things may happen to you
If you are not willing to be somiserable, ...
Five Reasons for NOT Taking the Course (3/5)
Strict Instructor
Will you give me a second chance if I copy homework from other people? NO.
Could you let me pass because I will be kicked out by the 1/2 rule?NO.
Will you change my score from 59 to 60? NO.
Will you tolerate me to turn in my homework 10 minutes late? NO.
How many will pass? Any, if necessary.
If you do not like astrict instructor, ...
Five Reasons for NOT Taking the Course (4/5)
Huge Loads
also from the Taiwanese student taking MIT ML class (translated):
Every homework set is similar to three normal ones in NTU.
I devoted my whole Mid-Autumn Festival to homework 1.
ours last year: two to three times harder than a normal one in NTU ours this year:three to fivetimes harder than a normal one in NTU around eight homework sets (and a hard final project)
homework due within a week even have homework 0
already hard no need to submit
If you do not want to spendso much time on homework, ...
Five Reasons for NOT Taking the Course (5/5)
Experimental Design
only the second year of this class
last year: good but always room for improvement instructor willing to doexperiments:
harder homework
more loads (reading assignments this year) book writing (we’ll talk about this)
board writing and/or slides syllabus
alwaysriskyto be in an experimental class If you do not want be the “lab rat”, ...
May the Brave Ones Stay
Basic Information
instructor: Hsuan-Tien Lin (htlin@csie.ntu.edu.tw) office hour: after class or by appointment
course webpage: https://ceiba.ntu.edu.tw/981ML announcements, homework, reference handouts, discussion forum, etc.
mailing list: supported by CEIBA
Update your secondary email address on CEIBA!
Special Things about ML2009
instructor to bemarriedin November, may take two weeks off
—invited guest lecturer: Prof. Shou-de Lin
instructor is writing abookon ML, will request your feedback
—we’ll talk more about this
Enrollment
at most 96 in Room 104
limited 60 before the second round
the other 36: my students, Prof. Shou-de Lin’s students, and special cases
—send me an email saying why you should be the “special case”
auditing: welcomed (to sit) only if there is an empty chair Drop as soon as possible!
Give your motivated classmates a chance to be miserable.
Teaching Assistants
Chun-Wei Liu and others (email_to_be_announced) special TA hour for homework 0: 9/17 (Thursday), noon–2pm, Room TBA
regular TA hour: TBA
Go to TA hours to discuss with TAs and classmates!
THE Book
Learning from Data
Y. Abu-Mostafa (Caltech), M. Ismail-Madgon (RPI), H.-T. Lin (NTU) idea initiated during ML2008
about 6 chapters out of 19 finished, 4–5 more coming in this term teaching with the book, many homework problems within the book, reading assignments within the book
More about the Book
book forum and downloading : http://book.caltech.edu Your Privileges
learn from thefirst draft of the book download the book the draftfreely Your Responsibilities
discuss with Caltech and RPI studentsactively on the forum
comment about the on the forumbravely do not distribute the draft
enrolling in this class means agreeing to the items above
THE Principle
Taking any unfair advantages over other class members is not allowed. It is everyone’s respon- sibility to maximize the level of fairness.
eating? fine, but no smells and no noise sleeping? fine, but no snoring
cellphone? fine, but silent mode, and speak outside ...
applies to instructor, TAs, students
Honesty
NO CHEATING NO LYING NO PLAGIARISM
NO PIRATING of THE BOOK
very serious consequences
Grade
no midterm, no final
main reference: homework sets, final project
supplementary reference: participation in discussions
Collaboration and Open-Book
homework discussions: encouraged but fairness?
write the final solutions alone and understand them fully references (books, notes, Internet):
consulted, butnot copied from no need to lend/borrow solutions
to maximize fairness (everyone’s responsibility), lending/borrowing not allowed
Collaboration and Open-Book
to maximize fairness (everyone’s responsibility), lending/borrowing not allowed to maximize fairness (everyone’s responsibility),
lending/borrowing not allowed to maximize fairness (everyone’s responsibility),
lending/borrowing not allowed
Deal? If your classmate wants to borrow homework from you, what do you say?
Homework
students: justify solutions clearly TAs: evaluate solutions fairly penalty for late “parts”:
90% of value for 12-hour late, 80% one-day late, ...
10-min late is 12-hour late
Programming Assignments
about a third or half of the problems any programming language, any platforms upload source code, otherwise:
10% of value only!
no sophisticated packages students’ responsibility:
ask TA in advance for what can/cannot be used
Important TODOs
Update your secondary email address on CEIBA!
Sign the agreement form, and register on the forum (wait for approval).
Do homework 0 and go to the TA hour for questions.
If you still want to sign up, send me an email first.
May the Brave Ones Stay
One More Note on Discussions
book discussion: http://book.caltech.edu
—English
introduce yourself
download the sections and discuss
class discussion: within https://ceiba.ntu.edu.tw/981ML
—English
email discussion: htlin@csie.ntu.edu.tw and TAs (TBA)
—English
face-to-face discussion: office hour with instructor, or TA hour
—Any language that we know
