Department of Information Science and Telecommunications

INFSCI 2140 - Information Storage and Retrieval

(Fall 2004, CRN 21665)

Course Objectives

to understand the dimensions of the information retrieval "problem";
to understand the functions of an information retrieval system;
to analyse the components of an information retrieval system;
to consider the factors which optimize the information retrieval process;
to examine current issues in information retrieval

Upon satisfactory completion of this course, students will:

learn history of information retrieval research and development of information retrieval systems
understand and be able to explain core concepts and terms of information retrieval (see list of concepts and terms assocoated with lectures)
understand and be able to explain different retrieval models and basic algorithms involved in processing and retrieval of information
be able to identify the essential components and functions of an information retrieval system
be able to evaluate existing information retrieval systems and suggest how the systems can be improved
be able to apply theories to effectively solve information retrieval problems in real world situations
be able to design information retrieval systems using principles and techniques learned in class

Assessment and Grading

Components of the Final Grade

Course assessment includes attendance, assignments and projectsthat will be offered through the course, a midterm exam, and a final (group) project. Each lecture bears 1 attendance point. Each assignment, project, or exam bears certain number of points. The instructor also reserves the right to administer unannounced quizzes for up to 5 points each if he feels that the students are not pursuing a resonable amount of assigned reading. Your final grade depends on the percentage of points you have earned. Score < 50% corresponds to F, 50-62.5 is D range, 65.5-75 is C range, 75-87.5 is B range, and 87.5-100 is A range.

Extra Credit Points

You can earn extra credit points for several things such as asking a good question in class or in a discussion forum, providing a helpful answer in a discussion forum, helping during the lecture, finding errors in slides and examples.

Submitting and Naming

All assignments has to be submitted in paper form on the due date before or after the lecture. In addition, the electronic version of the assigment has to be submitted electronically using CourseInfo systems at any time by or on the due date (your submissions are time stamped). Naming conditions for electronic submissions are strict. The link should be named assignment_X where X is assignment number. You will lose 1/2 point for every misnamed link. All submitted work should bear the number of the assignment/quiz and the author's name in printed form. You will lose 1/2 point for every solution that lacks this data. By submitting work under your name, you are indicating that you have completed the assignment.

Course Policies

Academic Integrity

You are expected to be fully aware of your responsibility to maintain a high quality of integrity in all of your work. All work must be your own, unless collaboration is specifically and explicitly permitted as in the course group project. Any unauthorized collaboration or copying will at minimum result in no credit for the affected assignment and may be subject to further action under the University Guidelines for Academic Integrity. You are expected to have read and understood these Guidelines. A document discussing these guidelines was included in your orientation materials.

Attendance

Class attendance, while not mandatory, is required if you want to succeed in this course. While about 3/4 of the material covered by the lectures could be found in the Course Books, some material is not sufficiently covered by the books. Finally, many lectures include demonstrations and videos. If you have missed the lecture, make sure you have a copy of the slides. Spare copies can be picked up from a folder near the instructor's office or printed from the Web.

Late Submissions

Homework or projects submitted after due date will be accepted, but your objective grade will be scaled so that you lose 2% of the grade for every late day. I.e., if you will submit your work one week late, you will lose 14% of the grade. A part of the grade for some projects has a portion for presentation of the project. If you will fail to present your project on due date, you will lose these points.

Special Considerations

If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, please, notify both the instructor and Disability Resources and Services by the second week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call 64807890 (voice or TDD) to schedule and appointment. The office is located in the William Pitt Union, Room 216,

Course Schedule

Thursday September 2	Lecture 1
Thursday September 9	Lecture 2
Thursday September 16	Lecture 3
Thursday September 23	Lecture 4
Thursday September 30	Self-study, no class meeting
Thursday October 7	Lecture 5
Thursday October 14	Lecture 6
Thursday October 21	First paper presentation
Thursday October 28	Lecture 8
Thursday November 4	Midterm exam
Thursday November 11	Lecture 7
Thursday November 18	Second paper presentation
Thursday November 25	Thanksgiving Recess
Thursday December 2	Lecture 9
Thursday December 9	Lecture 10
Thursday December 16	Project presentations