Homework Policies and Resources
There will be five homework assignments, each due at least one week after it is handed out. Homework problems will explore applications of machine learning using Python, supported by mathematical derivations and analysis. We will drop your lowest homework score, and average the scores of the other four homeworks equally, to determine an overall homework score. Homeworks must be submitted electronically via gradescope Links to an external site..
Formatting Homework Solutions
Your answers to all questions, including all Python source code, must be included in a single pdf document. We recommend that you use a Jupyter notebook to create this pdf. Number your answers by question and part using the same order as in the handout. Result plots must be submitted as figures in the same pdf as your other answers, not as separate files.
The graders will look at your code to assess correctness and give partial credit, but they will not execute it. Even if a question involves programming, we should be able to find your answers to all parts in the solution pdf, not solely in the source code. If we ask you to report a number that your code computes, it should go in the solution pdf. Code comments are encouraged to improve readability and show your work, but should not be used to report the result of executing that code. Remember to show your work clearly, and make it easy for the graders to check your work!
Submitting Homework Solutions
To submit your homework for grading you must upload to gradescope, not Canvas. Gradescope requires your solutions to be contained in a single pdf, so you must export or print to pdf from whatever program(s) you use to prepare your answers. Our Python resources page has instructions for exporting Jupyter notebooks as pdf files (the obvious menu options may not work well). Note that many pdf viewers include an option to concatenate multiple pdf documents into a single, longer document.
Late Submission Policy
Homework assignments are due by 11:59pm on the posted due date. Your answers may be submitted up to 4 days late (by 11:59pm, 96 hours after the deadline); after this point, solutions will be distributed and handins will no longer be accepted. We do not deduct points for submissions that are (less than 4 days) late. But to encourage you to keep up with the material presented in lecture, for each homework that is submitted on time, you will receive 1 bonus point (out of a maximum of 100) on the score of the next exam.
Exceptions to this policy are only given in very unusual circumstances, such as documented family or medical emergencies, and any extensions must be requested in advance by e-mail to the instructor.
Collaboration and Academic Honesty Policy
Students are encouraged to discuss and work on homework problems in groups. However, each student must write up their solutions independently, and do any required programming independently. You may not directly copy solutions or code from other students, or from materials distributed in previous versions of this or other courses. You may not make your solutions available to other students: files in your home directory may not be world-readable, and you may not post your solutions to public websites or repositories.
Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and has serious consequences at the University of California, Irvine. It is each student's responsibility to know and follow these guidelines, as well as the UCI ICS School Policy on Academic Honesty.
Homework Grading
Homework grades will be distributed via gradescope, with a rubric indicating why points were deducted. If you would like to dispute the points you received for some assignment, do so by using the regrade request function on gradescope. We will only allow regrade requests for one week after the date that grades are returned.
Resolving regrade requests may require discussion among the course staff, so please be patient. Certainly do tell us about cases where a correct answer was missed or given only partial credit. If your answer is partly correct and you received partial credit, we are unlikely to change the amount of partial credit.
We will only consider regrade requests submitted via gradescope, and the course staff will not discuss homework grading during office hours or on Piazza. If you have significant concerns about your overall course standing, please arrange an individual meeting with the instructor.