CSC 444 - Data Visualization (Spring 2021)

M/W 3:30-4:45pm, Live Online via Zoom

Course Syllabus


Description of Course

In this course, you will learn how, and why, to create data visualizations.

A “visualization” is simply a visual representation of an object of our interest. It’s visual: we consume them with our eyes, and so it is essential that we know how our eyes work – and, more importantly, the parts of our brains connected to our eyes. It’s also a representation; we get to choose what this representation will be, and different choices lead to different pictures, some good and some bad. We will learn how to tell those apart, and how to make pictures that are more good than bad.

Good data visualization involves perceptual psychology, mathematics, and computer science. This makes our subject uniquely challenging: sometimes the way our eyes work stands in way of applying some beautiful result from computer science. Sometimes it’s the other way around: something deep about the math in the data will help guide the design process and let us make a picture that is beautiful, informative, and truthful.

Course Prerequisites or Co-requisites

CSC 335 (Object-Oriented Programming and Design) and CSC 345 (Analysis of Discrete Structures) While students majoring in areas other than CSC are encouraged to enroll, certain topics may prove challenging. Please contact the instructor if you are unsure if you satisfy the prerequisites.

We will write most of our code using the web stack. This means we are targeting modern web browsers, and writing our programs in a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you don’t know these technologies, you will be expected to learn them. CSC 337 (Web Programming) is not a format pre-requisite for this course, but it might be considered helpful.

Instructor and Contact Information

CSC COVID 19 Policy

All Spring 2021 CSC courses, whether In-Person, In-Person Flex, or Live Online, will provide recorded lectures for students along with office hour accommodations via Zoom. Additionally, In-Person and In-Person Flex courses will accommodate students who cannot attend class in-person to take midterm exams. Attendance will not be factored into final grades for any computer science course during the Spring 2021 semester.

Course Format and Teaching Methods

Primarily, the format is driven by lectures combined with in-class discussion. Out-of-class activities include readings in relevant textbooks and research papers, programming assignments, take-home exercises, and online discussions.

Course Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes

The content of the course is split roughly in three distinct aspects of visualization: mechanics, principles, and techniques.

Mechanics: You will learn how the modern web stack enables performant and portable data visualization programs. You will learn to use some of the most popular data visualization libraries, you will learn how they are implemented, and their limitations. Expected outcomes include.

Principles: These principles are based on perceptual psychology and physiology, and how they constraint the algorithms for displaying data effectively and efficiently. They also intertwine with a collection of design principles the design process that includes abstracting, encoding, and interacting with data. Expected outcomes include:

Techniques: You will learn the fundamental algorithms behind many of the techniques created to display data effectively. Expected outcomes include:

Academic advising: If you have questions about your academic progress this semester, or your chosen degree program, consider contacting your department’s academic advisor(s). Your academic advisor and the Advising Resource Center can guide you toward university resources to help you succeed. Computer Science major students are encouraged to email advising@cs.arizona.edu for academic advising related questions.

CS Tutor Center: The Department of Computer Science offers FREE tutoring for students enrolled in CSC courses. You can view tutor schedules and sign up for tutoring sessions by visit our CS Tutoring Page.

Life challenges: If you are experiencing unexpected barriers to your success in your courses, please note the Dean of Students Office is a central support resource for all students and may be helpful. The Dean of Students Office can be reached at 520-621-2057 or DOS-deanofstudents@email.arizona.edu.

Physical and mental-health challenges: If you are facing physical or mental health challenges this semester, please note that Campus Health provides quality medical and mental health care. For medical appointments, call (520-621-9202. For After Hours care, call (520) 570-7898. For the Counseling & Psych Services (CAPS) 24/7 hotline, call (520) 621-3334.


Course Content

Location

This class is scheduled to be taught in the LIVE ONLINE modality.

Meeting Times: The class will meet M/W 3:30-4:45pm at Live Online via Zoom. Our meetings will be synchronous: I will lecture at these types to everyone who attends the Zoom meetings.

Class attendance: If you feel sick, or may have been in contact with someone who is infectious, stay home and rest. Except for seeking medical care, avoid contact with others and do not travel.

Class Recordings: For lecture recordings, students must access content in D2L only. Students may not modify content or re-use content for any purpose other than personal educational reasons. All recordings are subject to government and university regulations. Therefore, students accessing unauthorized recordings or using them in a manner inconsistent with UArizona values and educational policies are subject to suspension or civil action.

Equipment and software requirements: For this class you will need daily access to the following hardware: laptop or web-enabled device with webcam and microphone; regular access to reliable internet signal; ability to download and run the following software: web browser, Zoom, and Adobe Acrobat.

Lecture Topics

Week Date Monday Date Wednesday
1 Jan 11 -- No Class -- Jan 13 Introduction
2 Jan 18 -- MLK Day -- Jan 20 HTML/CSS/SVG Basics
3 Jan 25 Javascript Basics Jan 27 Javascript + DOM, SVG
4 Feb 01 d3 Intro Feb 03 d3 Joins and Scales
5 Feb 08 Design Principles Feb 10 Perception
6 Feb 15 Data Abstraction Feb 17 Visual Encoding
7 Feb 22 Color Feb 24 Color in d3
8 Mar 01 Tasks and Interaction Mar 03 Views, Focus+Context
9 Mar 08 Midterm Mar 10 -- Reading Day --
10 Mar 15 Tabular Arrangements Mar 17 Hierarchies/Trees
11 Mar 22 Graphs Mar 24 Cartography
12 Mar 29 Interpolation Mar 31 Isosurfaces
13 Apr 05 Volumetric Data Apr 07 Volume Rendering
14 Apr 12 Transfer Function Design Apr 14 Flow Data
15 Apr 19 Flow Visualization Apr 21 -- Reading Day --
16 Apr 26 Uncertainty Apr 28 Text and Sets
17 May 03 Retrospective May 05 Final Exam Review


Required Texts and Readings

Assignments and Examinations

Programming Assignments (61% of final grade)

Name Topic Post Date Due Date Graded By Percentage
Assignment 01 Survey Jan 13 Jan 25 Jan 31 1
Assignment 02 HTML + SVG Jan 25 Feb 01 Feb 07 5
Assignment 03 Javascript Feb 01 Feb 08 Feb 14 5
Assignment 04 D3 Feb 08 Feb 15 Feb 21 5
Assignment 05 Scales, Axes, Transitions Feb 15 Feb 24 Mar 02 6
Assignment 06 Color Spaces Feb 24 Mar 03 Mar 09 5
Assignment 07 Linked Views, Brushing Mar 03 Mar 15 Mar 21 6
Assignment 08 Parallel Coordinates Mar 15 Mar 22 Mar 28 5
Assignment 09 Treemaps Mar 22 Mar 31 Apr 06 6
Assignment 10 Marching Squares Mar 31 Apr 12 Apr 18 6
Assignment 11 Transfer Functions Apr 12 Apr 19 Apr 25 5
Assignment 12 Flow Visualization Apr 19 Apr 28 May 04 6
Assignment 13 Review (Extra Credit) Apr 28 May 05 May 10 0
Total Assignment Percentage: 61


Class Participation (10% of final grade)

This class participation grade is the instructor’s subjective judgement of the student’s contribution to a lively classroom atmosphere. He will consider mainly active, informed participation in classroom discussions, and homework reviews. Obviously, students not attending class are not contributing in this way.

While the instructor does not grade on attendance, nor is attendance required for the course, you are obligated to participate in class to receive credit for this portion of your grade. Participation will also be gauged through virtual mechanisms, such as contributions to the class discussions on Piazza.

Midterm Examination (11% of final grade)

A midterm exam will be held in class on Mon., Mar 8, 3:30-4:45pm, and it will cover all material discussed in class prior to the date of the examination.

Final Examination (18% of final grade)

The final examination will be comprehensive. A review will be conducted on the final lecture.

Exam Date/Time/Location: Tues., May 11, 3:30-5:30pm, Live Online via Zoom

See also, UA Final Exam Schedule: https://registrar.arizona.edu/courses-catalog/final-examination-schedule-spring-2021

Submission, Lateness, and Revision Policy

All assignments have a fixed due date. Revisions and resubmissions after grading will not be accepted.

Submission for programming assignments will be due on 3:29:59PM of the due date unless otherwise noted. A late submission will receive a penalty of 10% per day for each work day it is late, up to a maximum of 5 days late. Grades for assignment submitted late may not be posted within the same time frame as assignments submitted on time, but the instructor will make their best effort to expedite the grading of late submissions.


Course Policies

Absence and Class Participation Policy

The UA’s policy concerning Class Attendance, Participation, and Administrative Drops is available at http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/class-attendance-participation-and-administrative-drop

The UA policy regarding absences for any sincerely held religious belief, observance or practice will be accommodated where reasonable: http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/religious-accommodation-policy.

Absences for groups of more than three students that are pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean Designee) will be honored. See: http://policy.arizona.edu/employment-human-resources/attendance.

Participating in the course and attending lectures and other course events are vital to the learning process. That said, attendance is not required for lectures. To request a disability-related accommodation to this attendance policy, please contact the Disability Resource Center at (520) 621-3268 or drc-info@email.arizona.edu. If you are experiencing unexpected barriers to your success in your courses, the Dean of Students Office is a central support resource for all students and may be helpful. The Dean of Students Office is located in the Robert L. Nugent Building, room 100, or call 520-621-7057.

Nevertheless, failing to stay up-to-date on course content may affect a student’s final course grade. Class participation is an important part of your grade in this course, and it is difficult for a student to participate and the instructor to gauge participation if a student does not attend.

Late Instructor

Your instructor will make every effort to be in class on time, or to inform you of any delay or cancellation. In the unusual event that he should not arrive in class or send word by 15 minutes from the class start time, the class is officially cancelled.

Makeup Policy for Students Who Register Late

Students who register after the first class meeting may make up missed assignments at a deadline set in consultation with the instructor.

Course Communications

We will use official UA email and Piazza as the primary mode of contact. D2L will be used only for the instructor to securely distribute the course calendar, class materials, and grades to students.

Grading Scale and Grading Policies

Grades will be assigned based on the following scale:

Grading will be based on performance on the set of assignments, the midterm and final exam, and class participation:

Each assignment description will include a specific rubric for how it is graded, typically out of a score between 0 and 100. Scores on such assignments will be weighted according to the relative point value of each assignment as highlighted above.

Department of Computer Science Grading Policy

  1. Instructors will explicitly promise when every assignment and exam will be graded and returned to students. These promised dates will appear in the syllabus, associated with the corresponding due dates and exam dates.
  2. Graded homework will be returned before the next homework is due.
  3. Exams will be returned “promptly”, as defined by the instructor (and as promised in the syllabus).
  4. Grading delays beyond promised return-by dates will be announced as soon as possible with an explanation for the delay.

Requests for incomplete (I) or withdrawal (W)

Request must be made in accordance with University policies, which are available at http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/grades-and-grading-system#incomplete and http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/grades-and-grading-system#Withdrawal, respectively.

Dispute of Grade Policy

After receiving any grade for any submission, a student has 24 hours to respond to the instructor with any disputes in an email with the subject “Grade Dispute”. Such a response must enumerate a specific set of disputed items for the submission and provide evidence that each item was improperly graded. The instructor will then completely regrade the entire submission, including both the disputed items as well as non-disputed items, with the potential for all aspects of the grade to change.


Department and University Policies

Department of Computer Science Code of Conduct

The Department of Computer Science is committed to providing and maintaining a supportive educational environment for all. We strive to be welcoming and inclusive, respect privacy and confidentiality, behave respectfully and courteously, and practice intellectual honesty. Disruptive behaviors (such as physical or emotional harassment, dismissive attitudes, and abuse of department resources) will not be tolerated. The complete Code of Conduct is available on our department web site. We expect that you will adhere to this code, as well as the UA Student Code of Conduct, while you are a member of this class.

Classroom Behavior Policy

To foster a positive learning environment, students and instructors have a shared responsibility. We want a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where all of us feel comfortable with each other and where we can challenge ourselves to succeed. To that end, our focus is on the tasks at hand and not on extraneous activities (e.g., texting, chatting, reading a newspaper, making phone calls, web surfing, etc.).

Students are asked to refrain from disruptive conversations with people sitting around them during lecture.

Some learning styles are best served by using personal electronics, such as laptops and iPads. Nevertheless, these devices can be distracting to other learners. While all students are welcome to use personal electronics in class, they must be used in a way that does not disrupt either the instructor or other students’ experience.

Students observed engaging in disruptive activity will be asked to cease this behavior. Those who continue to disrupt the class will be asked to leave lecture or discussion and may be reported to the Dean of Students.

Threatening Behavior Policy

The UA Threatening Behavior by Students Policy prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to oneself. See http://policy.arizona.edu/education-and-student-affairs/threatening-behavior-students.

Content Warning

While the instructor does not intend to include topics and/or course material includes content that are explicit or offensive in any way. The instructor will make every effort to provide advance notice when such materials may potentially be or potentially violate this intent. Please contact the instructor to discuss any content-related concerns, as alternative materials may be available.

Accessibility and Accommodations

At the University of Arizona, we strive to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience barriers based on disability or pregnancy, please contact the Disability Resource Center (520-621-3268, https://drc.arizona.edu/) to establish reasonable accommodations.

Code of Academic Integrity

Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However, graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog. See https://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/policies/code-academic-integrity.

Uploading material from this course to a website other than D2L (or the class piazza) is strictly prohibited and will be considered a violation of the course policy and a violation of the code of academic integrity. Obtaining material associated with this course (or previous offerings of this course) on a site other than D2L (or the class piazza), such as Chegg, Course Hero, etc. or accessing these sites during a quiz or exam is a violation of the code of academic integrity. Any student determined to have uploaded or accessed material in an unauthorized manner will be reported to the Dean of Students for a Code of Academic Integrity violation, with a recommended sanction of a failing grade in the course.

The University Libraries have some excellent tips for avoiding plagiarism, available at http://new.library.arizona.edu/research/citing/plagiarism. Publicly available sources for code or other material, in small amounts, may be freely used if appropriately attributed. A good rule of thumb: when in doubt about whether the use of small snippets of code not your own in a programming assignment is allowed, first ask the instructor.

Selling class notes and/or other course materials to other students or to a third party for resale is not permitted without the instructor’s express written consent. Violations to this and other course rules are subject to the Code of Academic Integrity and may result in course sanctions. Additionally, students who use D2L or UA e-mail to sell or buy these copyrighted materials are subject to Code of Conduct Violations for misuse of student e-mail addresses. This conduct may also constitute copyright infringement.

UA Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment Policy

The University of Arizona is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination. In support of this commitment, the University prohibits discrimination, including harassment and retaliation, based on a protected classification, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. For more information, including how to report a concern, please see http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/nondiscrimination-and-anti-harassment-policy

Our classroom is a place where everyone is encouraged to express well-formed opinions and their reasons for those opinions. We also want to create a tolerant and open environment where such opinions can be expressed without resorting to bullying or discrimination of others.

Additional Resources for Students

Survivor Advocacy Program (https://survivoradvocacy.arizona.edu/). The Survivor Advocacy Program provides confidential support and advocacy services to student survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The Program can also advise students about relevant non-UA resources available within the local community for support. Email: survivoradvocacy@email.arizona.edu. Phone: 520-621-5767

Title IX

The University of Arizona is committed to removing educational barriers created by sex discrimination and sexual harassment. Sex discrimination under Title IX can include acts of violence based on sex, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has experienced or experiences any of these incidents, you have options for help at the University. The University of Arizona has staff members trained to support you in navigating campus life, accessing health and counseling services, providing academic and housing accommodations, helping with legal protective orders, and more.

Please be aware that UA faculty and instructors who work with students are required to report allegations of sex discrimination to the Title IX Office. This means that if you tell me about a situation involving sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking that involves another student or employee, or that happens on campus or in a UA program, I must share that information with the Title IX Coordinator. Although I have to make that notification, you will have choices regarding whether or not you want to pursue a formal complaint against anyone on campus. Our goal is to make sure you are aware of the range of options available to you and have access to the resources you need.

If you wish to speak to someone privately, you can contact any of the following on-campus resources:

Preferred Gender Pronoun

My pronoun preference: he, him, his.

This course affirms people of all gender expressions and gender identities. If you prefer to be called a different name than what is on the class roster, please let me know. Feel free to correct instructors on your preferred gender pronoun. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly in class or via email (instructor email). If you wish to change your preferred name or pronoun in the UAccess system, please use the following guidelines:

Preferred name: University of Arizona students may choose to identify themselves within the University community using a preferred first name that differs from their official/legal name. A student’s preferred name will appear instead of the person’s official/legal first name in select University-related systems and documents, provided that the name is not being used for the purpose of misrepresentation. Students are able to update their preferred names in UAccess.

Pronouns: Students may designate pronouns they use to identify themselves. Instructors and staff are encouraged to use pronouns for people that they use for themselves as a sign of respect and inclusion. Students are able to update and edit their pronouns in UAccess. More information on updating your preferred name and pronouns is available on the Office of the Registrar site at https://www.registrar.arizona.edu/.

Confidentiality of Student Records

See http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/personal-information/family-educational-rights-and-privacy-act-1974-ferpa?topic=ferpa

Land Acknowledgment

The University of Arizona sits on the original homelands of indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. Aligning with the university’s core value of a diverse and inclusive community, it is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture, and history that make up the Wildcat community. At the institutional level, it is important to be proactive in broadening awareness throughout campus to ensure our students feel represented and valued.

Subject to Change Statement

Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.