The course will take the form of a seminar instead of lectures by the instructor.
Each class session starts by summarizing questions from all the participants on the current session, followed by a presentation (lecture) by a student group, and ended with classroom discussion on the collected and new questions. After each class session, another team of students will write a blogpost on the topic. All the students are required to read every session’s required readings before it is discussed in a class, and sent their questions through Collab in advance.
It is quite hard to make important topics of Generative AI fit on a one-semester schedule. We aim to make the course reasonably digestible in an seminar team-learning manner. Our goals here are to highlight the most timing research topics relating to GenAI risks and benefits, and to expose the trade-offs. We think this teaching style provides students with research centered learning on both knowledge and workflows, helping them build a quick understanding of State-of-the-Art in GenAI.
Students in the seminar are expected to:
For each week, there will be a team of students charged with preparing a topic, analyzing, delivering a lecture and leading the classroom discussions. Another team of students is charged with writing a blog post about that class. Students responsible for posting the blog summary will be different from the ones charged with leading the topic discussion, but should work closely with the leaders on the posted write-up.
Participate actively in class meetings. This means being prepared to contribute by doing the assigned preparation (which will typically involve reading a few research papers, but may involve other things also) and thinking about the materials deeply to be able to contribute well to discussions. Part of this preparation will involve writing and posting questions before each class.
Each team is expected to include 4 to 5 students.
Course schedule and materials @ https://qiyanjun.github.io/2024sp-GenAI-Risk-Benefits/
Discussion and assignment submissions via Collab site:
Course annoucement via: 24sp-cs-6501-genai@collab.its.virginia.edu
Corrections or comments to yanjun@virginia.edu
Sit-in: No. This course is for registered students only.
As the leading team, your job is to decide what to cover in that class session ( sure to include class reading assignment and is not limited to typical research papers), prepare slide deck, and lead an interesting, engaging, and illuminating class!
You have one class session to present your topic (either Tues or Thurs meetings), so please don’t just give a series of unconnected, dull presentations. You need to think of things to do in class to make it more worthwhile and engaging. Most class sessions will include presenting ideas using slides, but you should aim to also include other things such as whiteboard presentations, code demos, class discussions, class activities, etc.
One weeks before your team is scheduled to lead, you should have an idea what you want to do, tentative list of readings or other materials, and send this to instructor by 5:29pm on the Monday. We will give you some quick feedback on this, and we will meet on the Monday or Wedesday office hours to discuss.
The day before your team is scheduled to lead, you should post the materials for the class to instructors, including slide deck, activities, on the course discussion site. So, the team leading on 02/12 September should do this by 0211 at 5:29pm.
After you’ve completed the class meeting, you should help the Blogging team by providing them with your materials, answering their questions, and reviewing their write-up.
Preparation Deadlines
All deadlines are at 5:29pm on the date listed.
The blogging team is responsible for writing a post that summarizes the materials and discussion for the class. A draft of the blog should be submitted as a pull request no later than the following week’s Thursday (instrutors will go over your blogs in the Thursdays’ 7:30pm hour office session).
Before the scheduled class, develop a team plan for how to manage the blogging. One team member should be designated the team leader for the blogging. The blogging leader is responsible for making sure the team is well coordinated and everyone knows what they are doing and follows through on this. The blogging team should take detailed notes (this can be distributed among the team — make sure you know who is responsible for taking notes on each part).
Note that as the blogging team, you are expected get the questions from the TA, answer questions in the blog to select important questions. You are not expected to lead the class, but you are expected to participate actively in the class.
By the Monday following class, have a draft of the blog post ready, and share it with the rest of the class (including the leading team, instructors and coordinators) for comments. Instructions for how to prepare the blog post are on the Blogging Tactics page.
By the following Friday, have a final version of the blog post ready and get posted into the course site.
The School of Engineering and Applied Science relies upon and cherishes its community of trust. We firmly endorse, uphold, and embrace the University’s Honor principle that students will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor shall they tolerate those who do. We recognize that even one honor infraction can destroy an exemplary reputation that has taken years to build. Acting in a manner consistent with the principles of honor will benefit every member of the community both while enrolled in the Engineering School and in the future.
Students are expected to be familiar with the university honor code, including the section on academic fraud. Each assignment will describe allowed collaborations, and deviations from these will be considered Honor violations. If you are in doubt regarding the requirements, please consult with me before you complete any requirement of this course. Unless otherwise noted, exams and individual assignments will be considered pledged that you have neither given nor received help. (Among other things, this means that you are not allowed to describe problems on an exam to a student who has not taken it yet. You are not allowed to show exam papers to another student or view another student’s exam papers while working on an exam.) Send, receiving or otherwise copying electronic files that are part of course assignments are not allowed collaborations (except for those explicitly allowed in assignment instructions).
Assignments or exams where honor infractions or prohibited collaborations occur will receive a zero grade for that entire assignment or exam, as well as a full letter-grade penalty on the course grade. Such infractions will also be submitted to the Honor Committee if that is appropriate. Students who have had prohibited collaborations may not be allowed to work with partners on remaining homeworks.
The University of Virginia strives to provide accessibility to all students. If you require an accommodation to fully access this course, please contact the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC) at 434-243-5180 or sdac@virginia.edu. If you are unsure if you require an accommodation, or to learn more about their services, you may contact the SDAC at the number above or by visiting their website at URL.
If you have been identified as an SDAC student, please let the Center know you are taking this class. If you suspect you should be an SDAC student, please schedule an appointment with them for an evaluation. Students who need academic accommodations should see me and contact the SDAC. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the SDAC.
If you have other special circumstances (athletics, other university-related activities, etc.) please contact instructor and/or TA as soon as you know these may affect you in class.
It is the University’s long-standing policy and practice to reasonably accommodate students so that they do not experience an adverse academic consequence when sincerely held religious beliefs or observances conflict with academic requirements. Students who wish to request academic accommodation for a religious observance should submit their request in writing directly to me by email as far in advance as possible. Students and instructors who have questions or concerns about academic accommodations for religious observance or religious beliefs may contact the University’s Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (EOCR) at UVAEOCR@virginia.edu or 434-924-3200.
Accommodations do not relieve you of the responsibility for completion of any part of the coursework missed as the result of a religious observance.
The University of Virginia is dedicated to providing a safe and equitable learning environment for all students. To that end, it is vital that you know two values that I and the University hold as critically important:
Power-based personal violence will not be tolerated. Everyone has a responsibility to do their part to maintain a safe community on Grounds. If you or someone you know has been affected by power-based personal violence, more information can be found on the UVA Sexual Violence website that describes reporting options and resources available - www.virginia.edu/sexualviolence.
As your professor and as a person, know that I care about you and your well-being and stand ready to provide support and resources as I can. As a faculty member, I am a responsible employee, which means that I am required by University policy and federal law to report what you tell me to the University’s Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator’s job is to ensure that the reporting student receives the resources and support that they need, while also reviewing the information presented to determine whether further action is necessary to ensure survivor safety and the safety of the University community. If you would rather keep this information confidential, there are Confidential Employees you can talk to on Grounds (See http://www.virginia.edu/justreportit/confidential_resources.pdf). The worst possible situation would be for you or your friend to remain silent when there are so many here willing and able to help.
This syllabus is to be considered a reference document that can and will be adjusted through the course of the semester to address changing needs. This syllabus can be changed at any time without notification. It is up to the student to monitor this page for any changes. Final authority on any decision in this course rests with the professor, not with this document.