Georgia Institute of Technology
Course Syllabus: INTA 6450 OCY/O01 Data Analytics and Security
Spring 2024 Section OCY/O01
MS in Cybersecurity Policy
Delivery: 100% Web-Based, Asynchronous
Canvas for Content Delivery
Instructor Information
Professor Jeffrey Borowitz jborowitz3@gatech.edu
Office: None
Office Hours:
Professor – 1 hour per week
TAs – Available to schedule
Teaching Assistants are listed on Canvas
General Course Information
Description
Explores the foundations of data analytics, including foundations in computing technology and statistics. Explores the nature of underlying technical challenges and statistical assumptions used to understand relationships in a variety of applied fields, with a focus on the fields of fraud detection and communication monitoring. Engages with the social implications of increased knowledge, surveillance, and behavioral prediction made possible by big data, and the ethical tradeoffs faced. While the course includes a substantial analytics project, no prior technical experience is required.
Pre- and/or Co-Requisites
There are no prerequisites or co-requisites for this course. This course does not assume any mathematical or computer programming knowledge at all (except perhaps a little familiarity with Algebra).
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
1. Familiarity with and exposure to a range of topics in hardware/software
a. Demonstrate familiarity with hardware trends underlying the rise of big data
b. Demonstrate familiarity with software trends underlying the rise of big data
c. List specific links between big data technologies that affect our security as a society.
2. Reasoning about limits and problems with both technology and models
a. Articulate a strategy for defining and algorithmic finding a specific type of wrongdoing
b. Identify problems that technologies likely can or can’t solve in the future.
3. Technical Execution of code
a. Demonstrate effective use of R programming language
b. Use R programming language to perform statistical analysis
c. Use Python to find the most common words in a book
d. Use Python to query a data set.
Course Materials
There will be no required textbooks. A range of articles and materials will be posted during the class.
Course Website and Other Classroom Management Tools
This class will use Canvas to deliver course materials to online students. The PACE ICE cluster will be available for students wishing to use the cluster. All course materials will be available via these resources.
Assignment Distribution and Grading Scale
Here is a list of the assignments and activities required in the course. Except for quizzes, most assignments will have a rubric associated with them so that students can see what criteria are used for grading and what weight is given to them.
Assignment
Weight
Lecture Activities
· Discussions (11 total) - 4 points each
· Quizzes (9 total) - 50 points each
30%
Computing Activities
· R Exercises (4 total) - 10 points each
· Crime and Punishment Python Exercise (1 total) - 10 points
20%
Project Activities
· Course Project, Part 1 Proposal – 20 points
· Course Project, Part 1 Peer Review – 10 points
· Course Project, Part 2 Paper – 30 points
· Course Project, Part 2 Presentation – 30 points
· Course Project, Part 2 Presentation Peer Review – 5 points
· Peer Review of Teammates – 5 points
50%
Assignment Submission and Due Dates
All assignments will be due at the times listed on Canvas. These times are specified in Eastern Time and are subject to minor changes so please check Canvas. To convert to your local time zone, use a Time Zone Converter.
Each assignment will have a separate entry in Canvas that explains in more detail what is expected and what criteria are used to grade it. The weighting of the different assignments in determining your final grade is clear from the table above. Most assignments will be finalized by the student uploading a file in the relevant assignment place in Canvas. Do not send assignments directly to the professors or TA’s via email. All assignments must be submitted within Canvas, otherwise they cannot be graded properly and do not count towards the grade. If there are technical issues, please notify the help desk, as well as each professor immediately. Most assignments will be graded with feedback within two weeks of when learners turn it in.
Quizzes
Quizzes are individual assignments – they provide an incentive to study the readings and they strengthen your recall and understanding of the reading and lecture material. Don’t help other students answer their quiz questions – that’s cheating! Quizzes are open-note. Quizzes become available for a week before they are due and also have a due date, but your answers are recorded and graded as you enter them. Your quiz responses remain available to view for two days past the due date – after that they become unavailable. Don’t forget to take your quizzes!
Learners have the opportunity to request a regrade for quiz questions in the case that the autograder did not recognize the answer as correct. To request a quizregrade, open a new question on Ed Discussion and include the following information: question number, question text, what you answered, and why your answer should be given credit. Regrade requests must be submitted within 24 hours of quiz closure to be considered.
Late assignments, Missed Quizzes, Re-scheduling
Assignments may be submitted up to one week late for any reason with a 1 letter grade penalty. Other make up work is only permitted as explicitly stated by university policies. If you feel that you have work that you should be able to make up, please contact the teaching team.
Technology Requirements and Skills
To participate in this class, you need the following computer hardware and software:
· Broadband Internet connection
· Laptop or desktop computer with a minimum of a 2 GHz processor and 2 GB of RAM
· Windows for PC computers or Mac iOS for Apple computers.
· Complete Microsoft Office Suite or comparable applications and ability to use Adobe PDF software (install, download, open and convert)
· Mozilla Firefox, Chrome and/or Safari browsers
Technology Help Guidelines
30-Minute Rule: When you encounter struggles with technology, give yourself 30 minutes to ‘figure it out.’ If you cannot, then post a message to the discussion board; your peers may have suggestions to assist you. You may contact the Helpdesk 24/7. When posting or sending email requesting help with technology issues, whether to the Helpdesk, message board, or the professor use the following guidelines:
· Include a descriptive title for the subject field that clearly states the issue.
· List the steps or describe the circumstance that preceded the technical issue or error. Include the exact wording of the error message.
· When possible, include a screenshot(s) demonstrating the technical issue or error message.
· Also include what you have done to try to remedy the issue (rebooting, trying a different browser, etc.).
Communication Policy
Email personal concerns, including grading questions, to the professor and head TA. If you have a grading concern, also include your grader in the CC line. Do NOT submit posts of a personal nature to the discussion board.
Email will be checked at least twice per day Monday through Friday. On Saturday, email is checked once per day. During the week, the Professor or one of the TAs will respond to all emails within 24 hours; on weekends and holidays, allow up to 48 hours. If there are special circumstances that will delay a response, I will make an announcement to the class.
Student Forum/Q&A discussion boards will be monitored throughout the day Monday through Friday. Saturday, these discussion boards will be checked once per day.
Virtual office hours will be held using the Zoom. I will hold Virtual Office Hours as specified at the top of the syllabus, as well as special office hours for dedicated topics, such as a large, upcoming assignment. Special topic hours will be announced in advance. For questions related to technology, please contact:https://b.gatech.edu/digitallearningsupport for assistance.
Online Student Conduct and Netiquette
Communicating appropriately in the online classroom can be challenging. In order to minimize this challenge, it is important to remember several points of “internet etiquette” that will smooth communication for both students and instructors:
Read first, Write later. Read the ENTIRE set of posts/comments on a discussion board before posting your reply, in order to prevent repeating commentary or asking questions that have already been answered.
Avoid language that may come across as strong or offensive. Language can be easily misinterpreted in written electronic communication. Review email and discussion board posts before submitting. Humor and sarcasm may be easily misinterpreted by your reader(s). Try to be as matter-of-fact and professional as possible.
Follow the language rules of the Internet. Do not write using all capital letters, because it will appear as shouting. Also, the use of emoticons can be helpful when used to convey nonverbal feelings.
Consider the privacy of others. Ask permission prior to giving out a classmate's email address or other personally identifiable information.
Keep attachments small. Avoid gigantic files; if it is necessary to send pictures, minimize the size.
Problem posts. Do not spam your classmates or instructors. The instructor reserves the right to remove posts that are not collegial in nature and/or do not meet the Online Student Conduct and Etiquette guidelines listed above.
University Use of Email
A university-assigned student e-mail account is the official university means of communication with all students at Georgia Institute of Technology. Students are responsible for all information sent to them via their university-assigned e-mail account. If a student chooses to forward information in their university e-mail account, he or she is responsible for all information, including attachments, sent to any other e-mail account. To stay current with university information, students are expected to check their official university e-mail account and other electronic communications on a frequent and consistent basis. Recognizing that some communications may be time-critical, the university recommends that electronic communications be checked minimally twice a week.