Course components

Seminars

Slides of lectures will be made available via links on this website. Recordings will be available via Learn.

Each lecture/seminar will 1-2 required readings, named on this website (exceptionally provided on Learn). Do the reading before the seminar and write a short portfolio entry (details below).

Required Background

The course assumes knowledge of cognitive science and, by the second semester, knowledge of probability theory (discrete and continuous univariate random variables, expectations, Bayes rule), basic linear algebra (vectors/matrix multiplication, orthogonality, eigenvectors), statistics (linear/logistic regression) and model evaluation as would be acquired in Computational Cognitive Science.

Data visualisation and programming experience will be useful but there is no required programming.

Assessment

The assessment for this course consists of:

• a portfolio of weekly brief (~100-200 words), engagement responses to readings and in-class discussions (30%);
• an essay in first semester (40%); and
• a presentation in the second semester (30%).

Students will also be required to make a presentation in the first semester and will be provided feedback.

Communication

When you sign up for the course, you will have access to:

• this website: the one place to find it all;
• the Learn page of the course: links to copyrighted readings; and announcements used for all essential communication;

We will use Piazza forum for the course (link in the header):

• you can use it to post questions about the course content;
• the main purpose is peer support and discussion: students discuss course material and help each other;
• lecturers and TAs lightly moderate the discussion and contribute.

Policies

Collaboration policy

Individual assignments must be completed individually, you may not directly share or discuss answers / code with anyone other than the instructors and tutors. You are welcome to discuss the problems in general and ask for advice.

Academic integrity

The University takes academic misconduct very seriously and is committed to ensuring that so far as possible it is detected and dealt with appropriately. Find out more about the University’s official policies around academic misconduct here.

Cheating or plagiarising on assignments, lying about an illness or absence and other forms of academic dishonesty are a breach of trust with classmates and faculty, violate the University policies, and will not be tolerated. Such incidences will result in a 0 grade for all parties involved. Additionally, there may be penalties to your final class grade along with being reported to the School Academic Misconduct Office.

Late work, extensions, and special circumstances

All work is due on the stated due date. Due dates are there to help guide your pace through the course and they also allow us (the course staff) to return marks and feedback to you in a timely manner. However, sometimes life gets in the way and you might not be able to turn in your work on time.

• Extensions: The University has an extension policy whereby you can request an extension for any assignments where late work is accepted. If your extension request is approved, you can turn in the assignment late and not incur the late penalty. You can request an extension for the essay. To request an extension you must visit the Extensions website and Apply for an extension there. Note that decisions are made by an external committee, not the course teaching staff, so requests for extensions must go through this form and not through course organisers and tutors.

• Special circumstances: You can think of special circumstances as one level above an extension request, where there is a documented reason why you’re unable to complete any assignment in the course. Special circumstances decisions are made at the end of the semester by an external committee. To request a special circumstances waiver you must visit the Special Circumstances website and Apply for special circumstances there.

If you’re not sure whether your personal circumstance should be filed under an extension or special circumstances, we recommend you reach out to your Cohort lead and/or Student Support Team (inf-sst@inf.ed.ac.uk).

Diversity & inclusion

It is our intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that the students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is our intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let us know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups.

Furthermore, we would like to create a learning environment for our students that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and honours your identities (including gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture). To help accomplish this:

• If you have a name that differs from those that appear in your official University of Edinburgh records, please let us know!
• Please let us know your preferred pronouns.
• If you feel like your performance in the class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, please don’t hesitate to come and talk with us. We want to be a resource for you. If you prefer to speak with someone outside of the course, your personal tutor or cohort lead is an excellent resource.
• We (like many people) are still in the process of learning about diverse perspectives and identities. If something was said in class (by anyone) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to us about it.

Note: If you’ve read this far in the syllabus, email Neil a picture of a cute animal with the subject line “I have read the syllabus!”.

Do I need to pass the assignments to pass the course?

No – you will pass if (and only if) your combined mark is above 40%.

Can I get an extension for an assignment?

For the portfolio, there are no extensions. You can miss 5/20 entries per semester, no questions asked.

For the presentation, there are no extensions. If you are ill, you get one chance to reschedule. That said, special circumstances happen and are handled by the ITO.

For the essay, the ITO is responsible for granting extensions. They can grant extensions that are requested BEFORE the assignment deadline.

For more information, see the school’s guidance on late coursework and extension requests.

I accidentally submitted the wrong file(s) for an assignment. Can I send you the correct file after the deadline?

If you submitted a partially complete assignment before the deadline, that is what will be marked. If you submitted an empty assignment or the wrong file before the deadline, you can submit after the deadline but it will be treated as a late submission. After you submit an assignment, download and open what you submitted to be sure you submitted the correct file.

Do we have to buy any books?

No.

All of the readings are be available online via google scholar and the university’s journal subscriptions. Learning to source journal articles online is a useful incidental skill you will build during this course. Particularly hard to find readings with copyright protections will be made available on Learn.

There are lots of pages of readings. Are they all required?

Yes. This is a seminar course -_-

You need to show up to class ready to discuss the readings. That doesn’t mean you have to understand everything or have a strong opinion about it.

This website was prepared with accessibility in mind. Accessibility was assessed using WAVE on multiple browsers. Of course standards are not perfect and we aim to make this course accessible to all students. Therefore, please email Neil if you have any accessibility issues that we can try and address.