Syllabus

I. Insturctor's Information

Instructor: Dr. Shuang Liu (she/her/hers)

Emails: shl083@ucsd.edu

Office Hour: MW: 9-10:30am AP&M 1121

Lectures: Lecture time: MWF 8:00am-8:50am. HSS 1330.

Attending the in-person lectures and watching the podcast / recording when in-person attendance is not possible is a fundamental part of the course. You are responsible for material presented in the lectures whether or not it is discussed in the textbook. You should expect questions on the exams that will test your understanding of concepts discussed in the lectures.

II. Course Information

Prerequisites: MATH 18 or MATH 20F or MATH 31AH, and MATH 20C. Familiarity with a programming language is very helpful; familiarity with MATLAB would be helpful.

Textbook: The required textbook for this course is Fundamentals of Matrix Computation, by David Watkins; 3rd edition. 2nd edition is acceptable. Note: You are greatly encouraged to read the textbook alongside the lectures and other materials we provide.

III. Discussion Sections

Discussion sections:   Participation in discussion sections is greatly encouraged. Make use of the time that your TAs offer! Attend the discussions to see more examples, work through problems, and talk to your TAs in a small-group setting.

Meeting type	Instructor	Date	Time	Place
Lecture A00	Shuang Liu	MWF	8-8:50 am	HSS 1330
Discussion A01	Yiming Zhang	Tu	4-4:50 pm	APM 5402
Discussion A02	Yiming Zhang	Tu	5-5:50 pm	APM 5402
Discussion A03	Daotong Ge	Tu	10-10:50 am	APM 2301
Discussion A04	Daotong Ge	Tu	11-11:50 am	APM 2301
Office hour	Shuang Liu	MW	9-10:30am	AP&M 1121
Office hour	Yiming Zhang	Thursdays	3-5pm	HSS 4047
Office hour	Daotong Ge	Tuesdays	12-2pm	HSS 5056

IV. Homework Assignments

Homework:  Homework assignments will be posted on Canvas and will be due at 11:59pm on the indicated due date.  You must turn in your homework through Gradescope. A PDF or picture is required to upload; if (and only if) you have clean and neat handwriting, it is permitted to turn in pictures/scans of homework done on paper. Assignments should be in a single PDF file before being uploaded, or as a picture for each question. It is allowed and even encouraged to discuss homework problems with your classmates and your instructor and TA, but your final write up of your homework solutions must be your own work.

Lowest score:   There will be 8 homework sets, but the first one will only be graded for completion. Only the 7 proportionally highest scores will be counted towards your grade.

V. Quizzes

Quizzes:  They will be held at the date and time stated above.

• The quizzes will be run via Canvas. They will be multiple-choice and randomized.
  
• You will have a 24-hour window to start the quizzes; once started, the quizzes will take 30 minutes.
  
• The grades will be posted at the end of the 24-hour window.
  
• You will be allowed to use lecture and discussion session notes, the textbook, and solutions to homework.
• No other notes, textbooks, online resources, software (e.g., MATLAB), calculators, or human help of any kind will be allowed.
• I will try to make the questions as clear as possible; if you do not understand a question, send a private message via Piazza. Please be aware that, depending on when you take the quiz, the instructors and TAs may not be available to answer.
• See the Academic Integrity policies below for additional information.

VI. Exams

Midterm and Final Exams:  Both the midterm and the final will be in-person; the midterm will take place on the date indicated, during the 50-minute lecture time. The final will be administered on the date, and at the place and time indicated in the schedule of classes. The dates are listed in the calendar. There will be no makeup opportunities for either, except in the most serious of circumstances.

• You will be allowed to use a single sheet of notes, 8.5x11 or similar, double-sided, handwritten.
• You will be allowed (but should not need) a scientific calculator (i.e., with one line of display) and only very basic functions.
  
• No other notes, textbooks, resources, calculators, or human help of any kind will be allowed.
• See the Academic Integrity policies below for additional information.
• It is your responsibility to ensure you do not have conflicts  involving the final examination. 

Administrative Links:    Here are two links regarding UC San Diego policies on exams:

• Exam Responsibilities  An outline of the responsibilities of faculty and students with regard to final exams
• Policies on Examinations  The Academic Senate policy regarding final examinations (These are the rules!)

VII. Regrade Policy

Regrade Policy:  

• Your Quizzes will be graded automatically by Canvas, and they are multiple-choice. No regrades will be possible or necessary.  
  
• Your Midterm, Final, and homework will be graded using Gradescope.  You will be able to request regrades directly from your TA or grader through Gradescope for a specified window of time.  Be sure to make your request within the specified window of time; no regrade requests will be accepted after the deadline. Note: Your grader will consider your regrade request only if you have explained clearly, thoroughly, and politely why you think an error in grading was made.

VIII. Grading

Grading: Your cumulative average will be the best of the following two weighted averages:

• 20% Homework,  5% for each of the 3 quizzes,  25% Midterm,  40% Final Exam
• 20% Homework,  5% for each of top 2 quizzes,  25% Midterm,  45% Final Exam
  

Your course grade will be determined by your cumulative average at the end of the quarter. Grading will not be curved. You will need roughly 90% to get A- or above, roughly 80% to get a B- or above, and roughly 60% to get a C- or above. This is guaranteed, meaning that you will not get a worse grade than specified above. However, you will not get a pass (or P) unless you get a C- or above score, so aim for at least 60%.

A+, A, A-	B+, B, B-	C+, C, C-	F
90+	80+	60+	[0,60)

IX. Accommodations:

Students requesting accommodations for this course due to a disability must provide a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter issued by the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) which is located in University Center 202 behind Center Hall. The AFA letter may be issued by the OSD electronically or in hard-copy; in either case, please make arrangements to discuss your accommodations with me in advance (by the end of Week 2). We will make every effort to arrange for whatever accommodations are stipulated by the OSD. For more information, see here.

X. Academic Integrity Policies

UC San Diego's code of academic integrity outlines the expected academic honesty of all students and faculty, and details the consequences for academic dishonesty. The main issues are cheating and plagiarism, of course, for which we have a zero-tolerance policy. (Penalties for these offenses always include assignment of a failing grade in the course, and usually involve an administrative penalty, such as suspension or expulsion, as well.) However, academic integrity also includes things like giving credit where credit is due (listing your collaborators on homework assignments, noting books or papers containing information you used in solutions, etc.), and treating your peers respectfully in class.

Most of the rules governing exams are explained Academic Integrity Policies. Additional rules will be communicated as necessary, with at least 48 hours of advance notice, by email or through Canvas Announcements. Participation in any of the exams implies that you agree to respect all communicated rules.

(Acknowledgement: Special thanks to Professor Ioana Dumitriu for sharing recourses and course policies.)