Difference between revisions of "CS7646 Spring 2019"

From Quantitative Analysis Software Courses
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(21 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 10: Line 10:
 
* Tools: [https://auth.udacity.com/sign-in Udacity Sign-On] | [http://classroom.udacity.com/courses/ud501 Course Materials] | [http://canvas.gatech.edu/ Canvas]
 
* Tools: [https://auth.udacity.com/sign-in Udacity Sign-On] | [http://classroom.udacity.com/courses/ud501 Course Materials] | [http://canvas.gatech.edu/ Canvas]
 
* Class Pages: [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/Machine_Learning_for_Trading_Course CS7646 Home] | [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/CS7646_Spring_2019 Spring 2019 Syllabus]
 
* Class Pages: [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/Machine_Learning_for_Trading_Course CS7646 Home] | [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/CS7646_Spring_2019 Spring 2019 Syllabus]
* Projects:  
+
* Projects: [[Spring 2019 Project 1: Martingale | Project 1]] | [[Spring 2019 Project 2: Optimize Something | Project 2]] | [[Spring 2019 Project 3: Assess Learners | Project 3]] | [[Spring 2019 Project 4: Defeat Learners | Project 4]] | [[Spring 2019 Project 5: Marketsim | Project 5]] | [[Spring 2019 Project 6: Manual Strategy | Project 6]] | [[Spring 2019 Project 7: Qlearning Robot | Project 7]] | [[Spring 2019 Project 8: Strategy Learner | Project 8]]
* Exams:  
+
* Surveys: [https://gatech.instructure.com/courses/35002/quizzes/33309 Start-of-Course Survey] | [https://gatech.instructure.com/courses/35002/quizzes/33307 Quarter-Course Survey] | [https://gatech.instructure.com/courses/35002/quizzes/33313 Mid-Course Survey] | [https://gatech.instructure.com/courses/35002/quizzes/33311 End-of-Course Survey]
* Participation Tasks:  
 
* Surveys:  
 
  
 
== Course Calendar At-A-Glance ==
 
== Course Calendar At-A-Glance ==
  
Below is the calendar for the Spring 2019 OMS CS7646 class. Note that assignment due dates are all Sundays at 11:59PM [https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zones/aoe Anywhere on Earth time].
+
Below is the calendar for the Spring 2019 OMS CS7646 class. Note that assignment due dates are all Sundays at 11:59PM [https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zones/aoe Anywhere on Earth time]. All assignments are finalized 3 weeks prior to the listed due date.
  
 
Readings come from the three course textbooks listed on the [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/Machine_Learning_for_Trading_Course course home page]. Anything with an asterisk is optional; everything else is required.
 
Readings come from the three course textbooks listed on the [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/Machine_Learning_for_Trading_Course course home page]. Anything with an asterisk is optional; everything else is required.
  
<table border=1 style="border: 1px solid black; border-collapse:collapse;">
+
<table border=1 spacing=10 style="border: 1px solid black; border-collapse:collapse;">
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
 
     <th>Week #</th>
 
     <th>Week #</th>
Line 35: Line 33:
 
     <td>01-01<br>01-02<br>01-03<br>01-04<br></td>
 
     <td>01-01<br>01-02<br>01-03<br>01-04<br></td>
 
     <td>Python for Finance Ch. 4*<br>Python for Finance Ch. 6*</td>
 
     <td>Python for Finance Ch. 4*<br>Python for Finance Ch. 6*</td>
     <td></td>
+
     <td>Start-of-Course Survey</td>
 
     <td>01/13/2019</td>
 
     <td>01/13/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
Line 43: Line 41:
 
     <td>01-05<br>01-06<br>01-07<br>01-08<br></td>
 
     <td>01-05<br>01-06<br>01-07<br>01-08<br></td>
 
     <td>Python for Finance Ch. 5*</td>
 
     <td>Python for Finance Ch. 5*</td>
     <td>Project 1</td>
+
     <td>[[Spring 2019 Project 1: Martingale | Project 1]]</td>
 
     <td>01/20/2019</td>
 
     <td>01/20/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
Line 51: Line 49:
 
     <td>01-09<br>03-01<br>03-02<br></td>
 
     <td>01-09<br>03-01<br>03-02<br></td>
 
     <td>Python for Finance Ch. 11*<br>Machine Learning Ch. 1*<br>Machine Learning Ch. 8*<br></td>
 
     <td>Python for Finance Ch. 11*<br>Machine Learning Ch. 1*<br>Machine Learning Ch. 8*<br></td>
     <td>Project 2</td>
+
     <td>[[Spring 2019 Project 2: Optimize Something | Project 2]]</td>
 
     <td>01/27/2019</td>
 
     <td>01/27/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
Line 58: Line 56:
 
     <td>01/28/2019</td>
 
     <td>01/28/2019</td>
 
     <td>03-03<br>03-04<br></td>
 
     <td>03-03<br>03-04<br></td>
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3C-gly8bLE Suntrust Visit]*<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBWL4oLT7Uc Decision Trees 1]<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVc3cjvDHhw Decision Trees 2]<br>Machine Learning Ch. 3<br></td>
+
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3C-gly8bLE Suntrust Visit]*<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBWL4oLT7Uc Decision Trees 1]<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVc3cjvDHhw Decision Trees 2]<br>Machine Learning Ch. 3*<br></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
     <td>02/03/2019</td>
+
     <td>--</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
Line 67: Line 65:
 
     <td>02-01<br>02-02<br></td>
 
     <td>02-01<br>02-02<br></td>
 
     <td>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 2<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 4<br></td>
 
     <td>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 2<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 4<br></td>
     <td>Project 3</td>
+
     <td>[[Spring 2019 Project 3: Assess Learners | Project 3]]<br>Quarter-Course Survey</td>
 
     <td>02/10/2019</td>
 
     <td>02/10/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
Line 76: Line 74:
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibQmtYrTEDQ Is the stock market rigged?]<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 5<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 7<br></td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibQmtYrTEDQ Is the stock market rigged?]<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 5<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 7<br></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
     <td>02/17/2019</td>
+
     <td>--</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
Line 82: Line 80:
 
     <td>02/18/2019</td>
 
     <td>02/18/2019</td>
 
     <td>02-05<br>02-06<br></td>
 
     <td>02-05<br>02-06<br></td>
     <td>Booyah Lesson</td>
+
     <td></td>
     <td>Project 4</td>
+
     <td>[[Spring 2019 Project 4: Defeat Learners | Project 4]]</td>
 
     <td>02/24/2019</td>
 
     <td>02/24/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
Line 91: Line 89:
 
     <td>02-07<br>02-08<br></td>
 
     <td>02-07<br>02-08<br></td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ysZptg2Ypk Market Simulator]<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 8<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 12<br></td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ysZptg2Ypk Market Simulator]<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 8<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 12<br></td>
     <td>Simulator</td>
+
     <td>Exam 1</td>
     <td>03/03/2019</td>
+
     <td>Exam window: 2/25 - 3/03/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
Line 99: Line 97:
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j13KSg4l9gM The Big Short]*<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e2Yr-Bpo-w Time Series Data (First 30 Minutes)]<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e2Yr-Bpo-w Technical Trading]<br></td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j13KSg4l9gM The Big Short]*<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e2Yr-Bpo-w Time Series Data (First 30 Minutes)]<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e2Yr-Bpo-w Technical Trading]<br></td>
     <td>Project 5</td>
+
     <td>[[Spring 2019 Project 5: Marketsim | Project 5]]<br>Mid-Course Survey</td>
 
     <td>03/10/2019</td>
 
     <td>03/10/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
Line 108: Line 106:
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbSbYHECGoA Decision Tree-Based Trading]<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 9<br></td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbSbYHECGoA Decision Tree-Based Trading]<br>What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 9<br></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
     <td>03/17/2019</td>
+
     <td>--</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
Line 115: Line 113:
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
     <td>Project 6</td>
+
     <td>[[Spring 2019 Project 6: Manual Strategy | Project 6]]</td>
 
     <td>03/24/2019</td>
 
     <td>03/24/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
Line 124: Line 122:
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9UhB953TDA Navigation Project]<br>Machine Learning Ch. 13<br></td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9UhB953TDA Navigation Project]<br>Machine Learning Ch. 13<br></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
     <td>03/31/2019</td>
+
     <td>--</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
Line 131: Line 129:
 
     <td>03-07</td>
 
     <td>03-07</td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8xRATOpsqw Strategies for Q-Learner Trader]</td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8xRATOpsqw Strategies for Q-Learner Trader]</td>
     <td>Project 7</td>
+
     <td>[[Spring 2019 Project 7: Qlearning Robot | Project 7]]</td>
 
     <td>04/07/2019</td>
 
     <td>04/07/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
Line 138: Line 136:
 
     <td>04/08/2019</td>
 
     <td>04/08/2019</td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
    <td>[http://documentaryvine.com/video/midas-formula-trillion-dollar-bet/ Black Scholes]</td>
 
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
     <td>04/14/2019</td>
+
     <td></td>
 +
    <td>--</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
Line 147: Line 145:
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ompRHd0P68&feature=youtu.be Options Trading]</td>
 
     <td>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ompRHd0P68&feature=youtu.be Options Trading]</td>
     <td>Project 8</td>
+
     <td>[[Spring 2019 Project 8: Strategy Learner | Project 8]]</td>
 
     <td>04/21/2019</td>
 
     <td>04/21/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
Line 156: Line 154:
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td>Exam 2</td>
 
     <td>Exam 2</td>
     <td>04/28/2019</td>
+
     <td>Exam window: 4/22 - 4/28/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
Line 163: Line 161:
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
 
     <td></td>
     <td></td>
+
     <td>End-of-Course Survey, CIOS Survey</td>
 
     <td>05/05/2019</td>
 
     <td>05/05/2019</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
</table>
 
</table>
 +
 +
* The Big Short - you can find it using netflix, amazon, etc.
  
 
== Course Assessments ==  
 
== Course Assessments ==  
Line 172: Line 172:
 
Your grade in this class is derived from three categories: eight Projects, two Exams, and Participation.
 
Your grade in this class is derived from three categories: eight Projects, two Exams, and Participation.
  
Final grades will be calculated as an average of all individual grade components, weighted according to the percentages below. Students receiving a final average of 90 or above will receive an A; of 80 to 90 will receive a B; of 70 to 80 will receive a C; of 60 to 70 will receive a D; and of below 60 will receive an F. We do not plan to have a curve. It is intentionally possible for every student in the class to receive an A.
+
Final grades will be calculated as an average of all individual grade components, weighted according to the percentages below. Students receiving a final average of 90.0 or above will receive an A; of 80.0 to 89.9 will receive a B; of 70.0 to 79.9 will receive a C; of 60.0 to 69.9 will receive a D; and of below 60 will receive an F. We do not plan to have a curve.
  
=== Projects: 70% ===
+
=== Projects: 73% ===
  
There are eight projects in this class. All together, the projects account for 70% of your final grade. The projects are not all equal in scope or difficulty, and thus they do not all count evenly. The projects are:
+
There are eight projects in this class. All together, the projects account for 73% of your final grade. The projects are not all equal in scope or difficulty, and thus they do not all count evenly. The projects are:
  
* Project 1, 2.5%: Martingale
+
* [[Spring 2019 Project 1: Martingale | Project 1]], 3%: Martingale
* Project 2, 2.5%: Optimize Something
+
* [[Spring 2019 Project 2: Optimize Something | Project 2]], 3%: Optimize Something
* Project 3, 15%: Assess Learners
+
* [[Spring 2019 Project 3: Assess Learners | Project 3]], 15%: Assess Learners
* Project 4, 5%: Defeat Learners
+
* [[Spring 2019 Project 4: Defeat Learners | Project 4]], 5%: Defeat Learners
* Project 5, 10%: Marketsim
+
* [[Spring 2019 Project 5: Marketsim | Project 5]], 10%: Marketsim
* Project 6, 10%: Manual Strategy
+
* [[Spring 2019 Project 6: Manual Strategy | Project 6]], 12%: Manual Strategy
* Project 7, 10%: Qlearning Robot
+
* [[Spring 2019 Project 7: Qlearning Robot | Project 7]], 10%: Qlearning Robot
* Project 8, 15%: Strategy Learner
+
* [[Spring 2019 Project 8: Strategy Learner | Project 8]], 15%: Strategy Learner
  
=== Participation: 5% ===
+
=== Participation: 2% ===
  
Participation is 5% of your average. Two activities contribute to participation: completing the four course surveys (Start-of-Course, Quarter-Course, Mid-Course, and End-of-Course) and participating on Piazza. Each completed survey will count for 10% of your participation grade (0.5% of your average), and Piazza can count for up to 3%. Piazza posts are evaluated for substantivity, not merely quantity; however, ~10 substantive posts over the course of the semester should be enough to cover your participation grade.
+
Participation is 2% of your average. Participation comes from completing the four course surveys (Start-of-Course, Quarter-Course, Mid-Course, and End-of-Course). Each completed survey will count for 25% of your participation grade (0.5% of your average).
  
 
=== Exams: 25% ===
 
=== Exams: 25% ===
  
There are two exams, each worth 12.5% of your average. Exam 2 is not cumulative; it only covers material after Exam 1. Exams will be delivered via Proctortrack. You are encouraged to peruse materials from previous semesters to prepare for the exams, including the [Midterm Study Guide], [Exam 2 Study Guide], and [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/File:Participation-exam-Qs.pdf Practice Exam].
+
There are two exams, each worth 12.5% of your average. Exam 2 is not cumulative; it only covers material after Exam 1. Exams are closed-book, closed-note: you may not consult any resources. Exams will be delivered via Proctortrack. You are encouraged to peruse materials from previous semesters to prepare for the exams, including the [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/Midterm_Study_Guide Midterm Study Guide], [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/Exam_2_Study_Guide Exam 2 Study Guide], and [http://quantsoftware.gatech.edu/File:Participation-exam-Qs.pdf Practice Exam].
  
 
== Course Policies ==  
 
== Course Policies ==  
Line 208: Line 208:
 
Because Piazza announcements are emailed to you as well, you need only to check your Georgia Tech email once every 24 hours to remain up-to-date on new information during the semester. Georgia Tech generally recommends students to check their Georgia Tech email once every 24 hours. So, if an announcement or message is time sensitive, you will not be responsible for the contents of the announcement until 24 hours after it has been sent.
 
Because Piazza announcements are emailed to you as well, you need only to check your Georgia Tech email once every 24 hours to remain up-to-date on new information during the semester. Georgia Tech generally recommends students to check their Georgia Tech email once every 24 hours. So, if an announcement or message is time sensitive, you will not be responsible for the contents of the announcement until 24 hours after it has been sent.
  
We generally prefer to handle communication via Piazza to help with collaboration among the teaching team, but we understand Piazza is not ideal for having information “pushed” to you. We may contact you via a private Piazza post instead of an email, but if we do so, we will choose to send email notifications immediately, bypassing your individual settings, in order to ensure you’re alerted. As such, this type of communication will also spring under #2 above.
+
We generally prefer to handle class-wide communication via Piazza, but for individual grade-specific communication, your grading TA will generally email you directly, and you should generally email him or her directly as well with questions. We recommend that you do *not* post privately to Piazza in order to communicate with TAs and instructors; email your grading TA first, and escalate to the head TA or instructor if need be.
  
Note that this means you won’t be responsible for knowing information communicated in several other methods we’ll be using. You aren’t responsible for knowing anything posted to Piazza that isn’t linked from an official announcement. You aren’t responsible for anything said in Slack or other third-party sites we may sometimes use to communicate with students. You don’t need to worry about missing critical information so long as you keep up with your email and understand the documents on this web site. This also applies in reverse: we do not monitor or Canvas message boxes and we may not respond to direct emails. If you need to get in touch with the course staff, please post privately to Piazza (either to all Instructors or to an instructor individually) or tag the instructor in the relevant post.
+
Note that this means you won’t be responsible for knowing information communicated in several other methods we’ll be using. You aren’t responsible for knowing anything posted to Piazza that isn’t linked from an official announcement. You aren’t responsible for anything said in Slack or other third-party sites we may sometimes use to communicate with students. You don’t need to worry about missing critical information so long as you keep up with your email and understand the documents on this web site. This also applies in reverse: we do not monitor our Canvas message boxes. If you need to get in touch with the course staff, please email the instructor/TAs in question.
  
 
=== Office Hours ===
 
=== Office Hours ===
Line 220: Line 220:
 
=== Late Work ===
 
=== Late Work ===
  
Running such a large class involves a detailed workflow for assigning assignments to graders, grading those assignments, and returning those grades. As such, work that does not enter into that workflow presents a major delay. Thus, we cannot accept any late work in this class. All assignments must be submitted by the posted deadlines. We have made the descriptions of all assignments available on the first day of class so that if there are expected interruptions (business trips, family vacations, etc.), you can complete the work ahead of time.
+
Running such a large class involves a complex grading workflow. As such, work that does not enter into that workflow presents a major delay. Thus, we cannot accept any late work in this class. All assignments must be submitted by the posted deadlines. We have made the descriptions of all assignments available on the first day of class so that if there are expected interruptions (business trips, family vacations, etc.), you can complete the work ahead of time.
  
If you have technical difficulties submitting the assignment to Canvas, post privately to Piazza immediately and attach your submission. Then, submit it to Canvas as soon as you can thereafter.
+
If you have technical difficulties submitting the assignment to Canvas, email your assignment to your grader immediately.
  
 
If you have an emergency and absolutely cannot submit an assignment by the posted deadlines, we ask you to go through the Dean of Students’ office regarding class absences. The Dean of Students is equipped to address emergencies that we lack the resources to address. Additionally, the Dean of Students office can coordinate with you and alert all your classes together instead of requiring you to contact each professor individually. You may find information on contacting the Dean of Students with regard to personal emergencies here: https://gatech-advocate.symplicity.com/care_report/
 
If you have an emergency and absolutely cannot submit an assignment by the posted deadlines, we ask you to go through the Dean of Students’ office regarding class absences. The Dean of Students is equipped to address emergencies that we lack the resources to address. Additionally, the Dean of Students office can coordinate with you and alert all your classes together instead of requiring you to contact each professor individually. You may find information on contacting the Dean of Students with regard to personal emergencies here: https://gatech-advocate.symplicity.com/care_report/
Line 230: Line 230:
 
=== Academic Honesty ===
 
=== Academic Honesty ===
  
All students in the class are expected to know and abide by the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code. In general, we strongly encourage collaboration in this class. You are encouraged to discuss the course material, the exercises, the written assignments, and project with your classmates, both before and after assignments and projects are due. Similarly, we will be posting the best assignments for public viewing so you may learn from the success of others’ designs. However, we draw a firm line regarding what copying is permissible in your assignments. Specifically, you must adhere to the following rules:
+
All students in the class are expected to know and abide by the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code. We draw a firm line regarding what collaboration and discussion is permissible in your assignments. Specifically, you must adhere to the following rules:
  
 
* Any content that is copied or barely paraphrased from existing literature must be cited, both in the references at the conclusion of your assignment and in-line where the borrowed material appears. Failing to provide in-line citations for borrowed material will be regarded as plagiarism even if the source is provided in the references. This applies to figures as well as text, including those figures that are part of this course’s material.
 
* Any content that is copied or barely paraphrased from existing literature must be cited, both in the references at the conclusion of your assignment and in-line where the borrowed material appears. Failing to provide in-line citations for borrowed material will be regarded as plagiarism even if the source is provided in the references. This applies to figures as well as text, including those figures that are part of this course’s material.
* Do not copy any content from other students in current or previous semesters of KBAI, even if cited.
+
* Do not copy any content from other students in current or previous semesters of this course, or any person that has attempted this course's projects, even if cited.
  
 
In all written work, sources should be cited in APA style, both in-line and at the end of the document. Please consult the Purdue OWL for information on when and how to cite sources in research. When in doubt, don’t hesitate to ask!
 
In all written work, sources should be cited in APA style, both in-line and at the end of the document. Please consult the Purdue OWL for information on when and how to cite sources in research. When in doubt, don’t hesitate to ask!
 
Regarding the course’s proctored exams, you are permitted to consult any resource except live engagement with another human being. You should not email, post on forums, chat, text, or discuss with anyone physically with you during any exam.
 
  
 
Any violations of this policy may be subject to the institute’s Academic Integrity procedures, which may include a 0 grade on assignments found to contain violations; additional grade penalties; academic probation or dismissal; and prohibition from withdrawing from the class.
 
Any violations of this policy may be subject to the institute’s Academic Integrity procedures, which may include a 0 grade on assignments found to contain violations; additional grade penalties; academic probation or dismissal; and prohibition from withdrawing from the class.

Revision as of 15:50, 28 January 2019

This page provides information about the Georgia Tech OMS CS7646 class on Machine Learning for Trading relevant only to the Spring 2019 semester. Note that this page is subject to change at any time. The Spring 2019 semester of the OMS CS7646 class will begin on January 7, 2019. Below, find the course’s calendar, grading criteria, and other information. For more complete information about the course’s requirements and learning objectives, please see the general CS7646 page.

Note in the event of conflicts between the Spring 2019 page and the general CS7646 page, this page supercedes the general course page.


Quick Links

To help with navigation, here are some of the links you'll be using frequently in this course:

Course Calendar At-A-Glance

Below is the calendar for the Spring 2019 OMS CS7646 class. Note that assignment due dates are all Sundays at 11:59PM Anywhere on Earth time. All assignments are finalized 3 weeks prior to the listed due date.

Readings come from the three course textbooks listed on the course home page. Anything with an asterisk is optional; everything else is required.

Week # Week Of Lessons Readings/Videos Assignment Assignment Due Date
1 01/07/2019 01-01
01-02
01-03
01-04
Python for Finance Ch. 4*
Python for Finance Ch. 6*
Start-of-Course Survey 01/13/2019
2 01/14/2019 01-05
01-06
01-07
01-08
Python for Finance Ch. 5* Project 1 01/20/2019
3 01/21/2019 01-09
03-01
03-02
Python for Finance Ch. 11*
Machine Learning Ch. 1*
Machine Learning Ch. 8*
Project 2 01/27/2019
4 01/28/2019 03-03
03-04
Suntrust Visit*
Decision Trees 1
Decision Trees 2
Machine Learning Ch. 3*
--
5 02/04/2019 02-01
02-02
What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 2
What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 4
Project 3
Quarter-Course Survey
02/10/2019
6 02/11/2019 02-03
02-04
Is the stock market rigged?
What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 5
What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 7
--
7 02/18/2019 02-05
02-06
Project 4 02/24/2019
8 02/25/2019 02-07
02-08
Market Simulator
What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 8
What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 12
Exam 1 Exam window: 2/25 - 3/03/2019
9 03/04/2019 The Big Short*
Time Series Data (First 30 Minutes)
Technical Trading
Project 5
Mid-Course Survey
03/10/2019
10 03/11/2019 02-09
02-10
Decision Tree-Based Trading
What Hedge Funds Really Do Ch. 9
--
11 03/18/2019 Project 6 03/24/2019
12 03/25/2019 03-05
03-06
Navigation Project
Machine Learning Ch. 13
--
13 04/01/2019 03-07 Strategies for Q-Learner Trader Project 7 04/07/2019
14 04/08/2019 --
15 04/15/2019 Options Trading Project 8 04/21/2019
16 04/22/2019 Exam 2 Exam window: 4/22 - 4/28/2019
17 04/29/2019 End-of-Course Survey, CIOS Survey 05/05/2019
  • The Big Short - you can find it using netflix, amazon, etc.

Course Assessments

Your grade in this class is derived from three categories: eight Projects, two Exams, and Participation.

Final grades will be calculated as an average of all individual grade components, weighted according to the percentages below. Students receiving a final average of 90.0 or above will receive an A; of 80.0 to 89.9 will receive a B; of 70.0 to 79.9 will receive a C; of 60.0 to 69.9 will receive a D; and of below 60 will receive an F. We do not plan to have a curve.

Projects: 73%

There are eight projects in this class. All together, the projects account for 73% of your final grade. The projects are not all equal in scope or difficulty, and thus they do not all count evenly. The projects are:

Participation: 2%

Participation is 2% of your average. Participation comes from completing the four course surveys (Start-of-Course, Quarter-Course, Mid-Course, and End-of-Course). Each completed survey will count for 25% of your participation grade (0.5% of your average).

Exams: 25%

There are two exams, each worth 12.5% of your average. Exam 2 is not cumulative; it only covers material after Exam 1. Exams are closed-book, closed-note: you may not consult any resources. Exams will be delivered via Proctortrack. You are encouraged to peruse materials from previous semesters to prepare for the exams, including the Midterm Study Guide, Exam 2 Study Guide, and Practice Exam.

Course Policies

The following policies are binding for this course.

Official Course Communication

You are responsible for knowing the following information:

  • Anything posted to this syllabus (including the pages linked from here, such as the general course landing page).
  • Anything emailed directly to you by the teaching team (including announcements via Piazza), 24 hours after receiving such an email.

Because Piazza announcements are emailed to you as well, you need only to check your Georgia Tech email once every 24 hours to remain up-to-date on new information during the semester. Georgia Tech generally recommends students to check their Georgia Tech email once every 24 hours. So, if an announcement or message is time sensitive, you will not be responsible for the contents of the announcement until 24 hours after it has been sent.

We generally prefer to handle class-wide communication via Piazza, but for individual grade-specific communication, your grading TA will generally email you directly, and you should generally email him or her directly as well with questions. We recommend that you do *not* post privately to Piazza in order to communicate with TAs and instructors; email your grading TA first, and escalate to the head TA or instructor if need be.

Note that this means you won’t be responsible for knowing information communicated in several other methods we’ll be using. You aren’t responsible for knowing anything posted to Piazza that isn’t linked from an official announcement. You aren’t responsible for anything said in Slack or other third-party sites we may sometimes use to communicate with students. You don’t need to worry about missing critical information so long as you keep up with your email and understand the documents on this web site. This also applies in reverse: we do not monitor our Canvas message boxes. If you need to get in touch with the course staff, please email the instructor/TAs in question.

Office Hours

Most of our teaching assistants will hold weekly office hours using Hangouts, Webex, or another teleconferencing tool. Office hours are not recorded, and are intended for more individually-focused help and conversations. If anything comes up in office hours that is relevant to the entire class, it will be shared via Piazza.

A schedule of office hours will be made available via Piazza early in the semester.

Late Work

Running such a large class involves a complex grading workflow. As such, work that does not enter into that workflow presents a major delay. Thus, we cannot accept any late work in this class. All assignments must be submitted by the posted deadlines. We have made the descriptions of all assignments available on the first day of class so that if there are expected interruptions (business trips, family vacations, etc.), you can complete the work ahead of time.

If you have technical difficulties submitting the assignment to Canvas, email your assignment to your grader immediately.

If you have an emergency and absolutely cannot submit an assignment by the posted deadlines, we ask you to go through the Dean of Students’ office regarding class absences. The Dean of Students is equipped to address emergencies that we lack the resources to address. Additionally, the Dean of Students office can coordinate with you and alert all your classes together instead of requiring you to contact each professor individually. You may find information on contacting the Dean of Students with regard to personal emergencies here: https://gatech-advocate.symplicity.com/care_report/

The Dean of Students is there to be an advocate and partner for you when you’re in a crisis; we wholeheartedly recommend taking advantage of this resource if you are in need. Justifiable excuses here would involve any major unforeseen disruption to your classwork, such as illnesses, injuries, deaths, and births, all for either you or your family. Note that for foreseen but unavoidable conflicts, like weddings, business trips, and conferences, you should complete your work in advance; this is why we have made sure to provide all assignment and project resources in advance. If you have such a conflict specifically with the tests, let us know and we’ll try to work with you.

Academic Honesty

All students in the class are expected to know and abide by the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code. We draw a firm line regarding what collaboration and discussion is permissible in your assignments. Specifically, you must adhere to the following rules:

  • Any content that is copied or barely paraphrased from existing literature must be cited, both in the references at the conclusion of your assignment and in-line where the borrowed material appears. Failing to provide in-line citations for borrowed material will be regarded as plagiarism even if the source is provided in the references. This applies to figures as well as text, including those figures that are part of this course’s material.
  • Do not copy any content from other students in current or previous semesters of this course, or any person that has attempted this course's projects, even if cited.

In all written work, sources should be cited in APA style, both in-line and at the end of the document. Please consult the Purdue OWL for information on when and how to cite sources in research. When in doubt, don’t hesitate to ask!

Any violations of this policy may be subject to the institute’s Academic Integrity procedures, which may include a 0 grade on assignments found to contain violations; additional grade penalties; academic probation or dismissal; and prohibition from withdrawing from the class.

Feedback

Every semester, we make changes and tweaks to the course formula. As a result, every semester we try some new things, and some of these things may not work. We ask your patience and support as we figure things out, and in return, we promise that we, too, will be fair and understanding, especially with anything that might impact your grade or performance in the class. Second, we want to consistently get feedback on how we can improve and expand the course for future iterations. You can take advantage of the feedback box on Piazza (especially if you want to gather input from others in the class), give us feedback on the surveys, or contact us directly via private Piazza messages.