FAQ for 10601A/C, Fall 2018

Prof. Roni Rosenfeld

 

Please read carefully to the end before you email me about 10601A/C

Last update: 26 August 2018

 

To accommodate the large number of students wishing to take 10601, in Fall 2018 we will have two online sections. 10601C is the online section corresponding to 10601A (Prof. Rosenfeld), and 10601D is the online section corresponding to 10601B (Prof. Gormley). Each online section is identical to the corresponding non-online section, except instruction is by watching the recorded lectures online. 10601A/C lectures can be watched in real time and/or afterwards. For any restrictions on watching the 10601B/D lectures, consult that course’s website or its staff.

 

 

 

Q: What is the difference between 10-601 and the other “Intro to Machine Learning” classes offered by the Machine Learning Department (10-401, 10-701, 10-715)?

 

See this document.

 

 

Q: What is the difference between the different sections of 10601?

 

In Fall 2018, 10601A/C is taught completely separately from 10601B/D, by separate instructors and TA teams.  While the content will be roughly equivalent, the sections may differ in topic order, teaching style, emphasis, pre-requisites, logistics, assessment methods, etc.

 

Questions about 10601B/D should be sent to the teaching staff for that section. The rest of the answers below pertain specifically to 10601A/C.

 

 

Section A vs. Section C :

 

Q: Other than watching the lectures online, is there any difference between section C and section A?

 

No. For the purpose of assignments, exams, grading, policies, office hours etc., sections A and C will be treated as one joint (and very large) section.

 

Q: I am registered for 10601C. May I attend the 10601A lectures in person?

 

Yes, as long as there are still empty seats in the auditorium at 9:05am. In the past, after the first 1-2 weeks, there were always empty seats, as many students chose to watch my lectures online instead of attending them in person (a practice which, by the way, I do not recommend). If this happens again, sufficient seats will open up quickly.

 

Q: Can I transfer from 10601C to 10601A as places become available?

 

As spots in 10601A become available, we may fill them with 10601C registrants in the order they registered.

 

Q: Am I guaranteed a spot in section C?

 

Section C has Unlimited space for all qualified students.

 

Q: I tried to register for section C but was put on the waitlist, even though I do not have any course conflicts and do not exceed my max units. Didn’t you say I am guaranteed a slot in section C?

 

You are on the waitlist because someone who signed up ahead of you had some course conflict, and was put on the waitlist pending resolution of that conflict. Subsequently, anyone who tries to register will get stuck on the waitlist as well. I don’t like this “feature” of the Wait List, but this is how things are right now. You need to be released from the waitlist manually by our admin. This may take a day or so to happen. But rest assured, your place in section C is guaranteed.

 

 

 

Prerequisites:

 

Q: What are the prerequisites for 10-601A/C?

 

See http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~roni/10601-f18/prerequisites.htm .

 

 

Q: I am missing one of the prerequisites.  May I please register anyway?

 

No.  The prerequisites for 10601A/C are important.  But note that they are stated in terms of experience and skill, not in terms of specific required courses.  You need to determine for yourself if you qualify.  On the other hand, do not assume that because you are smart or hardworking you will be able to make up gaps as needed; many students who made such assumptions, especially with regard to programming experience, got in trouble.

 

 

Q: I am missing one of the prerequisites, but I will take it at the same time as 10601A/C, namely, as if it were a co-requisite.  May I please register anyway?

 

No.  These are pre-requisites, not co-requisites. This is important because fairly early in the semester you will need to rely on many of the assumed skills.

 

 

Q: I am missing one of the prerequisites, but (1) I will take it at the same time as 10601A/C; and (2) I have good, objective reason to believe that this will be sufficient for me to do well in 10601A/C.  May I please register anyway?

 

Maybe.  State your good, objective reason succinctly in an email to ‘roni+10601AC-f18@cs.cmu.edu’ , and attach your undergraduate and graduate unofficial transcripts (including current-semester mid-semester grades, if any).  The subject of your email should be “Request to substitute co-requisite for a pre-requisite (Topic) (FirstName Last Name, andrewid)”.  “Topic” should be one of “Programming”, “Statistics” or “Math”.

 

 

 

Pass/Fail, Formal Audit, Informal Audit (“Vagabonding”), Remote Participation, and Disability Accommodation:

 

Q: Can I take 10601A/C Pass/Fail?

 

Yes, you can, but keep in mind that a Pass may or may not satisfy your degree requirements – check with your advisor first.

 

 

Q: Can I take 10601A/C as a formal ‘Audit’?

 

No, I’m sorry. So many students want to study machine learning that our instructional staff is stretched extremely thin. I simply don’t have the time or manpower to accommodate more.

 

 

Q: May I audit 10601A informally, i.e. just sit in class, without registering?

 

You are very welcome to do that, as long as there are empty seats in the auditorium by 9:10, which I expect will happen within 1-2 weeks of the start of the semester. Otherwise, you are welcome to watch the lectures online.

 

 

Q: I am a CMU student at a non-Pittsburgh campus.  May I register for and take 10601C, since it can be viewed online?

 

I’m sorry, but the answer is ‘no’.  Physical presence in Pittsburgh is needed for the exams, some of the recitations, and the office hours, and is highly recommended for the lectures.  Some semesters, and depending on demand, MLD offers a remote section for the SV campus, but regretfully not this semester (F18).

 

 

Q: Do you have accommodations for Students with Disabilities?

 

If you have a disability and have an accommodations letter from the Disability Resources office, we encourage you to discuss your accommodations and needs with Daniel Bird (dpbird@andrew.cmu.edu) as early in the semester as possible. We will work with you to ensure that accommodations are provided as appropriate. If you suspect that you may have a disability and would benefit from accommodations but are not yet registered with the Office of Disability Resources, I encourage you to contact them at access@andrew.cmu.edu.

 

 

 

 

 

Q: I just read this FAQ carefully but did not find an answer to my question about 10601A/C. Now what?

 

Send a terse email to the Assistant Lecturer, dpbird@andrew.cmu.edu. The first line of the body should be:

 

“I just read carefully the 10601A/C FAQ (version 20180826) but did not find the answer to my 10601A/C question there.”

 

As new questions and answers are added to this document, the version number will be updated, so please be sure to check this FAQ before you send your email.

 

 

 

Thank you for carefully following this procedure. I am sorry that it is necessary – I prefer to interact more personally. Hopefully, this process will reduce the flood of 10601A/C-related email, so I will have time to answer questions that truly require personal attention.

 

Best wishes, and see you in class in late August!

 

Roni

 

_______________________________________________

Roni Rosenfeld

10601A/C Fall 2018 Instructor

Professor and Head, Machine Learning Department

School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University         

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~roni