605.634.81 - Crowdsourcing and Human Computation
Description
Crowdsourcing and human computation reverses the typical approach to computing. Rather than using computers to conduct computation that is too difficult for a human, many humans are used to conduct computation that is too difficult for a computer. This course explores computer science topics that lie at the intersection of data science and social psychology. Topics include crowdsourcing, social media, social network analysis, games, gamification, ubiquitous computing, and computersupported cooperative work. Laboratory exercises will involve hands-on data collection and analysis to include Mechanical Turk and require programming in R or Python depending on student preference/proficiency.
Instructor
Ian McCulloh
Course Structure
The course materials are divided into modules which can be accessed by clicking Modules on the course menu. A module will have several sections including the overview, content, readings, discussions, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. Most modules run for a period of seven (7) days, exceptions are noted in the Course Outline. You should regularly check the Calendar and Announcements for assignment due dates.
Course Topics
- Social Networks
- Social Media
- Network Conformity and Fake News
- Machine Learning
- Crowdsourcing
- Amazon Mechanical Turk
- Inter-Annotator Agreement
- Chatbots
- Games and Gamification
Course Goals
To identify and describe emerging concepts that fall at the intersection of humans and machines. Explain methods to improve machine computation with human augmentation and empower students with skills in social network analysis, crowdsourcing, machine learning and interactive chatbots.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
- Conduct social computing, crowd sourcing, and human computation.
- Analyze social networks.
- Apply crowdsourcing to construct training data for supervised learning.
- Evaluate inter-rater reliability and other quality metrics to assess data veracity.
- Examine how social media moderates human behavior and social interaction.
- Construct an interactive chatbot.
Textbooks
No textbook is required for this course. In lieu of a textbook, students will establish an Amazon account and incur costs associated with Amazon Mechanical Turk and interactive chatbots. No prior experience with Amazon tools are needed.
Required Software
Students will be required to establish Amazon accounts to utilize crowdsourcing and chatbot assets.
Student Coursework Requirements
One Page Reflections (20%) - This will be a short, double spaced, one-page paper summarizing an important concept that resonated with you in the module. Do not exceed one page.
Discussions (10%) - Discussions will be relevant to weekly content
Assignments (50%) - Assignments will require by-hand calculation, software coding, or hands-on use of an Amazon tool to complete well defined tasks to gain experience with module content.
Final Paper and Presentation (20%) - Students will write a 4-8 page ACM/IEEE paper for submission to a peer reviewed conference and will present their paper to the class during the last module.
All papers and assignments will be completed individually.
Grading Policy
EP uses a +/- grading system (see “Grading System”, Graduate Programs catalog, p. 10).
| Score Range | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 100-97 | = A+ |
| 96-93 | = A |
| 92-90 | = A− |
| 89-87 | = B+ |
| 86-83 | = B |
| 82-80 | = B− |
| 79-77 | = C+ |
| 76-73 | = C |
| 72-70 | = C− |
| 69-67 | = D+ |
| 66-63 | = D |
| <63 | = F |
Academic Policies
Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses
Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.
Academic Misconduct Policy
All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.
This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.
Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility
Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.
For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.
Student Conduct Code
The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically.
For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/
Classroom Climate
JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity.
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).
Course Auditing
When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.