This course introduces the fundamental concepts of information retrieval (IR) systems.  Information Retrieval systems are systems that provide the ability to search for and find specific data or information within a collection.  Although there are many implementations of IR technology, web search engines such as Google.com, Altavista.com, bing.com, and ask.com are all examples of IR technology applied to content in the world wide web.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Explain fundamental concepts and theories of information retrieval.
2. Differentiate between and apply index compression and search effectiveness techniques.
3. Compute weights and scores of documents within an IR system.
4. Determine the effectiveness of an information retrieval system using a known document corpus.
5. Construct a complete information retrieval system.
6. Construct a web search system by integrating indexer, search engine, and web crawler (spider) components.

Course Schedule and Topics

This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week. The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople time).

Week 1: Unit 1 – Introduction to IR, Boolean Retrieval, and Terms and Postings (Chapters 1 & 2)

Week 2: Unit 2 – Dictionaries and Index Construction (Chapters 3 & 4)

Week 3: Unit 3 – Index Compression (Chapter 5)

Week 4: Unit 4 – Scoring, Term Weighting, and the Vector Space Model (Chapter 6)

Week 5: Unit 5 – Scoring and Ranking in a Complete Search System (Chapter 7)

Week 6: Unit 6 – Evaluation in Information Retrieval (Chapter 8)

Week 7: Unit 7 – Introduction to Web Search (Chapter 19)

Week 8: Unit 8 – Web Crawling (Chapter 20 & 21)

Week 9: Unit 9 – Course Review and Final Exam

Learning Guide

The following is an outline of how this course will be conducted, with suggested best practices for students.

Unit 1: Introduction to IR, Boolean Retrieval, and Terms and Postings (Chapters 1 & 2)

• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Make entries to the Learning Journal
• Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 2: Dictionaries and Index Construction (Chapters 3 & 4)

• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Complete and submit the programming Assignment
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Make entries to the Learning Journal
• Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 3: Index Compression (Chapter 5)

• Peer assess Unit 2 Programming Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Make entries to the Learning Journal
• Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 4: Scoring, Term Weighting, and the Vector Space Model (Chapter 6)

• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Complete and submit the Programming Assignment
• Make entries to the Learning Journal
• Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 5: Scoring and Ranking in a Complete Search System (Chapter 7)

• Peer assess Unit 4 Programming Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Complete and submit the Programming Assignment
• Make entries to the Learning Journal
• Take the Self-Quiz
• Take the Graded Quiz

Unit 6: Evaluation in Information Retrieval (Chapter 8)

• Peer assess Unit 5 Programming Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Make entries to the Learning Journal
• Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 7: Introduction to Web Search (Chapter 19)

• Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Complete and submit the Programming Assignment
• Make entries to the Learning Journal
• Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 8: Web Crawling (Chapter 20 & 21)

• Peer assess Unit 7 Programming Assignment
• Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
• Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
• Complete the Programming Assignment (non-graded)
• Make entries to the Learning Journal
• Read the Unit 9 Learning Guide carefully for instructions on the Final Exam
• Take the Review Quiz

Unit 9: Course Review and Final Exam

• Read the Learning Guide and take the Review Quiz, if you haven’t already done so
• Prepare for, take, and submit the Final Exam
• The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople time); exact dates, times, and other details will be provided accordingly by your instructor