COMP / ELEC / STAT 502
Spring 2026

Schedule

Additional, highly recommended reading from classis text books is also listed. The references to those are given in the Course materials.
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L11-CompetitiveUnsupervisedLearning.h.pdf
L11.1-Self_Organizing_Maps-EM502.pdf
CF1/5.6-8

No.	Date		Topic		Lecture Notes & Handouts mandatory reading		Homework Upload an electronic copy to Canvas by 12:30pm on the due date, unless otherwise indicated.		Recommended Reading
1	Jan 13		Orientation, Introduction On your own: Review of basics (L2-ReviewOfBasics.pdf). This will help you, along with exercises in HW02, to gauge your preparedness and to catch up on background if needed. Notions / formulae that I collected in Lecture 2 (L2) will come up in various contexts at various times in the course. Alternatively, you can look these up when the time comes :-)		L1-Introduction-502.pdf L2-ReviewOfBasics.pdf CF2/1		HW01 due 1/15. This is a very light (not real) home work. You will only have to submit answers to my survey to assess backgrounds. Do this HW individually. Form HW groups for HW2 and on. We will discuss HW groups in class.		Haykin Ch1 or Ham & Kostanic Ch 1, Ch2.1-3
2	Jan 15		Introduction, orientation, cont'd Train a single PE		L2-ReviewOfBasics.pdf L1.1-Training-a-single-PE.pdf CF2/1, CF2/2		HW02 due 1/24 Part of HW02 problems may be fully graded, others only for turning in and earnestly attempting them. See details in the posted HW02. The exact manner of grading will be determined according to grading help (TBD). The longer time (overlapping with HW03) is given so that HW groups can form and establish their collaboration.		Haykin Ch10 or Cover & Thomas Ch1 and Ch9
3	Jan 20		Associative memory		L4-AssociativeMemory.h.pdf and L4.x files CF1/2				7aykin Ch2.11 or Ham & Kostanic Ch 3.2
4	Jan 22		Associative memory, cont'd		updated L4-AssociativeMemory.h.pdf and L4.x files CF1/2				Haykin Ch2.11 or Ham & Kostanic Ch 3.2
5	Jan 27		Associative memory(wrap-up) Simple Perceptron		updated L4-AssociativeMemory.h.pdf and L4.x files CF1/2 L5-Perceptron.h.part1.pdf CF1/3		HW03		Haykin Ch2.11 or Ham & Kostanic Ch 3.2
6	Jan 29		Simple Perceptron		L5-Perceptrons.h.pdf and L.5x files CF1/3				Ham & Kostanic Ch 2.5-2.6; or Haykin Ch3
7	Feb 3		Preliminary to Multilayer Perceptron Multilayer Perceptron with Back Propagation		L6.0-Train-a-2layer-network.h.pdf L6-MultiLayerPerceptron.h.part1.pdf CF1/4		Recommended: experiment with Jesse Hellem's HW03 code after you are done with your HW03. Nothing to turn in, just enjoy running it and exploring limits with the characters.ascii data set (all letters plus 10 digits). Code will be available from after the late HW03 deadline passed, on Feb 7		Ham & Kostanic Ch 3.3.1; or Haykin Ch4.1-4.4
8	Feb 5		Multilayer Perceptron, cont'd Issues With Backprop		L6-MultiLayerPerceptron.h.pdf L7-IssuesWithMLPs.h.part1.pdf CF1/4		HW04 Part I due Feb 11 This is Part I of HW04. Part II will post on Feb 11 and will be due on Feb 19 (so two weeks for HW04 altogether). We will give you feedback on Part I before Part II is due and, in addition to using the feedback to imrpove Part II, you will have a chance to revise and resubmit Part I along with Part II. See details with the Assignment in Canvas.		Ham & Kostanic Ch 3.3.1; or Haykin Ch4.1-4.4
9	Feb 10		Issues With Backprop: Scaling, convergence, performance monitoring Matrix BP; practical items (time permitting)		L7-IssuesWithMLPs.h.pdf L7.1-Vector-matrix-BP.h.pdf L7.0x-HW04_sample-plots_xxx.pdf sample plots L7.3_Sample-parameter-table_502.pdf CF1/4				Ham & Kostanic Ch 3.3.2 - 3.3.7; or Haykin Ch4.5-4.8
	Feb 12		NO CLASS, Spring recess				HW04 Part II due Feb 19 Part I will have to be re-submitted together with and Part II, with optional revision to Part I. See details with the Assignment(s) in Canvas.
10	Feb 17		Issues With Backprop: More practical items; cross-validation TBA		L7-IssuesWithMLPs.h.pdf L7.1-Vector-matrix-BP.h.pdf L7.2-BP-practical-items.h.pdf L7.0x-HW04_sample-plots_xxx.pdf samples L7.3_Sample-parameter-table_502.pdf				Ham & Kostanic Ch 3.3.2 - 3.3.7; or Haykin Ch4.5-4.8
11	Feb 19		Cross-validation; Network Pruning: Optimal Brain Damage and Optimal Brain Surgeon		L7.4-Cross-validation.h.pdf L9-NetworkPruning.pdf L9.1-note_OBS-derivations.pdf L9.2-RecursiveEvaluation-of-InverseHessian.pdf		HW05 due Feb 26 (BP application exercises including cross-validation)		Haykin Ch 4.15 pp 222 - 226
12	Feb 24		Finish Network Pruning; Unsupervised learning. Competitive learning: SCL, SOM				Ham and Kostanic Ch 4.1-4.2; or Haykin CH9.1-6
13	Feb 26		Competitive learning: SOM, cont'd; visualization, interpretation		L11-CompetitiveUnsupervisedLearning.h.pdf update of L11.1-Self_Organizing_Maps-EM502.pdf CF1/5.6-8		HW06 due March 7; Review PCA in preparation for PCA networks on March 10. PCA material in Canvas, in Supplements/PCA-Ham&Kostanic-pp396-399.pdf or in any other standard text		Ham and Kostanic Ch 4.1-4.2; or Haykin CH9.1-6
14	Mar 3		QUIZ1 Material up to (including) Feb 24 Competitive learning, cont'd
15	Mar 5		Competitive Learning SOM visualization, case studies		L11-CompetitiveUnsupervisedLearning.h.pdf L11.2-Self-organized-hand-RitterSchulten.pdf CF1/5.6-8				Ham and Kostanic Ch 4.1-4.2, 4.3, Haykin CH9.1-6
16	Mar 10		Competitive Learning SOM visualization, case studies, wrap-up. Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ)		L11-CompetitiveUnsupervisedLearning.h.pdf L11.2-Self-organized-hand-RitterSchulten.pdf L11.3-CompetitiveSupervisedLearning.LVQ.h.pdf L11.3-LVQ_illustration.pdf CF1/5.6-8				Ham and Kostanic Ch 4.1-4.2, 4.3, Haykin CH9.1-6
17	Mar 12		Discussion of HW06 issues Plans for the rest of the semester; Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) SOM case studies for complex, large, real data		L11-CompetitiveUnsupervisedLearning.h.pdf L11.3-CompetitiveSupervisedLearning.LVQ.h.pdf L11.3-LVQ_illustration.pdf Canvas/Files/Logistic Items/NML502-schedule.21Feb - 21Mar.2026.pdf		Exam 1 opens at about 8pm today in Canvas. Exam 1 information is posted here, and more details will be given with the Exam in the Canvas instruction box. Approximate schedule is as below. Material for midterm: up to (including) March 5 and HW06 exercise. You will have a 36-hour allowance that you can spend in multiple sittings within the opening time and due date/time of the exam. Exam 1 is due when your 36 hours have been spent, but no later than 11:30am on March 15, whichever comes first. No extension, no exceptions.		Ham and Kostanic Ch 4.1-4.2, 4.3, Haykin CH9.1-6
			Project proposals are due in Canvas at 10pm, Monday, Mar 23. Try to make this deadline (fall back to the late deadline ony if absolutely necessary) because I have to read the proposals in order to discuss with you on Tue, Mar 24 (see below). Please be sure to follow the Course Project requirements . I set up project groups in Canvas based on my meetings with you All last week. Please check and confirm your project group no later than 8pm, Sat, March 21 (email me the names of group members if different from what you see in Canvas/Project Groups) so I can finalize the project proposal groups for uploading your proposals. Project groups can be the same as the HW groups, or different. DO NOT upload proposals as HW groups.
	Mar 14 - Mar 22		SPRING BREAK, no classes :-)				Enjoy!
18	Mar 24		Project Proposal reviews, in my office, starting at 1:00pm, continuing through the class period and through my office hour as needed.				Please set up a 30-min meeting with me for Tue, Mar 24 between 1:00pm and 5:30pm. Email me your request for a time slot. First come, first served. Come as a group. By this meeting I will have read your Project Proposal and will give you feedback, based on which you may need to do a revision. You will be able to start working on your Project as soon as I approve you Proposal.
19	Mar 26		LVQ wrap-up Unsupervised learning: Oja's PCA net, GHA net		L10-whiteboard.PCAillustration.pdf L10-UnsupervisedLearning-PCAnets.pdf CF2/3 For a review of PCA (Principle Component Analysis), see Canvas, Files/Supplements/PCA-Ham&Kostanic-pp396-399.pdf or any other standard text		HW07 due Apr 2. See further instructions with the Assignment. This is an easy and short HW, our last!		Ham & Kostanic Ch 9.1-9.3.4; Haykin CH8.1-5

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