About the Course/Instructor

CSC 262 -Computer Vision - Weinman

Answers from the questionnaire will be posted here.

1  About the Course

Q:
What is the rough timeframe for getting feedback on assignments?
A:
Early in the course I aim to be extremely prompt. And since the class is small, I expect to have feedback out within 48 hours of the deadline (particularly so you can incorporate it before the next lab is due).
If you have any doubts, I very much welcome consultation on anything about your assignments before the deadline as well!
Q:
Do lab partners change for every lab or weekly?
A:
Every lab.

2  About Me

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3  2024F

3.1  About the Course

Q:
do we have final exam?
A:
No, only two mid-term unit exams.
Q:
Does this class dive into machine learning algorithms... since they go hand in hand with computer vision?
A:
Only a little. As you'll learn, there's a lot more to computer vision than just machine learning.
Q:
What does an example of a lab write up look like?
A:
There is a very condensed version on the course web page. (Yours will have far more deliverables). In addition to the example, you'll want to read the list of qualities of a good lab report.

3.2  About Me

Q:
What parts of computer vision does this class NOT cover which you still find relevant?
A:
Glaringly: "Transformers" have taken over from CNNs (convolutional neural networks) as the model of choice. We don't have time to go over them, but there are lots of tutorials on the web!

4  2022F

4.1  About the Course

Q
I m sure this will be covered later, but I am curious about the format of exams in this class.
A
Briefly, the exams are qualitative, checking to make sure you understand the implications and/or limitations of various approaches and trade-offs. For example, perhaps I'd ask you to compare and contrast the three different models for face recognition discussed on the first class day and Piazza. (E.g., you'd want to highlight that one requires no model of any specific face, and another last can't say it does not recognize a given face but must produce an identity from a closed set of possibilities.)
You will (or should) spend a lot of time making empirical observations about methods, but your knowledge should be supplemented by some theoretical understanding of expected behavior as well.
Q
Can I bring coffee to class?
A
Yes!
Q
The only thing that concerns me is the reading. This also happens in CSC-211 as well. Sometimes when the reading is hard to understand even after repeatedly reading them, I lose my patience quickly and can't remember what I just read. To solve this, from the course syllabus, your recommended way of reading is that firstly, gather all the concepts and main points the author had, then look closely at what those ideas mean and try to understand the math procedure behind it, and lastly, make notes on what we don't understand and ask them during the class. Is my understanding correct?
A
Basically. One qualification I'd add is that I don't want you to spend too much time trying to fully understand all of the mathematics. We'll spend the bulk of our time together in class unpacking the critical questions. Your biggest task is to understand the purpose and motivation of the problem as well as the basic jist of the approach.
Q
Are the random completion-graded labs given the same weight as graded labs?
A
No. See 6.3 Laboratory exercises and write-ups (Grading)
Q
How much multivariable should we review? (i.e. what topics would be useful to relook at from Calc 2?)
A
You'll absolutely want to understand the gradient. We'll talk about the Jacobian later, too.
Q
About figures in lab write-ups, what does axis lables and curve legends mean? I assume this is something we will learn and make use of in the future?
A
If the so-called x-axis represents a year, then it should say "Year". This is an axis label. If one element on that graph is tuition and another element is GDP, then your graph legend ought to include two entries that distinguishes these curves. Matlab will make it easy to do this; you are responsible for doing it.
Q
How are the non-completion-based labs graded? Will there be points counting towards coding style, efficiency, documentation and other similar aspects?
A
Yes, each lab has a list of deliverables. The "submitting" page indicates what documentation is needed (for the few times you'll write a procedure), otherwise good variable names and comments are generally required. Correct spelling and grammar are also expected, whilst you work toward completing the deliverables (often implementations/methods as well as observations).

4.2  About Me

Q
Do you have pets?
A
No. (All of my childhood pets met with freakish accidental demise.)
Q
Have you read any good books recently?
Q
What is your recent favorite book!
A
Ooh, fun! I love reading and being abroad for the summer meant I had to give up my trips to the wonderful Drake Community Library for paper books (I don't read Danish!) and instead use the public library's eBook system. This meant I could catch up on my ever growing list of books the library didn't have in print. One summer highlight was Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. (I didn't know it was made into a film until I read the epilogue.)
Q
How are you Jerod ?
A
After a wonderful summer away, I'm good. Ready to face the day! Thanks for asking.
Q
What's your favorite hobby?
A
Oh, I'm so bad at favorites, so I'll do a Top N list. I enjoy reading (mostly novels), cooking (particularly barbecue), camping with my family (plus corollary outdoors-ey activities), and working in my garden (vegetables and flowers).
Q
What was your favorite thing to do while in Denmark and will you try to do it at Grinnell?
A
Thanks for the fun question! So much of what I enjoyed was tied to place. I loved cycling through the streets and just being in such a beautiful place and atmosphere. I doubt I can reproduce that in Grinnell. We also loved going to Tivoli (an amusement park) each week. Bouncy castles at NSO are about as close as we're going to get (I suppose there's Adventureland nearby, but it won't be an easy metro ride away!). I did eat a lot of smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches) for lunch, so that's could be something I'd replicate here, though I'll miss some of the Scandinavian victuals that will be harder to procure here.

5  2020F

5.1  About the Course

Q:
Can I ask questions specific to labs on Piazza?
A:
Yes. Just don't give away solutions in your questions. (Put another way, make sure what you're asking doesn't violate the collaboration expectations.) If you're ever unsure, feel free to send me your query as an individual email, but know that I may reply, "Please ask on Piazza." I'm not saying that because I thought you didn't read this, but because I'm giving you permission to post your query there.
Q:
I was wondering how different components of the class will factor into our final grades (like what percent do labs make up versus attendance?).
A:
There is only labs. I will use a weighted average.
Q:
I also am a bit confused what you mean by the Average At Least column of grades. Is it to give wiggle room on bumping up the average letter grade of the class? Or rounding up an individual s grade?
A:
Rather than write things like [3.66-4.0] is an A, and 3.42-3.65999999999 is an A-, I'm merely giving the lower end of the grade bracket. (BTW, those ranges are made up. Consult the syllabus for the real numbers I intend to plan to use.
Q:
Is there a final project like previous sections of the class or has that been cut due to the shorter format?
A:
The shorter format just makes it impossible to do a meaningful final project, sadly.
Q:
Why was matlab chosen for this class instead of another language?
A:
It has an excellent standard library for the things we need to do, mathematical expression is economical in code, and (most importantly), it's not just a language, but an environment, and this integrated environment makes it very easy (once you learn how) to investigate and visualize.
Q:
Why did you chose to use MATLAB for this course? What does it offer that Python doesn t?
A:
See above (but also our discussion in lab). I could joke that it offers an extensive licensing fee, but more realistically, I do like how easy it is to create quick visualizations that are meaningful, but also quality professional graphics (which I use for all my published work) as well; that's a nice bonus because it's integrated with my computational workflow. Python is getting better all the time in this regard, but in my own experience, it's still not fully there yet.
Q:
In the submissions instructions, you say not to include names in the write-up. However, at the end of the instructions, you say that a group should include their in their submission. How do we add our names to the submission if they are not on the write-up?
A:
You have to list them as being part of your group; this is submission metadata, it doesn't show up inside your submitted files.
Q:
How can I get an A (straight) in the class? The labs and requirements sound impossible to get an A...
A:
Well, without exams, presentations, and a final project (code + paper), it's arguably much easier to get an A than in a typical offering of this course. (On the flip side, you may have to do a lot more to impress me, which could be important if you're thinking about fodder for letters of recommendation-arguably way more important than your GPA.)
Q:
In the first email you sent, you had said that the course will be entirely inverted. I don't think I get what you were trying to convey. It would be great if you can clarify.
A:
I mean that I won't be delivering lectures during class meetings. Instead, it will be focused lab time. (The gray area is that I'll answer your questions on the reading and/or lecture before you start the lab.)
Q:
- I just want to clarify that there is no exam in our course and all our graded work would be the labs? - Also do we have any final projects?
A:
Labs only. No project.

5.2  About Me

Q:
I m curious what your favorite creative pursuit(s) are.
A:
I play music; while it's been nearly two decades since composing my own songs, I do work out arrangements regularly. I also like cooking, and while when I'm in the kitchen I'm (unsurprisingly) a recipe follower, I participate in the fine art of barbecue, which does leave me some room for creativity.
There is of course the obvious element that I absolutely enjoy designing good software. But I think I spend far too much time trying to make what I consider beautiful and informative graphs for my research papers, so there's something of a creative element there as well.

6  2019S

6.1  About the Course

Q:
Can I build on the work of somebody else for my independent project or I have to make it from scratch? Will I be working in team or individually?
A:
It depends. I want to make sure you're doing enough to create a vision system. Replicating an existing body of work is part of the scientific method (and is a genuine research activity). I encourage groups of two for the project.
Q:
How often will you use Piazza? Or is that more for intra-class discussion on academically honest topics?
A:
I post news notes that I come across (you're welcome to also), but otherwise it's a venue for answering questions.
Q:
Is there a particular editor/IDE for MATLAB that you recommend?
A:
Matlab comes with its own, which is good for stepping and debugging. When I write matlab code, however, I do it in Emacs because that's how my fingers are trained. That said, the built-in Matlab editor does use a lot of emac keyboard shortcuts, so for the most part it should work OK for y'all.
Q:
Are the dates of big assignments and exams likely to change later on in the semester?
A:
I think I've got them pretty well figured out, so "no they're not likely to change", not unless something unexpected comes up or someone tells me about something I did not anticipate.
Q:
On the schedule, what do the due dates correspond to-the readings or the labs?
A:
The due dates listed are for the lab write-up. The "due date" for the reading is the day it's assigned for discussion.
Q:
Do you prefer a particular citation style (MLA, Chicago, APA, etc.)? Is there a standard in academic Computer Science?
A:
There is no standard. Each professional society or publisher tends to use its own .sty file for LATEX. Unfortunately, that means references like [23] get used as nouns, which is terrible practice. Personally, I prefer APA citation style but for coursework I just ask that the author of the work is clear and enough bibliographic information be provided to identify and locate the original.
Q:
Since we can do the write up individually for the lab that we work in group, should each person make their own submission on the Pioneerweb?
A:
Yes, if you complete the write-up separately each should do their own submission. However, it is my sincere hope that you'll complete the work (including the write-up) collaboratively.
Q:
How intense will the course be? How can we get familiar with Matlab fast enough to work on future labs?
A:
My hope is that the pace of the course is about right (oscillating between lab and lecture). You'll get better with Matlab practice, and I try to coach you with background through out the semester in the labs. (I start to leave out specific directions, forcing you to try to remember how to do it, which is the best way to learn!)
Q:
How long do the average write-ups have to be?
A:
Not incredibly long; mostly it's dictated by each lab what is asked for.

6.2  About Me

Q:
What is your favorite color? [insert picture of a ragged old man standing in front of a bridge]
A:
Generally, something in the green family. (No name and quest?)
Q:
What are your thoughts about the future of Computer Science. The major has been gaining immense popularity, do you think this will lead to some sort of bubble-burst or are future jobs going to adapt to this?
A:
I think it will likely take the same pattern as the first two CS boom cycles: An eventual correction, but with a fall to a baseline that was much higher than before the boom. (See Roberts, E. S. (2011), Meeting the Challenges of Rising Enrollments, ACM Inroads 2(3), 4-6., particularly Figure 2).
Q:
What is something about you that you d like me to ask you more about later? Do you have a favorite book (or multiple)?
A:
Thanks for asking. As a parent, I'm always willing to talk about my kids (I think they're hilarious), but I try not to do it unprovoked. :-)
I read a lot of fiction, but Paul Auster is one of my favorite authors. One of my life goals is to keep plodding my way through the Brittannica Great Books collection. Completions of 2018 include Moby Dick, Don Quixote, and I just read Antigone after reading the gripping modern-adaptation Home Fire by Kamila Shamise.
Q:
What is your favorite snack food?
A:
Hm. I'm a compulsive non-snacker. (Because if snack food is around I'll eat it.) That said, my year in Barcelona gave me quite a craving for the wide variety of wonderful tapas, particularly any sort of cured meat and cheese.

7  2012F

7.1  About the Course

Q:
What format will the in class exams be? More of a short answer type, more programming, or both? Or is it possible that has yet to be determined? Will the exams be designed to be completed within the class time or will the exams require students to possible stay late?
A:
Exams will be 50 minutes (in class). No programming, only conceptual questions.

7.2  About Me

Q:
What is your favorite breakfast pastry? (Bagel, doughnut, croissant, scone, etc)
A:
Oooh, that's a tough one. I eat bagels at least a couple of times a week, but I'm not sure that makes them my favorite (only the one I think my diet can sustain). Add lox and you might have a favorite, though!
Q:
How did you spend your time during your academic leave? What projects did you work on?
A:
I was at UMass Amherst doing vision research, submitted a journal article on scene text recognition (with Zach and Dugan) and continued to develop my project on making historical map images searchable for scholars (or the curious).
Q:
How did you get into the field of Computer Science?
A:
I'm not sure there's a complete answer to that. Mostly I'm a guy who likes constructive, logical thinking, solving problems, and building things. There's a certain amount of creativity to the whole thing to, that helps keep me balanced.