This unit presents students with the theory and practice underlying computerised information retrieval. Topics covered include: history and context of information retrieval systems, retrieval models: Boolean, vector space and probabilistic, evaluation strategies and test collections, web search engines, very large databases, indexing, content-based multimedia retrieval, relevance feedback.
2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs laboratories/wk
Students will be expected to spend a total of 12 hours per week during semester on this unit as follows:
For MAIT students: FIT9017, FIT9018, FIT9019, FIT9020, FIT9030 and FIT4037
Recommended knowledge: Basic familiarity with file organisation theory and UNIX. Basic linear algebra and calculus skills are required, as is the ability to program in Java or C (or a comparable 3GL).
Campbell Wilson
Michael Niemann
Viranga Ratnaike
At the completion of this unit students will:
Examination (2 hours): 50%; In-semester assessment: 50%
| Assessment Task | Value | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| Practical Assignment | 25% | Week 9 |
| Research Report | 25% | Week 12 |
| Examination 1 | 50% | To be advised |
Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through SETU, Student Evaluation of Teacher and Unit. The University's student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.
For more information on Monash's educational strategy, and on student evaluations, see:
http://www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/directions.html
http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html
If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to
https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp
Recommended reading will be provided during the lectures as appropriate.
| Week | Activities | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | This schedule is subject to change, please refer to Moodle for updates. | No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0 |
| 1 | Introduction | |
| 2 | Indexing, lexical analyses and the Boolean model | |
| 3 | Vector space model | |
| 4 | Web search | |
| 5 | Vector space model II/Latent Semantic Indexing | |
| 6 | Probabilistic models | |
| 7 | Relevance feedback and text classification | |
| 8 | Collaborative filtering | |
| 9 | Content-based image retrieval | Assignment 1: Practical Assignment due Week 9 |
| 10 | Discussion class | |
| 11 | Evaluation | |
| 12 | Advanced topics | Assignment 2: Research Approach due week 12 |
| SWOT VAC | No formal assessment is undertaken in SWOT VAC | |
| Examination period | LINK to Assessment Policy: http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/ academic/education/assessment/ assessment-in-coursework-policy.html |
*Unit Schedule details will be maintained and communicated to you via your MUSO (Blackboard or Moodle) learning system.
To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:
If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit
Please ask lots of questions during lectures and tutorials. You won't be assessed on the quality of your questions, but you will get a lot more out of the unit!
It is a University requirement (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-procedures.html) for students to submit an assignment coversheet for each assessment item. Faculty Assignment coversheets can be found at http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/. Please check with your Lecturer on the submission method for your assignment coversheet (e.g. attach a file to the online assignment submission, hand-in a hard copy, or use an online quiz).
Submission must be made by the due date otherwise penalties will be enforced.
You must negotiate any extensions formally with your campus unit leader via the in-semester special consideration process: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html.
Referencing should follow the IEEE style.
Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University's academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them.
You can find Monash's Education Policies at:
http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html
Key educational policies include:
The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at www.monash.edu.au/students The Monash University Library provides a range of services and resources that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. Students who have a disability or medical condition are welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to discuss academic support services. Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis
Recommended reading will be provided during the lectures where appropriate.