Applied Machine Learning – CPE 695WS

Schaefer School of Engineering & Science

Spring 2019

Meeting Times: Weekly course materials available on Canvas by each Tuesday

Classroom Location: Online
Instructor: Shucheng Yu
Contact Info: Burchard 412, shucheng.yu@stevens.edu, 201-216-8057
Office Hours: Wednesday 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Course Web Address: https://sit.instructure.com/courses/32374
Prerequisite(s): College math; familiarity with Python language is a plus.
Corequisite(s): None
Cross-listed with: N/A

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Machine learning concerns about improving the performance of computer programs (hence the behavior of
computers or systems) via learning from examples or experience. It is a crucial enabler for emerging
artificial intelligence and big data applications. This course aims to introduce basic machine learning
algorithms and their applications in real problems in addition to fundamental theories underneath these
algorithms. Students will have extensive hands-on experiences which prepare them with problem solving
capabilities in real applications.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this course, students will be able to…
• Understand the basic principles and algorithms of representative machine learning systems
including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, batch learning, online learning, model-based
learning, and instance-based learning;
• Select appropriate machine learning algorithms for real-world tasks;
• Implement learning systems and train models with programming languages such as Python;
• Choose appropriate performance measurement metrics, tune and evaluate the trained model against
the metrics;
• Apply related data analytic techniques for data acquisition, cleaning and visualization.

FORMAT AND STRUCTURE

• This course is comprised of weekly lectures, final group learning projects and presentations, all
conducted online.

COURSE MATERIALS
Textbook(s): No required textbooks.
Other Readings:

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 Machine Learning, by Tom M. Mitchell, McGraw-Hill
Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn & TensorFlow, by Aurelien Geron, O’Reilly
Publication.
Deep Learning, by Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, and Aaron Courville, The MIT Press.
Materials: All other materials and slides will be uploaded to course website (Canvas).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Homework There will be eight (8) homework assignments throughout this course. Each
assignment counts for 40 points on average. Each assignment usually dues in TWO
(2) weeks after when it is posted on Canvas if programming question(s) are
included, or ONE (1) week if no programming question is included. 5 points will be
deduced each day after the due date. 320 points possible.
Final Project There will be a final team project of the course. Each team comprises three (3)
members who can collaborate in person or online. The task of each team member
shall be clearly defined. There will be three milestones for the final project:
proposal, mid-stage report, and final report & presentation. The proposal will be
up to one-page description of the problem of the project and tentative plan. The
mid-stage report will be at least three pages. At the end of the semester each team
will 1) make a project presentation video and 2) submit a final package (one per
team) which includes two files: i) the final report (in one PDF file, 6 pages
minimum) and ii) the source code (submitted to Kaggle.com). The project proposal
will be 20 points, the mid-stage report 40 points; the final presentation video counts
for 60 points. The writing of the final report will be 60 points, and the overall
methodology and quality of the project counts for 180 points. 360 points possible.
Exams There will be a mid-term exam and a final exam for this course, both online. The
mid-term exam counts for 200 points, and the final exam will be 120 points. The
final exam is NOT cumulative. There will be an online review lecture one week
before each exam. There is NO makeup exams. Excused absence from any exam
shall seek consent from the instructor prior to the exam day. 320 points possible.

GRADING PROCEDURES
Grades will be based on:
Homework (32 %) 320 points
Final Project (36 %) 360 points
Mid-term Exam (20 %) 200 points
Final Exam (12 %) 120 points
Total 100% 1000 points

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Graduate Student Code of Academic Integrity

All Stevens graduate students promise to be fully truthful and avoid dishonesty, fraud, misrepresentation,
and deceit of any type in relation to their academic work. A student’s submission of work for academic
credit indicates that the work is the student's own. All outside assistance must be acknowledged. Any
student who violates this code or who knowingly assists another student in violating this code shall be
subject to discipline.

All graduate students are bound to the Graduate Student Code of Academic Integrity by enrollment in
graduate coursework at Stevens. It is the responsibility of each graduate student to understand and adhere
to the Graduate Student Code of Academic Integrity. More information including types of violations, the

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process for handling perceived violations, and types of sanctions can be found at
www.stevens.edu/provost/graduate-academics.

EXAM ROOM CONDITIONS

The following procedures apply to quizzes and exams for this course. As the instructor, I reserve the right
to modify any conditions set forth below by printing revised Exam Room Conditions on the quiz or exam.

1. Students may use the following devices during quizzes and exams. Any electronic devices that are
not mentioned in the list below are not permitted.
Permitted?
Device
Yes No
Laptops X
Cell Phones X
Tablets X
Smart Watches X
Google Glass X
Other (non-programmable calculator) X

2. Students may use the following materials during quizzes and exams. Any materials that are not
mentioned in the list below are not permitted.

Permitted
Material ?
Yes No
Handwritten Notes X
Typed Notes
X
Conditions: one A4 sheet (front and back)
Textbooks X

Readings X

3. Students are not allowed to work with or talk to other students during quizzes and/or exams.

LEARNING ACCOMODATIONS
Stevens Institute of Technology is dedicated to providing appropriate accommodations to students with
documented disabilities. The Office of Disability Services (ODS) works with undergraduate and graduate
students with learning disabilities, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorders, physical disabilities, sensory
impairments, psychiatric disorders, and other such disabilities in order to help students achieve their
academic and personal potential. They facilitate equal access to the educational programs and
opportunities offered at Stevens and coordinate reasonable accommodations for eligible students. These
services are designed to encourage independence and self-advocacy with support from the ODS staff. The
ODS staff will facilitate the provision of accommodations on a case-by-case basis.

Disability Services Confidentiality Policy

Student Disability Files are kept separate from academic files and are stored in a secure location within the
Office of Disability Services. The Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232g;
34CFR, Part 99) regulates disclosure of disability documentation and records maintained by Stevens
Disability Services. According to this act, prior written consent by the student is required before our

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Disability Services office may release disability documentation or records to anyone. An exception is made
in unusual circumstances, such as the case of health and safety emergencies.

For more information about Disability Services and the process to receive accommodations, visit
https://www.stevens.edu/office-disability-services. If you have any questions please contact: Phillip
Gehman, the Director of Disability Services Coordinator at Stevens Institute of Technology at
pgehman@stevens.edu or by phone (201) 216-3748.

INCLUSIVITY
Name and Pronoun Usage
As this course includes group work and in-class discussion, it is vitally important for us to create an
educational environment of inclusion and mutual respect. This includes the ability for all students to have
their chosen gender pronoun(s) and chosen name affirmed. If the class roster does not align with your
name and/or pronouns, please inform the instructor of the necessary changes.

Inclusion Statement
Stevens Institute of Technology believes that diversity and inclusiveness are essential to excellence in
academic discourse and innovation. In this class, the perspective of people of all races, ethnicities, gender
expressions and gender identities, religions, sexual orientations, disabilities, socioeconomic backgrounds,
and nationalities will be respected and viewed as a resource and benefit throughout the semester.
Suggestions to further diversify class materials and assignments are encouraged. If any course meetings
conflict with your religious events, please do not hesitate to reach out to your instructor to make alternative
arrangements.

You are expected to treat your instructor and all other participants in the course with courtesy and respect.
Disrespectful conduct and harassing statements will not be tolerated and may result in disciplinary actions.

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

The following is a tentative course schedule. Any changes to this schedule will be communicated to you 1)
via class lecture and/or 2) via email. The Canvas shell for this course will always be kept up-to-date so you
can always reference the “Assignments” tab for accurate due dates.

Weeks Topic(s) Readings Assignment

#1: Introduction & Tools Required: None
Jan. 22 - 25 Optional: Ch.1 of Mitchell Book
Ch.1 & 2 of Geron Book
#2: Required: None
Jan. 28 – Feb.1 Linear Regression Optional: Ch.4 of Geron Book
Ch.3 of Bishop Book
#3: Required: Ch.2 of Mitchell Book
Logistic Regression;
Feb. 4 - 8 Optional: Ch.4 of Geron Book Homework #1 due
Concept Learning
Ch.4 of Bishop Book
#4: Required: Ch.3 of Mitchell Book
Feb. 11 - 15 Decision Tree (1) Homework #2 due
Optional: Ch.6 of Geron Book
#5: Decision Tree (2);
Required: Ch.3 of Mitchell Book
Feb. 18 - 22 Ensemble Learning;
Optional: Ch.7 of Geron Book
Random Forests
#6: Support Vector
Feb. 25 – Mar.1 Machine
Optional: Ch.5 of Geron Book Homework #3 due

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#7: Bayesian Learning; Homework #4 due
Mar. 4 - 8 mid-term review Required: Ch.6 of Mitchell Book

#8:
Mar. 11 Mid-term exam

#9:
Mar. 18 - 22 Spring Break

#10: Artificial Neural Required: Ch.4 of Mitchell Book Homework #5 due

Mar. 25 - 29 Networks (1) Optional: Final project proposal due
Ch.10 of Geron Book
#11: Artificial Neural Required: Ch.4 of Mitchell Book
Apr. 1 - 5 Networks (2); Optional:
Ch.10 of Geron Book
#12: Evaluating
Required: Ch.5 of Mitchell Book
Apr. 8 - 12 Hypothesis; Homework #6 due
Optional:
Dimensionality
Ch.8 of Geron Book
Reduction
#13: Instance-Based Homework #7 due
Required: Ch.8 & 9 of Mitchell
Apr. 15 - 19 Learning; Mid-stage project report
Book
Genetic Algorithms due
#14: Deep Belief Network;
Optional:
Apr. 22 - 26 Convolutional Neural
Ch.13 of Geron Book
Networks;
Ch.15 of Geron Book
Autoencoders
#15: Recurrent neural
Apr. 29 – May 3 network; LSTM Homework #8 due
Optional:
Network; Final
Ch.14 of Geron Book
review

#16:
May 6 Final Exam

May 12
Final project report due