6.863J/9.611J Natural Language Processing | Policies | [ Main ] [ About ] [ Assignments] |
This course is discussion and lab oriented. That is, the work of the course is done via active class participation and a series of laboratory exercises. There are no exams, in particular, there will be no final exam. Laboratories will be handed out approximately every two weeks, typically due two weeks later on a Wednesday. The final project will involve an element of nondeterminism, i.e., so-called 'free will', in that you will be able to choose your own project and combine elements from the previous laboratories, or do something completely new. We will get started on the final projects early, since we aim for your team to present your project results in class. For the final project, we will have people work in teams of 2 or 3 (but not more, and at my urging, not fewer - solos are discouraged, but, like all labs, collaboration is encouraged - see below).
The laboratory exercises are designed to be carried out on Athena but equally well on your own computer using the NLTK software package.
TURNING IN THE LABORATORY ASSIGNMENTS
When:
The assignments are due at the close of business day on the due date, i.e., 5PM on the specified date.
How:
Please construct (simple) web pages or pdf files for your lab reports, and email the root URL to me, berwick@csail.mit.edu. Please put in the subject line of your email the following:
"6.863: Laboratory <#>" where the angle brackets are replaced by the corresponding Laboratory number.
ASSIGNMENTS: Reading and response
In addition to the laboratory exercises, we will be assigning a series of short (1-3 page) written assignments, which will be reactions/reflections to questions posted here, or, on occasion, excerpts from papers drawn from the literature. Please email your responses back to me in plain text; also print out a copy to bring to the next class. Typically, we will then discuss your answers as a group during the very next class. Your written responses will be handed in at the end of that class, and your graded papers will be handed back at the next class after the discussion (see the explanation of grading marks below). It is important that you complete these assignments, so that you can participate in the class discussions. These written responses and discussion participation will contribute substantially to your final grade. Please read the description of the grading mark system for these assignments, and the reference on style, which you should endeavor to follow. (These have been gratefully adopted from Professor Winston's course.)
When:
The assignments are due in class on the due date. Typically this will be a Monday. However, we request that you email me (berwick@csail.mit.edu) your write-up at least two hours before the class discussion time, hopefully, over the weekend before that Monday. Please use plaintext or pdf (not .doc files) We expect you to participate in the discussion, jot down any changes you want to make as a result of discussion, and then turn in your written document to me at the end of class.How:
Please email me (berwick@csail.mit.edu) plaintext or pdf files before class as instructed above. Please put in the subject line of your email the following:
"6.863: Reading and response <#>" where the angle brackets are replaced by the corresponding reading and response number.
Grading marks for reading and response assignments
Style guide for reading and response assignments
POLICIES
You have up to 30 (thirty) late days to use up, that can be distributed among your laboratory projects. However, the last project must be turned during the last week of class (5/11-5/15), even if you have not used all of your days by then.
Once you use up your late days, late projects will not earn any points, even though they might be considered in borderline cases for the final grade. Thus try to turn in all projects, even though you might feel they are not to be counted. If you do not turn in a final (joint) project, you will receive an I (incomplete) for the class, and will have to make this up by next term (the incomplete will note that 75% of the coursework has been completed).
Cooperative work and plagiarism
Cooperative work is strongly encouraged; you are free to work together on laboratory assignments. However, aside from the final project, you must write up and turn in your own work. Please write the names of the people with whom you worked at the top of the first page. Exact copies of laboratory reports will not be acceptable. (Something other than your name and those of your co-workers must be different!) The aim of the course (and its pedagogical philosophy) is to learn about computational linguistics. You will learn more if you actually do the laboratory assignments.
GRADING
Laboratory Assignments: 45%
Final Project: 20%
Class participation & 35%
written reading & response assignments
