Semester: Spring 2024
Time: Mondays, Wednesdays, 2:30 pm - 3:45 pm from 01/16/2024 to 05/09/2024
Location: Sid Richardson Building, Room 225
https://teachingchen.github.io/DSC_4320/
Alibek Zhakubayev
Department of Computer Science, Baylor University
Office: Hankamer 330.15
- Email: alibek_zhakubayev1@baylor.edu
- Office Hours: Thursday 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm (Hankamer 330.15 OR via Microsoft Teams, By appointment)
- Homepage: https://alibeklfc.github.io/
Yitong Chen
Department of Computer Science, Baylor University
- Email: yitong_chen1@baylor.edu (Important: When emailing, please add [DSC 4320] at the beginning of the subject line)
- Duties: Gradings (Homeworks, Quizzes, Exams)
As the world continues to be more connected through both physical and virtual means, the amount of information that we are bombarded with as people has increased significantly. This course will cover the science and art behind creating readable graphics called Data Visualization. We will explore the design, techniques, and algorithms used to create effective visualizations based on principles from graphic design, visual art, perceptual psychology, and cognitive science. Students will also learn to evaluate the effectiveness of visualization designs and think critically about each design decision, such as visual encoding.
CSI 2300, Introduction to Data Science.
There is no required textbook, but the following books may serve as useful references for different parts of the course.
- Claus Wilke. "Fundamentals of Data Visualization", ISBN-13: 978-1492031086, link
- Tamara Munzner. "Visualization analysis and design (AK Peters visualization series)", ISBN-13: 978-1466508910, link
- Colin Ware. "Visual thinking for design (Morgan Kaufmann series in interactive technologies)", ISBN-13: 9780961392147, link
- Edward R. Tufte. "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information 2nd (second) edition" link
This course is A-F graded, and the grades are determined based on graded assignments:
- Exams: 25%
- Final Project: 25%
- Homework Assignments: 25%
- Quizzes: 15%
- Randomly given in class.
- Attendance: 10%
- Class attendance is required. Refer to here.
Your final grade will be based on a scale of 100 points:
| A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | D- | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (100-94] | (94-90] | (90-87] | (87-83] | (83-80] | (80-77] | (77-73] | (73-70] | (70-67] | (67-63] | (62-60] | (60-0] |
Homeworks are due by midnight of the due date and are submitted on Canvas. Assignments are graded on a scale of 0 – 100, with a 10 points deduction per day late.
- 1 day late: 10 points deduction
- 2 days late: 20 points deduction
- 3 or more days late: 0 points awarded
No makeup exams and quizzes will be given.
| Lectures | Topics |
|---|---|
| 1 | Course Introduction |
| 2 | Review of Python and Data Mapping |
| 3 | Data Types, Basic Visualization, and Taxonomy |
| 4 | Visualization with Matplotlib, Seaborn, and Animated Transitions |
| 5 | Design Principles |
| 6 | Color Theory and Data Wrangling with Pandas |
| 7 | Perceptual and Cognitive Psychology in Visualization |
| 8 | Introduction to Machine Learning Models |
| 9 | Machine Learning Visualization |
| 10 | High Dimensional Visualizations and Other Visualization Tools |
| 11 | Time Series and Multivariate Data Visualization |
| 12 | Hierarchical Visualizations and Graph Representations |
Plagiarism or any form of cheating involves a breach of student-teacher trust. This means that any work submitted under your name is expected to be your own, neither composed by anyone else as a whole or in part, nor handed over to another person for complete or partial revision. Be sure to document all ideas that are not your own. In addition, you must not provide course materials to other students, whether individually or generally (such as online) that would enable them to gain an unfair academic advantage. Instances of plagiarism or any other act of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Honor Council and may result in failure of the course. Not understanding plagiarism is not an excuse. I expect you, as a Baylor student, to be intimately familiar with the Honor Code at: http://www.baylor.edu/honorcode/
All assignments should be your original work and should not be produced in part or in total with the assistance of artificial intelligence (for example, ChatGPT, Grammarly, or some other resource). Use of artificial intelligence without my explicit permission constitutes a violation of the Honor Code at Baylor University.
Any student who needs academic accommodations related to a documented disability should inform me immediately at the beginning of the semester. You are required to obtain appropriate documentation and information regarding your accommodations from the Office of Access and Learning Accommodation (OALA). Stop by the first floor of Sid Richardson, East Wing in the Paul L. Foster Success Center or call (254) 710-3605 or email OALA@baylor.edu.
I believe every student who has been admitted to Baylor can be successful, and I want to partner with you to help you thrive academically. Be sure to take advantage of the many resources available for academic success, including coming to see me during my office hours. Students who regularly utilize the great resources in the Paul L. Foster Success Center such as tutor 7000 ing, Learning Lab, and Academic Mentoring are among my most successful students. If your academic performance in this class is substandard, I will submit an Academic Progress Report to the Success Center so that the team of coordinated care professionals can ensure that you get the help you need.
I encourage you to visit the University Writing Center (UWC) this semester and get feedback on your writing for this course. Located in Moody Library 2nd floor West, the UWC offers free assistance to you at any stage of the writing process (brainstorming, researching, outlining, drafting, revising, editing). In their feedback, the consultants focus on higher order concerns, such as content, thesis, evidence, and organization, before grammar or style. The UWC tutors will not proofread, edit, or write your paper for you, but they will equip you with a toolbox of strategies to improve your writing, research, and editing skills. Please take the assignment prompt, your paper/text, and other materials you might need with you to your appointment. Please include my name as the professor, and a report will automatically be sent to me after your session. Go to the website Office of VPFA 4 (uwc.artsandsciences.baylor.edu) to schedule an appointment, call the UWC at (254) 710- 4849, or stop by in person.
Baylor University defines a first-generation college student as a student whose parents did not complete a four-year college degree. The First in Line program is a support office for first-generation college students to utilize if they have any questions or concerns. Please check out First in Line, visit us in the Basement of Sid Richardson West Wing or email firstinline@baylor.edu.
Veterans, active-duty military personnel, and dependents are encouraged to connect with the VETS program, a space dedicated to supporting our military-connected students. Please communicate, in advance, if possible, any special circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployment, drill requirements, disability accommodations).
Baylor University is strongly committed to addressing the physical wellbeing and mental health of students by providing access to on-campus healthcare resources. Baylor Health Services includes Primary Care, Psychiatry, Physical Therapy and Pharmacy and is staffed with fully certified and licensed physicians and nurse practitioners, as well as nurses and administrative staff. Appointments may be made by calling their main number or by logging into the health portal located on their website. Contact Information: (254) 710- 1010; Health_Services@baylor.edu.
All Baylor students also have access to medical and counseling services via telehealth in addition to the on-campus services. Medical services include virtual urgent care, psychiatry, and nutrition counseling. Counseling services include 24/7/365 in-the-moment support and ongoing mental health counseling. Access to care is available in the evenings, during weekends, and when the University is closed. All services are free and unlimited to Baylor students. Please visit https://baylor.academiclivecare.com/ for more information.
- The Counseling Center
- Connect with us for an initial appointment, goal-directed individual therapy, group therapy, nutritional counseling, and case management services. You can schedule your 30-minute initial appointment online through our health portal or by calling (254) 710-2467.
- Telehealth by Academic Live Care (ALC)
- Baylor has partnered with Academic Live Care to provide free 24/7 telehealth mental health support, counseling, and even medical care, including psychiatry, nutritional counseling, and more. To get started visit https://baylor.academiclivecare.com/ or call (833) 969-3998 for immediate support or to begin regular counseling appointments.
- Join a mental health peer community - Togetherall
- Students can access the online peer-to-peer mental health resource, Togetherall for anonymous support and resources. Get connected now!
- Suicide Hotline (24 hrs.)
- Call or text # 988 anytime for support.