Department of Computer Science and Technology

Course pages 2017–18

Interaction with machine learning

Formal assessment

Formal assessment will be based on two pieces of work, to be submitted at the end of term:

  • Mini-project report, in the format of research paper (80%)
  • Reflective diary, consisting of 8 weekly entries plus a final summary, documenting the development of your own thinking over the period of the course (20%)

The assessment criteria for the reports will be the standard criteria applied across the MPhil ACS:

  • 90-100% - Original interpretation extending beyond taught material.
  • 80-89% - Demonstrates significant insight or creativity.
  • 75-79% - Demonstrates critical thought and insight.
  • 70-74% - Clearly presented. Evidence of understanding, but may contain some faults. Execution basically good
  • 60-69% - Adequate presentation, lacking clarity or detail in places, or containing irrelevant material. Mostly demonstrates understanding, but with occasional mistakes.
  • 50-59% - Somewhat incoherent, with important omissions, or irrelevant material. Some serious flaws in understanding.
  • 40-49% - Work is poor and unstructured, with some parts missing. Little evidence of understanding, many inconsistencies and flaws.
  • 30-39% - All aspects have been handled badly. Assigned work is substantially absent, incomprehensible or wrong. Little evidence of understanding, but at least mentions most of the relevant ideas.
  • 20-29% - Almost total failure to engage with task. Assigned work is substantially absent, incomprehensible or wrong. Some reference to relevant ideas, but many are entirely missing.
  • 0-19% - No evidence of any understanding. Marks may be given for presentation.

Continuous feedback

In addition to these summative assignments, students may submit draft versions to the Graduate Education Office, for written provisional grades and oral feedback during class sessions.

Work for provisional grading and discussion during class sessions should be submitted to the graduate education office by noon on that day.

  • Week 1 - no submitted work
  • Week 2 - 200 word summary of research question + sample of reflective diary entry
  • Week 3 - 400 word description of study design
  • Week 4 - further example of reflective diary entry
  • Week 5 - 400 word draft of literature review for final report
  • Week 6 - 200 word draft of introduction to final report
  • Week 7 - 400 word draft of results section for final report
  • Week 8 - 200 word draft of discussion section for final report

Provisional grades will be given to this draft work, to provide an indication of how these elements would be assessed if they appeared in the final formal submission. These grades are only for information - the final piece of work is also expected to demonstrate a coherent research argument, so the grade may not simply correspond to an average of grades received for individual draft submissions.

  • A+ excellent, consistent with final grades in range 85-100
  • A very good, consistent with final grades in range 75-85
  • B good, consistent with final grades in range 70-80
  • C acceptable, consistent with final grades in range 60-70
  • D disappointing, consistent with risk that a pass grade will not be achieved
  • E unacceptable, consistent with fail