CSC9T6 Syllabus

Credits

22 credits at SCQF level 10

Undergraduate Course

Prerequisites

CSC9T4

Learning Outcomes

The student should know and understand:

• The importance of data in organisations, identifying the difference between data and information
• The concept of data mining
• Different techniques that can be used to mine data, with particular emphasis given to the use of Bayesian belief networks
• The role of graphics and visualisation in data mining and data representation
• How reasoning processes can be implemented, to extend stored knowledge
• Different types of information systems and the methods they adopt for knowledge discovery

Transferable Skills

• Understanding of how data is transformed into information
• Good knowledge of information systems in terms of technologies used and their applicability for different tasks
• Knowledge of key data mining techniques

Contents

Bayesian Belief Networks

• Understanding the use of probability information in predicting data values
• Development of Bayesian belief network models
• Hidden Markov models

Data Mining

• An introduction to data mining
• Market analysis and machine learning.
• Statistical and other techniques for data mining.
• Tailoring information systems.
• Importance of data visualization
• Data warehousing concepts

Reasoning Systems

• Data, information, knowledge
• Rule-based systems
• Uncertainty: fuzzy logic, certainty factors
• Case based reasoning

Students should also be able to demonstrate the ability to apply theory and techniques to unseen problems without reference to notes, to work independently and under a time constraint.

Assessment

One assignment worth 50%.
One exam worth 50%

Textbooks

Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques, I.H. Witten and E. Frank. 2nd Edition. Morgan Kaufmann, 2005.

Data Mining Techniques: for Marketing, Sales, and Customer Relationship Management (1st ed 1997 or 2nd ed 2004), MJA Berry and GS Linoff, Wiley (background).

Bayesian Artificial Intelligence, KB Korb and AE Nicholson, Chapman and Hall/CRC, 2004 (background).

Artificial Intelligence: A Guide to Intelligent Systems, 3rd edition (2011), Michael Negnevitsky, ISBN: 1408225743, Addison Wesley (background reading)

Requirements

In order to obtain a pass grade for the unit you must:

• Submit all items of assessed coursework
• Attend the examination.

Non-submission of the assessed coursework will result in the award of No Grade for the module as a whole. Assessed coursework submitted late will be accepted up to five days after the submission date (or expiry of any agreed extension) but the grade will be lowered by one grade point per day or part thereof. After five days the piece of work will be deemed a non-submission, and will result in the award of No Grade for the module as a whole. This rule (regarding coursework) may be relaxed for students who can show good cause for failure to submit. Good cause may include illness (for which a medical certificate or other evidence will be required).

If a student is unable to attend the Main examination, he/she must apply to the Student Programmes Office for a Deferred examination. If a Deferred examination is not granted, then the Examiners may allow a Repeat examination.

Students who obtain a grade 4A, 4B or 4C for the module following the main examination will be eligible for a Repeat examination. The grade awarded following a Repeat examination is capped at 3C.

Attendance

You are expected to attend all lectures, tutorials, and practical classes, in order to derive the maximum benefit from your time at University. It is your responsibility to make the most of the opportunities for education offered to you by the University.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism means presenting the work of others as though it were your own. The University takes a very serious view of plagiarism, and the penalties can be severe (ranging from a reduced grade in the assessment, through a fail grade for the module, to expulsion from the University for more serious, or repeated, offences). See the University guidelines on this at http://www.quality.stir.ac.uk/ac-policy/Misconduct.php

Handbook

You will receive a copy of the Computing Science student handbook. You should read this carefully, particularly the sections on assessment and plagiarism. There is also useful information in there about course structure, which will help you plan your future module choices in Computing. The handbook is also available online at http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/courses/ug-handbook.pdf