LIS7610/CSC7481: Information Retrieval Systems (Fall 2015, Section 01)

Louisiana State University
School of Library and Information Science & Department of Computer Science

LIS7610/CSC7481 - Information Retrieval Systems
Fall 2015 - Section 01

Catalog Description

Principles of organizing and providing access to information using automated information storage and retrieval systems. Retrieval system models, index language selection, data structures, user interfaces and evaluation for text and multimedia applications.

Requirements

MLIS students must have completed, waived, or concurrently registered for LIS 7008 Information Technologies and Systems. CSC students must have completed (or waived) CSC3102 Advanced Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis. Students enrolled in other programs should consult with the instructor to determine whether their academic preparation is appropriate for this course.

Goals

Appreciate the capabilities and limitations of information retrieval systems.
Understand the design and implementation of retrieval systems for text and other media.
Evaluate the performance of an information retrieval system.
Identify current research problems in information retrieval.

Approach

We will develop a general model for information retrieval systems in class, and will then use readings and class discussions to explore how that model can be used as a basis for understanding the design of information retrieval systems for a variety of applications. Homework assignments will be used to explore individual techniques in greater detail. Students will complete a term project in which they will solve a real information retrieval problem with the goal of developing a better understanding of implementation and evaluation issues.

Contact Information

	Instructor	Teaching Assistant
Name	Yejun Wu
Email	wuyj {at} lsu {dot} edu
Office	272 Coates Hall
Phone	(225)578-1489

I am available by appointment to discuss material from class, the readings, homework assignments, the project, etc. Email is the best way to reach me to set up an appointment, and it is also a good way to get a quick answer to a simple question.

Schedule

Day	Time	Activity	Room
Monday	10AM-12PM	Office Hour	272 Coates Hall
Wednesday	11:00AM	Class	Moodle

A syllabus that summarizes what we will cover each week can be found on the class Web site. Students wishing to discuss accommodations for unusual circumstances should contact me before the third class session.

Course Materials

The class Web site at http://www.csc.lsu.edu/~wuyj/Teaching/7481/fa15/ contains the most recent version of all material produced for this course. Among other things, this course description, the syllabus, the reading list, homework assignments, and project information can be found there.

The primary text book for this course is:
W. Bruce Croft, Donald Metzler and Trevor Strohman, 2015. Search Engines: Information Retrieval in Practice.

Recommended (secondary) text:
Baeza-Yates, Ricardo & Ribeiro-Neto, Berthier, 2011. Modern Information Retrieval: The Concepts and Technology behind Search (2nd Edition), New York: Pearson. ($47.28 at Amazon.com)

Grading

Course grades will be assigned based on homework, a term project, and an in-class final examination. With the exception noted below, scores on each component will be combined to produce a single overall score for each student as follows:

Component	Portion of Grade
Class participation	14%
Homework	16%
Project	40%
Final Exam	30%

The course grade and scores for each course requirement (homework assignment, exam, project) will be assigned on a 100 point scale (with 90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D, etc). A letter grade will be assigned to the course grade according to the following policy:

A-: 90-92, A: 93-96, A+: 97-100
B-: 80-82, B: 83-86, B+: 87-89
C-: 70-72, C: 73-76, C+: 77-79
D-: 60-62, D: 63-66, D+: 67-69

The homework assignments are designed to provide an opportunity for students to explore specific topics in a structured way. Students may work together on the homework assignments, but all of the material that is turned in for grading must be produced individually. For example, students may form study groups and work out homework solutions together on a chalkboard or by each working separately on different terminals and then sharing what they have learned, but it would not be permissible for one student to prepare an answer set and then for other students to copy those answers and submit it as their own work.

A term project will be completed by the end of the semester. Students may work individually or in groups. Additional details are provided on the project plan page.

Students with Diabilities

Students wishing to discuss accommodations for unusual circumstances (such as disability issues) should contact me no later than the second week of classes. The Office of Disability Services assists students in identifying and developing accommodations and services to help overcome barriers to the achievement of personal and academic goals. Services are provided for students with temporary or permanent disabilities. Specialized support services are based on the individual student's disability-based need. Students must provide current documentation of their disabilities at the time services are requested. Students should contact the office early so that necessary accommodations can be arranged. Students should report diability issues to the instructor before the third class. Contact:
Office of Disability Services,
111A Johnston Hall, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.
Phone: 225/578-5919; TDD: 225/578-2600; Fax: 225/578-4560
Web: http://appl003.lsu.edu/slas/ods.nsf/index
E-mail: disability@lsu.edu

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Acknowledgment to Doug Oard, Revised by Yejun Wu.