Archived Announcements

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Current announcements are available here.

Announcements for Week 10 (Mon, Apr 22 - Fri, Apr 26)

  • This week follows a normal schedule.

  • Drop Date is Tuesday April 23.

Announcements for Week 9 (Mon, Apr 15 - Fri, Apr 19)

  • Monday, April 15, is Patriots' Day. There is no class meetings, no office hours, and no assignments dues.

  • Looking ahead: Drop Date is Tuesday April 23.

Announcements for Week 8 (Mon, Apr 8 - Fri, Apr 12)

  • This week follows a normal schedule.

  • Looking ahead: there will be no class meetings, no office hours, and no assignments dues, on April 15, due to Patriots' Day holiday.

Midterm Results (and announcements related to Spring Break)

  • The midterm grades have been released on Gradescope. You will need to log in with your MIT email for Gradescope access (this applies to cross-registered students as well). The median score is 82.75, the mean is 80.41, and the standard deviation is 13.53. Midterm solutions can be found here.

  • Regrade requests need to be made on Gradescope, and must include a clear statement and justification for reconsideration for specific questions(s) and part(s) that you seek a regrade on. Our grading review in response to a regrade request can result in no change, addition of points, or reduction of points; we may also review grading on the rest of your midterm to correct for other grading mistakes, if any.

  • Requests for midterm regrades will open after Spring Break on Monday, April 1 at 9am, and close on Wednesday, April 3 at 11pm.

  • To account for Spring Break, regular assignments lateness pauses on Friday, March 22, at 11pm and resumes on Friday, March 29, at 11pm.

  • Regular class meetings and office hours resume after Spring Break on Monday, April 1.

  • We hope that everyone has a good Spring Break!

Announcements for Week 6 (Mon, March 11 - Fri, March 15)

  • The midterm exam will be on Wednesday, March 20, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Please be sure to review the midterm logistics carefully.

Announcements for Week 5 (Mon, March 4 - Fri, March 8)

  • The midterm exam will be on Wednesday, March 20, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Please review midterm logistics, including about deadline for requesting conflict exam or accommodations, and practice midterms.

  • The Registrar has posted the MIT Final Exams Schedule. The 6.390 final will be held on Monday, May 20 2024, from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM Eastern Time, at Johnson Track. The Registrar will also schedule a Conflict Exam for 6.390, and will announce that schedule after Drop Date. For cross-registered 6.390 students who have a schedule conflict with the May 20 final exam, we expect to make the 6.390 conflict exam time (as scheduled by the MIT Registrar) available to them as well.

  • There is a student in our class who needs copies of class notes as an approved accommodation. If you're interested in serving as a paid note taker, please reach out to DAS, at 617-253-1674 or das-student@mit.edu. More details of the job can be found here.

Announcements for Week 4 (Mon, February 26 - Fri, March 1)

  • The Registrar has posted the MIT Final Exams Schedule. The 6.390 final will be held on Monday, May 20 2024, from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM Eastern Time, at Johnson Track. The Registrar will also schedule a Conflict Exam for 6.390, and will announce that schedule after Drop Date. For cross-registered 6.390 students who have a schedule conflict with the May 20 final exam, we expect to make the 6.390 conflict exam time (as scheduled by the MIT Registrar) available to them as well.

  • There is a student in our class who needs copies of class notes as an approved accommodation. If you're interested in serving as a paid note taker, please reach out to DAS, at 617-253-1674 or das-student@mit.edu. More details of the job can be found here.

  • For both regular Monday and Wednesday class meetings, students are expected to attend your assigned section only. If you need to change your permanent section assignment, or if you need a one-time temporary section change, please email 6.390-personal@mit.edu with that request. Please note that, if a section is at full capacity, we unfortunately will not be able to switch students into it.

Announcements for Week 3 (Mon, Feb 19 - Fri, Feb 23)

  • The Registrar has posted the MIT Final Exams Schedule. The 6.390 final will be held on Monday, May 20 2024, from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM Eastern Time, at Johnson Track. The Registrar will also schedule a Conflict Exam for 6.390, and will announce that schedule after Drop Date. For cross-registered 6.390 students who have a schedule conflict with the May 20 final exam, we expect to make the 6.390 conflict exam time (as scheduled by the MIT Registrar) available to them as well.

  • There is a student in our class who needs copies of class notes as an approved accommodation. If you're interested in serving as a paid note taker, please reach out to DAS, at 617-253-1674 or das-student@mit.edu. More details of the job can be found here.

  • Monday Feb 19 is the President's Day. There will be no class meetings, nor office hours on this day.

  • On Tuesday Feb 20, we will be meeting at the usual section times for the Recitation. Our section times/rooms can be found here.

  • For both regular Monday and Wednesday class meetings, you may attend your assigned section only. Our section times/rooms can be found here. Section self-signup is open (till Monday Feb 19) for students who might wish to make any section changes. Please follow this instruction for making the change.

  • On Tuesday Feb 20, we will also be holding the usual Tuesday Office Hours.

  • Tip: Use the Progress page for keeping track of assignments completed and partial progress.

Announcements for (Mon, Feb 12 - Fri, Feb 16)

  • Tip: Keep an eye out for 6.390 announcements on the 6.390 Home Page right here.

  • If you missed the Lab for week 1 on Wed, Feb 7, do not worry; you can still work the questions on the lab and have a checkoff in Office Hours for full credit before the lab checkoff due (Mon, Feb 12 at 11pm).

  • For both Monday and Wednesday class meetings, you may attend your assigned section only. Our section times/rooms can be found here.

    Section self-signup is open (till Monday Feb 19) for students who might wish to make any section changes. Please follow this instruction for making the change.

  • Use the Progress page for keeping track of assignments completed and partial progress.

  • MIT is closed on Feb 13, we’ll be switching our Tuesday OHs (3-5pm, 7-9pm) to be held virtually. (The only change from students’ perspective is when requesting help via the OHs Queue, you’d enter your Zoom link instead of a table number in the physical location.) Please stay safe and warm everyone!

Announcements (semester-start matters)

Welcome to 6.390! We're very much looking forward to working with you all this spring!

  1. First Class Meeting

    Our first class meeting is a recitation on Monday, 5 Feb. Depending on when you registered for 6.390, the Registrar likely scheduled you into a section.

    Any Registrar assigned section info can be found here once log in. Our section times/rooms can be found here.

    If at all possible, please attend the section you are scheduled into by the Registrar for this first session (this helps ensure that everyone will have a seat/table). If you registered later and don't have a section, please come to Section 1, 3, 5, or 7, on Feb. 5 to get started.

  2. Section Self-Switch

    After the first class meeting, section self-signup will be open for students who might wish to make any section changes. Please follow this instruction for making the change. No need to contact us to request a change in section; all students should use the self sign-up mechanism instead.

    After the first class meeting, you will be expected to attend your assigned recitation/lab section.

  3. Course Syllabus

    Please refer to the Calendar page for the syllabus and course events.

  4. Course Information and Policies

    The pages linked from the top menu contain lots of important information about the subject. Please read them carefully.

  5. Getting help

    Office hours start on Sunday, 11 Feb. If you need help before then, please post on Piazza.

Pre-semester Information

👋 Hi there! Welcome to 6.390 -- we're very much looking forward to working with you all this spring!

1) Course Overview §

6.390 introduces the principles and algorithms of machine learning from an optimization perspective. Topics include linear and non-linear models for supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, with a focus on gradient-based methods and neural-network architectures. Enrollment may be limited.

2) Prerequisites §

Concretely, things we expect you to know (we use these constantly, but don’t teach them explicitly):

2.1) Programming §

  • Intermediate Python, including the notion of classes.
  • Exposure to algorithms – ability to understand & discuss pseudo-code, and implement in Python.

2.2) Linear Algebra §

  • Fundamental matrix concepts and manipulations, e.g., rank, multiplication, and inverse.
  • Points and planes in high-dimensional space.
  • Basic matrix calculus, e.g., gradients.

6.1010 or 6.1210 can serve as the programming prerequisite. 18.06, 18.C06, 18.03, or 18.700 can serve as the linear algebra prerequisite.

(For each of these courses above, a link points to a representative syllabus from some past semesters, for reference.)

3) Class Meeting and Sections §

We will be meeting on Mondays (Recitations), Wednesdays (Labs), and Fridays (Lectures).

3.1) Recitation and Lab sections §

Monday recitations focus on discussing examples and working through pen-paper problems. Wednesday labs engage students with each other in small teams (typically two to three students per team) and with staff, to explore fundamental concepts. Recitations and Labs will be held in small sections. We have seven sections planned. Each student will be assigned into one section; more details on section assignment below.

    Section Time Room
    1 Mon & Wed, 9:30am-11am 34-501
    2 Mon & Wed, 9:30am-11am 32-044
    3 Mon & Wed, 11am-12:30pm 34-501
    4 Mon & Wed, 11am-12:30pm 32-044
    5 Mon & Wed, 1pm-2:30pm 34-501
    6 Mon & Wed, 1pm-2:30pm 32-044
    7 Mon & Wed, 2:30pm-4pm 34-501

3.1.1) First class meeting §

Our first class meeting will be a Recitation on Monday, Feb. 5.

Depending on when you registered for 6.390, the Registrar likely scheduled you into a section. If at all possible, please attend the section you are scheduled into by the Registrar for this first session (this helps ensure that everyone will have a seat/table).

If you do not have a section assignment yet. Please come to Section 1, 3, 5, or 7, on Feb 5, to get started.

3.1.2) Permanent section assignment §

After the first class meeting, a self-switch mechanism will be open and linked here on the front-page, between Monday Feb 5, 5PM, and Monday Feb 19, 11:59PM for students who might wish to make any section changes. Section change will be first-come-first-served, and subject to section capacity.

After the first class meeting, you will be expected to attend your assigned recitation/lab section.

3.2) Friday Lectures §

Friday lectures focus to anchor the upcoming week's discussion, overview the technical contents, and tie together the high-level motivations, concepts, and stories. Along with lecture notes, they prepare students for the upcoming Monday recitations and Wednesday labs.

Lectures will be held class-wide, in Room 10-250, Fridays 11am-12pm. Recordings will be made available shortly after live sessions. Our first lecture will be on Friday, Feb. 9.

4) Cross-registration §

  • This site is our course site and it uses MIT Kerberos for authentication. Cross-registered students will receive their Kerberos once the registration goes through; however, the process can take a while. We therefore strongly encourage you to cross register early if possible, to avoid delayed access to course materials.

  • We follow MIT's Academic Calendar, and do not have additional extensions or accommodations based on home university calendar. Especially important will be for you to plan ahead for our two in-person exams.

  • We'll have a midterm exam (on Wednesday March 20, 2024, 7:30pm-9:30pm). We'll also have a final exam during MIT's final exam period, Friday, May 17 through Wednesday, May 22; the final exam is to be scheduled by the Registrar.

  • If you're not familiar with MIT campus, you might find the whereis site helpful.

5) Listeners §

Due to capacity and other constraints, we will not accept Listener registrants in 6.390 this semester.

6) LA Applications §

LA Applications for 6.390 have opened. Consider joining our teaching team! Requirements and expectations are on the application site.

7) Course Number Change§

Since fall22, all MIT EECS (Course 6) subjects have been renumbered (rationale and details can be found here). This subject used to be called 6.036; moving forward, we'll refer to it internally as 6.390 ("six three-nine-oh"). But for registration purposes, please register for 6.3900 (note the extra zero).

8) Other Questions?§

Feel free to drop us an email at 6.390-inquiry@mit.edu. We'd love to hear from you!