When data sources get large enough, no single analysis or visualization can convey all the structure and information that might be there. We need interactive interfaces: computer programs to help us build models and visualizations progressively.
In this research-oriented seminar, we will spend most of the class time discussing recent research results in the area, typically in the form of conference and journal papers. The questions we will tackle are: how can we build these systems? How do we know they work? Can they mislead us, and how? How do they fit with the rest of the data analysis infrastructure? Although our research focus will be in visualization, we will cover a mix of algorithms, systems, data mining, machine learning, and whatever other computer science topics become necessary as our discussion progresses.
The best way to learn is to do: all students will be expected to work on a research project to be reported in a paper. These papers are expected to be of sufficient quality to be submitted to technical conferences in the area.
Students will be assessed on their class participation, paper summary reports, and research projects.
Monday and Wednesday, 12:30-1:45P, GS942.
This is a research seminar. We will spend most class time presenting and discussing research papers in the area. Time spent outside of lectures will be split between reading relevant literature and working towards producing research in the area.
A successful CSC630 student will understand the state of the art in interactive data analysis, the constraints and limitations of the current solutions, and the most promising research avenues. An ideal CSC630 will have produced a significant portion of a research project. Specifically, if you’re a student and are hoping to become my M.Sc. or Ph.D. student, I expect you to excel at this course.
Students will produce short written reports about research papers as we read them. I will assess learning outcomes by reading these paper reports and providing written feedback.
The course will be entirely paper presentations and discussions.
I will present the first few papers to set the tone for the course. After this, students will present the majority of subsequent work. I will lead the discussion and provide additional background material when necessary, but my role will be primarily of mediator and enabler: students are expected to actively participate in the course.
Students will be assessed on their in-class presentations and discussion, together with written paper reports.
There is no required textbook: the reading material for the course will consist entirely of research papers in the area, and the papers we will discuss will be made available on the website.
All materials made available by the instructor or The University of Arizona remain the property of the copyright holders. They are provided for the use of students in this course for the duration of the course, except as noted.
Recommended knowledge levels: a mature, broad understanding of computer science as expected of first-year graduate students. During the progress of the course, we will touch upon a variety of material, from database systems to machine learning and statistics. Students are not expected to know these areas in depth, but are expected to learn relevant information in a as-needed basis.
In other words, if you don’t know enough to understand a paper, you are expected to look up additional information about it.
Learning how to navigate an unexplored research area is part of the skill set I expect students to either have, or develop during this course. I will help students get there, but independence and self-direction are very valuable: expect to be challenged in this area. In other words, do not be fooled by the fact that we have no textbook: this makes the course more challenging, not less.
Please refer to the university policy regarding grades and grading systems for details. The grade distribution for this course is:
Requests for incompletes (I) and withdrawal (W) must be made in accordance with university policies linked above.
In addition, if your research project is so successful that we have a paper together submitted to Eurovis 2016, you will get an automatic A in the course. Note that this is contigent on me accepting that the paper is sufficiently high-quality (in other words, the submission only counts if I say it does).
As a rule, work will not be accepted late except in case of documented emergency or illness. You may petition the professor in writing for an exception if you feel you have a compelling reason for turning work in late.
Please refer to UA’s policy concerning Class Attendance and Administrative Drops.
Participating in the course and attending lectures and other course events are vital to the learning process. As such, attendance is required at all lectures and discussion section meetings. Students who miss class due to illness or emergency are required to bring documentation from their healthcare provider or other relevant, professional third parties. Failure to submit third-party documentation will result in unexcused absences.
In addition, refer to UA’s policy regarding absences on and accommodation of religious holidays.
Quoting from the FAQ:
A Dean’s Excuse provides excused absences for university-sponsored events/activities for academic, non-academic, and recognized student organizations. If a student must miss a class or classes for a university-sponsored event, the faculty or staff responsible for that event request a UA Official Activity Excused Absence Request Form from the Dean of Students Office.
The Dean of Students Office does not have oversight of academic departments or faculty members and does not grant individual excused absences. Each faculty member manages his or her classroom in the manner in which they see fit and are the only ones who may determine what constitutes an excused absence. Therefore, we are unable to excuse absences for students, grant extensions, require that professors allow students to make-up missed work, or ensure students may miss class and submit late work without penalty, etc.
The best thing to do is for you to communicate directly with your professor regarding your absence. Your professor is the only person who can excuse your absence, and determine if alternatives or make-up work is an option. Your professor may also request documentation of your situation. If your professor will not excuse your absence or grant make-up work the Dean of Students Office is not able to require them to do so.
Paper report assignments will be short research reports (around 2 pages of 12-point single-column text) describing the papers being discussed, and putting the papers in context of other research in the area.
The final project report will be a longer research report: think of it as a first draft of a research paper describing your contribution to the field of interactive data analysis. Although the development of novel software is a valuable part of research, the ultimate outcome is to communicate a novel idea: software, in this case, is a means to an end. If you don’t achieve the end, you will be graded accordingly.
The Arizona Board of Regents’ Student Code of Conduct, ABOR Policy 5-308, prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to one’s self. Please refer to the full Code of Conduct document for details.
The Department of Computer Science’s Code of Conduct requires the following of all students, teaching assistants, staff and faculty:
Students who violate this code will be asked to cease and, possibly, reported to the Dean of Students.
To foster a positive learning environment, students may not text, chat, make phone calls, play games, read the newspaper, or surf the web during lecture and discussion. Students are asked to refrain from disruptive conversations with people sitting around them during lecture. Students observed engaging in disruptive activity will be asked to cease this behavior. Students who continue to disrupt the class will be asked to leave lecture or discussion and may be reported to the Dean of Students.
Some learning styles are best served by using personal electronics, such as laptops and iPads. These devices can be distracting to some learners. Therefore, people who prefer to use electronic devices for note-taking during lecture should use one side of the classroom.
It is the University’s goal that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You are also welcome to contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations. For additional information on Disability Resources and reasonable accommodations, please visit the Disability Resources website.
If you have reasonable accommodations, please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.
Please be aware that the accessible table and chairs in this room should remain available for students who find that standard classroom seating is not usable.
Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However, graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog.
Selling class notes and/or other course materials to other students or to a third party for resale is not permitted without the instructor’s express written consent. Violations to this and other course rules are subject to the Code of Academic Integrity and may result in course sanctions. Additionally, students who use D2L or UA email to sell or buy these copyrighted materials are subject to Code of Conduct Violations for misuse of student email addresses. This conduct may also constitute copyright infringement.
If permitted, the use of open source or third party materials in student submissions must be clearly identified and credited. Individual or team submissions must be substantially the work of the student(s) who submit the work. Copyrights, legal, and regulatory restrictions must be respected.
Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.