Course syllabus

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A. Course Description:

This course deals with computer processing of human languages, including the use of neural networks and deep learning in natural language processing. The topics covered include: regular expressions, words and edit distance, n-grams, part-of-speech tagging, feed-forward neural networks, neural network training, word embedding, convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, sequence-to-sequence models with attention, transformers, context-free grammars, syntactic parsing, semantics, and discourse.

B. Short Syllabus:

Please note that these times and dates are indicative.  Please check Announcements here in Canvas for any updates.

The syllabus was last updated on 24 Mar 2024, to correct the project Final Report deadlines.

Date Description and Optional Readings Deadlines and Mark Weightage
NUS Week 01

What is NLP?
NUS Week 02

Words
NUS Week 03

Language Models
  • Self form mini-teams of size 1–3 for the class project.
  • Thu 1 Feb: Assignment 1 out.
  • Tutorial 1.
NUS Week 04

Text Classification
  • Final Project teams assembled by the CS4248 staff.
NUS Week 05

Connectionist Machine Learning
(Monday Section 2 does Week 05 to Week 10's topics one week later due to CNY holiday)
  • Thu 17 Feb: Assignment 1 due (10%).
  • Thu 17 Feb: Assignment 2 out.
  • Tutorial 2.
NUS Week 06

Embeddings and Ethics
Week Recess
NUS Week 07

Sequences
  • (corrected) Thu 7 Mar: Project Intermediate Update due (5%)
  • Tutorial 3.
NUS Week 08

Encoder–Decoder
  • (extended) Thu 14 Mar: Assignment 2 due (10%)
  • (extended) Thu 14 Mar: Assignment 3 out
  • (corrected) Thu 7 Mar: 1st TEAMMATES Peer Review out.
NUS Week 09

Trees
  • Tutorial 4.
  • (corrected) Thu 21 Mar: 1st TEAMMATES Peer Review due.
NUS Week 10

Transformers

(Friday Section 1 breaks this week due to Good Friday holiday)
  • Thu 28 Mar: Assignment 3 due (10%)
NUS Week 11

Applications
  • Tutorial 5.
NUS Week 12

Recent Developments in NLP:
(Planned: Prompting, Fine-Tuning and In-Context Learning)
NUS Week 13

(No lectures; we miss Week 5 for L2 and Week 10 for L1)
  • Thu 18 Apr: Project Reports due (30%) - extended one day.
  • Thu 18 Apr: 2nd TEAMMATES Peer Review out.
  • Tutorial 6.
Reading Week

 
  • Thu 25 Apr: 2nd TEAMMATES Peer Review due.
Exam Week 1

 
  • Mon 29 Apr 17:00-19:00 Venue MPSH1-B: Final Exam (Open Book, Closed-internet via Examplify).

C. Indicative Assessment Modality:

Please note that the below assessments and modalities are indicative. Please check Announcements here in Canvas for any updates.  The instruction staff will endeavour not to change assessments unreasonably from these indicative settings.  

  • Final Exam: 30%
  • 3 Individual Assignments: 30% (10% each)
  • Group Project: 35% (5% Intermediate Update / 30% Final Report)
  • Lecture, Tutorial, Project, Canvas Participation: 5% 

Total 100%

Course summary:

Date Details Due