Claudio Silva

Claudio Silva

Institute Professor, New York University

Temporary Assignment Notes - Brightspace Review

Temporary Assignment Notes - Brightspace Review

Course: CS-GY 9223 - Visualization for Machine Learning - Fall 2025
Date: September 7, 2025

Purpose

This document is for collecting notes from the Brightspace assignment links to compare with the assignments I created and make any necessary updates.

Assignment Comparison Notes

Assignment 1:

Current: Exercise 1 - Visualization Critique (Due Sept 15) Brightspace Version:

  • MAJOR DIFFERENCE: Actual assignment is hands-on D3.js coding, not critique
  • Observable notebook: NYC For-Hire Vehicle data visualization
  • Two tasks: Time series analysis + linked views with brush interaction
  • Learning objectives: D3 fundamentals, data processing, interactive viz
  • Required updates: Replace critique assignment with coding assignment

Brightspace Assignment Details: Homework 1: Observable notebook - https://observablehq.com/d/aa2a22499278e4c1

  • Fork notebook and complete //TO DO sections
  • Submit link to forked notebook (set to public)
  • Focus: NYC transportation data, D3.js fundamentals, interactive visualization

Assignment 2:

Current: Exercise 2 - Color Palette Design (Due Sept 22) Brightspace Version:

  • DIFFERENCE: Uses Google Colab + separate JS file approach
  • Requires uploading external CSS and JS files to Colab environment
  • Submission: Both Colab notebook link + separate JS file
  • File naming convention: LastName_FirstName_visML_HW2.js
  • Cannot access actual assignment content (private Colab notebook)

Brightspace Assignment Details: Homework 2: Google Colab notebook - https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1wMcPG5v1J81NmlcbCnw1olgepYqaBYTL

  • Requires external files: CSS + JS from Google Drive links
  • Submit: Colab notebook link + renamed JS file
  • NOTE: Assignment content unknown (private notebook)

Assignment 3:

Current: Exercise 3 - Model Assessment Visualization (Due Sept 29) Brightspace Version:

  • Similar Google Colab + JS file submission format
  • File naming: LastName_FirstName_visML_HW3.js
  • Cannot access actual assignment content (private Colab notebook)

Brightspace Assignment Details: Homework 3: Google Colab notebook - https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1eckV6lZQoj1xsXcCP9X8ZT2B8PBd5REC

  • Submit: Colab notebook link + separate JS file
  • NOTE: Assignment content unknown (private notebook)

Assignment 4:

Current: Exercise 4 - Interactive Explainer (Due Oct 6) Brightspace Version:

  • MAJOR DIFFERENCE: This is OPTIONAL EXTRA CREDIT, not regular assignment
  • Focus: Dimensionality reduction
  • Includes external dataset from Google Drive
  • Only requires Colab notebook submission (no separate JS file)
  • Cannot access assignment content (private notebook)

Brightspace Assignment Details: Homework 4: OPTIONAL EXTRA CREDIT - Dimensionality Reduction

  • Assignment: https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1Qg9CTLm8fjZw-Dm66aUQDEN-eFCGrxNh
  • Data: External dataset from Google Drive
  • Submit: Only Colab notebook link
  • NOTE: Assignment content unknown (private notebook)

Assignment 5:

Current: Exercise 5 - Dimensionality Reduction Dashboard (Due Oct 20) Brightspace Version:

  • Add notes here about actual assignment from Brightspace
  • Key differences from current version
  • Required updates/changes

Assignment 6:

Current: Exercise 6 - Deep Learning Visualization (Due Oct 27) Brightspace Version:

  • Add notes here about actual assignment from Brightspace
  • Key differences from current version
  • Required updates/changes

Additional Assignments/Exercises Found

(If there are more than 6 exercises in Brightspace)

Additional Assignment [X]:

Title: Due Date: Description:

  • Notes here

General Notes & Observations

Assignment Structure Differences:

  • Note any overall structural differences
  • Different grading weights
  • Different submission requirements
  • Different technologies/tools used

Timeline Differences:

  • Different due dates
  • Different assignment release schedule
  • Different project timeline

Content Focus Differences:

  • Different learning objectives
  • Different technical requirements
  • Different datasets or tools

Action Items for Updates

  • DISCOVERED: Only 4 assignments total in Brightspace (3 regular + 1 extra credit)
  • MAJOR DIFFERENCES: All assignments are hands-on coding, not critique/design
  • PLATFORM: Observable notebook (HW1) + Google Colab + JS files (HW2-4)
  • DECISION NEEDED: Use original assignments vs. create updated versions
  • Update assignment count in syllabus (currently shows 6, actual has 3-4)
  • Update grading weights based on actual assignment structure
  • Consider modernizing assignments for Fall 2025
  • Address that HW4 is extra credit, not regular assignment

Questions for Review

  1. Should we use the exact Brightspace assignments or adapt them for 2025?
  2. Are there any assignments that should be updated with newer tools/techniques?
  3. Any assignments that seem outdated or should be replaced?
  4. Do the current due dates work with the Monday schedule?

This document will be reviewed and used to update the actual assignment files in the /assignments/ directory.