We thank the generous support of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure for free cloud credits, Intel for curriculum development of the memory mapping module (scaling up algorithms with virtual memory), and Tableau for data visualization software.
The fastest way to get help with homework assignments is to post your questions on Piazza. That way, not only our TAs and instructor can help, your peers can too.
If you prefer that your question addresses to only our TAs and the instructor, you can use the private post feature (i.e., check the "Individual Students(s) / Instructors(s)" radio box).
While we welcome everyone to share their experiences in tackling issues and helping each other out, but please do not post your answers, as that may affect the learning experience of your fellow classmates.
For special cases such as failed submissions due to system errors, missing grades, failed file uploads, emergencies that prevent you from submitting, personal issues, you can contact the staff using a private Piazza post.
TAs plan to hold office hours starting week 2, except on Georgia Tech holidays (e.g., thanksgiving, MLK day, spring break). Each office hour session will be run by at least one TA, and is 1 hour long. See GT’s academic calendar for the full list of holidays (https://registrar.gatech.edu/calendar). We will spread the office hours across weekdays, and across time of the day. We will announce the office hour times.
We will hold office hours via Slack, where the TA running the office hour will be responsive. We will share information about how to join the appropriate Slack group.
Please note that you are always welcome to ask questions on Piazza. Office hours supplement Piazza, and do not replace it.
The amounts of time students spend on this class greatly vary, based on their backgrounds, and what they may already know. Some former students told us they spent about 40-60 hours on each homework assignment (we have 4 big assignments, and no exams), and some reported much less. For example, for the homework assignment about D3 visualization programming, students who are completely new to javascript, css, and html likely will spend significantly more time than their peers who have already tried them before. Some former students who do not have a computer science background found the homework assignments challenging, would take significant time and effort, but were rewarding, fun, and "do-able."
Students have at least 3 weeks to complete each homework assignment. Some students waited until the last week, and could not finish. It is critical to plan ahead and prepare for the significant time needed.
Some programming assignments involve high-level languages or scripting (e.g., Python, Java, SQL etc.). Some assignments involve web programming and D3 (e.g., Javascript, CSS, HTML). For example, an assignment on Hadoop and Spark may require you to learn some basic Java and Scala quickly, which should not be too challenging if you already know another high-level language like Python or C++. It is unlikely that you all know tools/skills needed in the programing tasks, so you are expected to learn many of them on the fly.
Basic linear algebra, probability and statistics knowledge is also expected.
The fall semester 2020 is especially challenging due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a growing awareness of racial inequities. The following information relates to specific services and guidelines for courses during this semester. The most up-to-date information on Covid-19 is on the TECH Moving Forward website and in the Academic Restart Frequently Asked Questions.
Expectations and Guidelines
Each of us has a responsibility to ourselves and our fellow Yellow Jackets to be mindful of our shared commitment.
Additional information is available in the Student Guidebook.
Instructor Illness or Exposure to Covid-19
During the fall 2020 semester, some faculty members may be required to quarantine due to exposure or isolate due to a Covid-19 diagnosis. Some disruption to classes or services is inevitable, but Georgia Tech is making every effort to ensure continuity of operations. As is the case in any semester, faculty may cancel a class if they have an illness or emergency situation and cover any missed material at their own discretion. If an instructor needs to cancel a class, they should notify students as early as possible.
Faculty who are staying home due to symptoms should monitor their health closely and consult with their school chair to determine if remote instruction or substitute instruction is most appropriate for the course. If they need to cancel a class repeatedly, a backup will be supplied in the form of a temporary substitute instructor or asynchronous work. No course will be canceled after the first class has occurred.
If you have not tested positive but are ill or have been exposed to someone who is ill, please follow the Covid-19 Exposure Decision Tree for reporting your illness.
Student Illness or Exposure to Covid-19
During the semester, you may be required to quarantine or self-isolate to avoid the risk of infection to others. Quarantine is the separation of those who have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 but who are not ill; isolation is the separation of those who have tested positive for Covid-19 or been diagnosed with Covid-19 by symptoms.
If you have not tested positive but are ill or have been exposed to someone who is ill, please follow the Covid-19 Exposure Decision Tree for reporting your illness.
During the quarantine or isolation period you may feel completely well, ill but able to work as usual, or too ill to work until you recover.
Remote courses and remote class sessions during hybrid courses. Unless you are too ill to work, you should be able to complete your remote work while in quarantine or isolation.
If you are ill and unable to do course work this will be treated similarly to any student illness. The Dean of Students will have been contacted when you report your positive test or are told that it is necessary to quarantine and will notify your instructor that you may be unable to attend class events or finish your work as the result of a health issue. Your instructor will not be told the reason. We have asked all faculty to be lenient and understanding when setting work deadlines or expecting students to finish work, and so you should be able to catch up with any work that you miss while in quarantine or isolation. Your instructor may make available any video recordings of classes or slides that have been used while you are absent, and may prepare some complementary asynchronous assignments that compensate for your inability to participate in class sessions. Ask your instructor for the details.
CARE Center, Counseling Center, Stamps Health Services, and the Student Center
These uncertain times can be difficult, and many students may need help in dealing with stress and mental health. The CARE Center and the Counseling Center, and Stamps Health Services will offer both in-person and virtual appointments. Face-to-face appointments will require wearing a face covering and social distancing, with exceptions for medical examinations. Student Center services and operations are available on the Student Center website. For more information on these and other student services, contact the Vice President and Dean of Students or the Division of Student Life.
Accommodations for Students at Higher Risk for Severe Illness with Covid-19
Students may request an accommodation through the Office of Disability Services (ODS) due to 1) presence of a condition as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or 2) identification as an individual of higher risk for Covid-19, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Registering with ODS is a 3-step process that includes completing an application, uploading documentation related to the accommodation request, and scheduling an appointment for an “intake meeting” (either in person or via phone or video conference) with a disability coordinator.
If you have been approved by ODS for an accommodation, I will work closely with you to understand your needs and make a good faith effort to investigate whether or not requested accommodations are possible for this course. If the accommodation request results in a fundamental alteration of the stated learning outcome of this course, ODS, academic advisors, and the school offering the course will work with you to find a suitable alternative that as far as possible preserves your progress toward graduation.
The Office of Disability Services offers accommodations for students with disabilities. Please contact the office should you need help.
Academic support, and personal support: Office of the Dean of Students, Counseling Center, Health Serivces, Women's Resource Center, LGBTQIA Resource Center, Veteran's Resource Center, Georgia Tech Police.
All content and course materials can be accessed online. There is no textbook for this course.
All Georgia Tech students have FREE access to https://www.safaribooksonline.com, where you can find a huge number of highly rated and classic books (e.g., the "animal" books) from O'Reilly and Pearson covering a wide variety of computer science topics, including some of those listed below. Just log in with your official GT email address, e.g., jdoe3@gatech.edu.
None, but you should have taken courses similar to those listed in the next section, at Georgia Tech or at another school.
If you are an Analytics (OMS or campus) degree student, you should first take CSE 6040 and do very well in it; if necessary, please also first take CS 1301.
We thank Intel's support in curriculum development for the memory mapping module (scaling up algorithms with virtual memory).
We thank Amazon Educate for providing free cloud credit for Amazon Web Services. We are excited to be am AWS partner university and part of AWS Educate's private beta.
We thank Microsoft Azure's special grant for providing free cloud credit.
We thank Tableau for Teaching program's data visualization software.
Many thanks to my colleagues for sharing their course materials: