NDAK13001U Information Retrieval and Interaction

Volume 2013/2014
Education
MSc Programme in Computer Science
MSc Programme in It and Cognition
Content

The course objective is to offer an advanced introduction into information retrieval and interaction.
The goal is to understand and model how people search for, access and use information, in order to design and evaluate:
(1) reliable retrieval algorithms; and
(2) user interfaces that support the information seeking process.
Through realistic and sound projects, the course aims to stimulate and prepare students for their MSc thesis work.

 

The course will focus on these main questions:

  • How can we design efficient retrieval systems?
  • How can we design effective retrieval systems?
  • How can we study user's interaction with retrieval systems, and use it to evaluate and improve system usability?

Content in detail:

Architecture of an IR system

  • Basic building blocks
  • Crawling, filtering and storing information
  • Ranking with indexes

Information ranking models

  • Probabilistic & machine learning models
  • Complex queries and combing evidence
  • Domain-specific ranking
  • Evaluation and optimisation

User behaviour and interaction

  • Models of information seeking
  • Search user interfaces & query specification
  • Result presentation, personalisation & visualisation
  • Evaluation
Learning Outcome
Knowledge
  • Identify and explain the basic architecture of retrieval systems
  • Identify and explain the basic models and techniques of collecting, storing and ranking information
  • Identify and explain the basic models of the user information seeking process
  • Identify and explain the benefits and drawbacks of different search interface techniques
  • Identify and explain different criteria for information retrieval and interaction evaluation
Skills
  • Students should be able to transfer the above knowledge to real-world tasks by:
  • Designing appropriate strategies for crawling, storing and ranking information
  • Appraising user information seeking models and selecting between search interface strategies
  • Planning and carrying out appropriate evaluations

Competences
  • Ability to explain the basic information retrieval and interaction principles to both laymen and specialists
  • Ability to use standard procedures and practices when designing or implementing information retrieval and interaction solutions
  • Ability to present evaluation analyses and results in a proper format of a written report such that a technically qualified person can follow and obtain similar findings
 

Given a working retrieval system, students should be able to:

  • Diagnose problems in its main information processing and user interaction functions, and
  • Design and calibrate appropriate solutions
The literature consists of seminal research and review articles from central journals and selected papers from peer-reviewed conferences, textbooks and research reports. This is supplemented with practical experience gained through lab sessions.

The literature will be listed in Absalon.
The course will use a combination of lectures, lab sessions, class discussions and student presentations. Where possible, relevant guest lecturers will be involved. Students are expected to come to lectures and lab sessions prepared and to be active in class, as well
as show initiative in their assignments.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 28
  • Practical exercises
  • 57
  • Preparation
  • 14
  • Project work
  • 50
  • Theory exercises
  • 57
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Portfolio
Several elements will be included in the exam, the main ones being:
(i) submission of the student’s own project report, and
(ii) the student acting as opponent in respect of fellow students’ work.
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Criteria for exam assesment
Related to the learning outcomes