CS49000-VIZ - Fall 2020
Syllabus

Course Information

Course Name: CS49000-VIZ LEC (in person), CS49000-002 DIS (online)
CRN: 22085 (in person), 26053 (online)
Credit Hours: 3
Time: T/R 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Location: Wilmeth Active Learning Center B091 (until Nov 24)
Brightspace: CS49000-VIZ MERGE

Instructors Contact Information

Instructor Xavier Tricoche
Office: LWSN 3154P
Office Hours: Tuesdays / Thursdays 11:00am - 12:30pm on WebEx, and by appointment
Email: xmt@purdue.edu
TA: Chris May
TA Email: may5@purdue.edu
TA Office Hours: TBA

Course Description

Unfathomable amounts of data are now constantly produced and collected in all aspects of human activities. While computational approaches can automatically search for increasingly complex features in this data, actual insight often requires the active involvement of humans in the analysis loop where their cognitive and inference abilities are invaluable. Visualization, in other words computer-generated interactive visual data representations, plays a crucial role in this context, by affording the analyst a powerful basis for interpretation, discovery, and decision making. In addition, visualization allows one to communicate data to non-specialist audiences in an intuitive and engaging way.


The course offers an introduction to the fundamental principles, design strategies, and techniques needed to visually communicate, explore, and analyze data. The course focuses primarily on the visual representations of inherently non-spatial data (e.g., tables and spreadsheets, graphs and networks, trees, text, time series, etc...) We will also consider a few fundamental spatial visualization techniques. The lectures will introduce a general methodology to design effective visualizations. They will also feature the most prominent information visualization techniques and analyze their strengths and limitations in practical scenarios. Students will gain hands-on experience by visualizing real world datasets using advanced visualization software and open source libraries. The course material is self-contained and no graphics background is required.

Textbook

Visualization Analysis and Design by Tamara Munzner
AK Peters Visualization Series, CRC Press, Nov. 2014.

(Required)
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Prerequisites

The course is intended for senior undergraduate with good programming experience. In particular, basic command of Python (or, alternatively, Javascript) is assumed. No graphics background is required.

Assignments

There will be 5 assignments in total: 4 programming assignments and an additional design-only assignment. Each assignment will consist in creating an interactive visualization of a particular dataset using the techniques and design principles seen in class. Examples of possible application topics for projects include public statistics, healthcare, business, security, biology, science, etc... All assignments must be completed individually!

Software

To complete their assignments, the students will implement their visualization solution in Python (e.g., using Bokeh, matplotlib, pyplot, or seaborn) or in Javascript using D3. In both cases, the resulting visualization will be expected to run across platforms. One project will use Tableau, an industry standard visualization product that can be either acquired through ITaP or accessed online without license through Tableau Public.

Final Project

The final project (to be completed individually or in teams of 2 students) will tackle a nontrivial visualization problem, propose and implement an effective solution, and discuss and justify the design choices made on the basis of the material studied in class. The final project is an important part (20%) of the overall grade in this course and it will be completed over a 4-week period. Final project proposals will be submitted in writing for approval 2 weeks before the start of the project. Each final project will be presented and demonstrateed online during the last week of the semester (Nov 29 - Dec 5). Students are encouraged to find and select datasets that closely match their research or personal interests.

Evaluation

The final score in this course will be computed as follows:

Lateness Policy

Projects are to be electronically submitted by the due date listed on the project description page and on Brightspace. Each student is allowed five (5) extension days that can be applied, without penalty, to any combination of projects during the semester. After that a late penalty of 20% per day is assigned. Use of a partial day is counted as a full day. Use of extension days must be stated explicitly in the subject line of an email sent to the instructor, otherwise late penalties apply. Extensions do not apply to the final project. Extension days cannot be rearranged after they are applied to a submission. Projects will NOT be accepted if they are more than five days late (regardless of whether extension days are applied to that particular assignment or not). Additional extensions will only be granted in exceptional cases (e.g., serious and documented medical or family emergencies) or in the event of a university-wide disruption due to COVID-19.

Midterm Exam

Format

Material

Course Schedule

A tentative schedule is available here.

Course Policies

Refer to Gene Spafford’s web page. The principles and rules described therein apply to this course.

Course Resources

Counseling

If you find yourself struggling to find a healthy balance between academics, social life, stress, etc. sign up for free one-on-one virtual or in-person sessions with a Purdue Wellness Coach at RecWell. Student coaches can help you navigate through barriers and challenges toward your goals throughout the semester. Sign up is completely free and can be done on BoilerConnect. If you have any questions, please contact Purdue Wellness at evans240@purdue.edu.

In addition Purdue provides counseling services through the Purdue Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Center. You can see an overview of the various resources available here.

Campus Emergencies

Please refer to the information provided here about Emergency Notification Procedures, Emergency Response Procedures, as well as Emergency Preparedness Awareness.

Academic Guidance when Quarantined/Isolated

If you become quarantined or isolated at any point in time during the semester, in addition to support from the Protect Purdue Health Center, you will also have access to an Academic Case Manager who can provide you academic support during this time. Your Academic Case Manager can be reached at acmq@purdue.edu and will provide you with general guidelines/resources around communicating with your instructors, be available for academic support, and offer suggestions for how to be successful when learning remotely. Importantly, if you find yourself too sick to progress in the course, notify your academic case manager and notify me via email or Brightspace. We will make arrangements based on your particular situation. The Office of the Dean of Students (odos@purdue.edu) is also available to support you should this situation occur.

Attendance Policy during COVID-19

Students should stay home and contact the Protect Purdue Health Center (496-INFO) if they feel ill, have any symptoms associated with COVID-19, or suspect they have been exposed to the virus. In the current context of COVID-19, in-person attendance will not be a factor in the final grades, but the student still needs to inform the instructor of any conflict that can be anticipated and will affect the submission of an assignment or the ability to take an exam. Only the instructor can excuse a student from a course requirement or responsibility. When conflicts can be anticipated, such as for many University-sponsored activities and religious observations, the student should inform the instructor of the situation as far in advance as possible. For unanticipated or emergency conflict, when advance notification to an instructor is not possible, the student should contact the instructor as soon as possible by email, through Brightspace, or by phone. When the student is unable to make direct contact with the instructor and is unable to leave word with the instructor’s department because of circumstances beyond the student’s control, and in cases of bereavement, quarantine, or isolation, the student or the student’s representative should contact the Office of the Dean of Students via email or phone at 765-494-1747. Our course Brightspace includes a link on Attendance and Grief Absence policies under the University Policies menu.

Classroom Guidance Regarding Protect Purdue

The Protect Purdue Plan, which includes the Protect Purdue Pledge, is campus policy and as such all members of the Purdue community must comply with the required health and safety guidelines. Required behaviors in this class include: staying home and contacting the Protect Purdue Health Center (496-INFO) if you feel ill or know you have been exposed to the virus, properly wearing a mask in classrooms and campus building, at all times (e.g., mask covers nose and mouth, no eating/drinking in the classroom), disinfecting desk/workspace prior to and after use, maintaining appropriate social distancing with peers and instructors (including when entering/exiting classrooms), refraining from moving furniture, avoiding shared use of personal items, maintaining robust hygiene (e.g., handwashing, disposal of tissues) prior to, during and after class, and following all safety directions from the instructor. Students who are not engaging in these behaviors (e.g., wearing a mask) will be offered the opportunity to comply. If non-compliance continues, possible results include instructors asking the student to leave class and instructors dismissing the whole class. Students who do not comply with the required health behaviors are violating the University Code of Conduct and will be reported to the Dean of Students Office with sanctions ranging from educational requirements to dismissal from the university. Any student who has substantial reason to believe that another person in a campus room (e.g., classroom) is threatening the safety of others by not complying (e.g., not wearing a mask) may leave the room without consequence. The student is encouraged to report the behavior to and discuss next steps with their instructor. Students also have the option of reporting the behavior to the Office of the Student Rights and Responsibilities. See also Purdue University Bill of Student Rights.

Nondiscrimination

Purdue University is committed to maintaining a community which recognizes and values the inherent worth and dignity of every person; fosters tolerance, sensitivity, understanding, and mutual respect among its members; and encourages each individual to strive to reach his or her own potential. In pursuit of its goal of academic excellence, the University seeks to develop and nurture diversity. The University believes that diversity among its many members strengthens the institution, stimulates creativity, promotes the exchange of ideas, and enriches campus life. More details are available on our course Brightspace table of contents, under University Policies.

Accessibility

Purdue University strives to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, you are welcome to let me know so that we can discuss options. You are also encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center at: drc@purdue.edu or by phone: 765-494-1247. More details are available on our course Brightspace under Accessibility Information.