Information theory studies the fundamental limits of the representation and transmission of information. This course provides an introduction to information theory, studying fundamental concepts such as probability, information, and entropy and examining their applications in the areas of data compression, coding, communications, pattern recognition and probabilistic inference.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will have background knowledge necessary to understand problems in data compression, storing and communication and undertake advanced courses on statistical inference, machine learning and information engineering. In particular, the student will be able to:

• Understand and apply fundamental concepts in information theory such as probability, entropy, information content and their inter-relationships.
• Understand the principles of data compression.
• Compute entropy and mutual information of random variables.
• Implement and analyse basic coding and compression algorithms.
• Understand the relationship of information theoretical principles and Bayesian inference in data modelling and pattern recognition.
• Understand some key theorems and inequalities that quantify essential limitations on compression, communication and inference.
• Know the basic concepts regarding communications over noisy channels.

Research-Led Teaching

We will arrange a guest lecture from an active researcher in the area.

Required Resources

Text Book:

David MacKay, ``Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms'', Cambridge University press, (primary text; available free http://www.inference.org.uk/mackay/itila )

Recommended Resources

Additional Recommended Texts:

"Elements of Information Theory" by Cover and Thomas, 2nd Edition, New York, Wiley, 2006.

"Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning," by Christopher M. Bishop

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Marked Assignments will be provided within 1-2 weeks from the due date.
• Solutions to the Assignments will be given after one week from the due date .
• feedback to whole class, and Tutorial groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Information theory studies the fundamental limits of the representation and transmission of information. This course provides an introduction to information theory, studying fundamental concepts such as probability, information, and entropy and examining their applications in the areas of data compression, coding, communications, pattern recognition and probabilistic inference.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	L1: Motivate the course and cover logistics; L2: Review of probability theory	Reading: McKay: 2.1, 2.2; Bishop 1.2.1
2	L3: Probability Theory and Bayes' Rule L4: Bayesian Inference	Reading: McKay: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
3	L5: Probability Distributions and Methods of Inference L6: Entropy	Reading: McKay: 2.4, 23.1, 23.2, 8.1Bishop: 2.1,2.2 Assignment 1 (10%): Release in this week
4	L7: Relative Entropy and Mutual Information & 2.5, Ch 8 & & Tute 4 L8: Some fundamental inequalities	Reading: McKay: 2.5, Ch 8 Cover 2.3, 2.4, 2.5
5	L9: Probabilistic Inequalities - Markov inequality, Chebyshev inequality and the Law of Large Numbers .L10: Entropy and Coding	Reading: McKay: 4.4, 4.5 Cover 3.1Assignment 1 (10%) Due on Friday
6	L11: Entropy and Coding (Cont.) L12: The Source Coding Theorem	Reading: McKay: 4.2-4.5Assignment 2 (20%): Release in this week
7	L13: Symbol Codes for Lossless Compression L14: Source Coding Theorem for Symbol Codes
8	L15: Shannon-Fano-Elias and Interval Coding L16: Arithmetic Coding	Assignment 2 is due on Monday 9 am
9	Guest Lecture L17 Noisy Channels
10	L18: Channel Capacity L19: Block Codes and the Coding Theorem	Assignment 3 (20%): Release in this week
11	L20: Joint-Typicality and  the Noisy-Channel Coding TheoremL21 Hamming Codes and Coding Review
12	Guest lecture (Tentative) Review and Exam Preparation	Assignment 3 is due Friday 5 pm

Tutorial Registration

Tutorial registration is via Wattle.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Assignment 1	10 %	25/08/2023	01/09/2023	1,7
Assignment 2	20 %	25/09/2023	02/10/2023	1,3,5,6
Assignment 3	20 %	27/10/2023	30/10/2023	2,4,6,7
Final Exam	50 %	*	*	1-7

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Examination(s)

As above.

Assessment Task 1

Assignment 1

Assignment 1 will consists of a series of problems covering First 3 Weeks of Lectures.

Due Date: Friday 5 pm Week 5.

A late submission attracts a penalty of 5% per working day as per ANU Policy (https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004604) up until 5pm Friday Week 6 (a week from the due date). We will provide solutions to the assignment after 5pm Friday Week 6 and if you submit after that time you get zero marks (100% penalty).   

Extensions will be considered according to the ANU Policy (https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004604). 

Assessment Task 2

Assignment 2

Assignment 2 will consists of a series of problems covering all Lectures from Weeks 1-6.

Due Date: Monday 9 am Week 8.

A late submission attracts a penalty of 5% per working day as per ANU Policy (https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004604) up until 9 am Monday Week 9 (a week from the due date). We will provide solutions to the assignment after 9 am Monday Week 9 and if you submit after that time you get zero marks (100% penalty).   

Extensions will be considered according to the ANU Policy (https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004604). 

You need to submit your answers as a single pdf file. No other formats are acceptable. It is perfectly acceptable to submit a scan of handwritten answers. No marks are allocated for how pretty the submission looks. But if your handwriting can not be read, then you will not be able to be given credit for any correct answers we can not read. Unless you are a whizz already with LaTeX, we encourage you to submit scanned handwritten answers, to save you time. You can use a photocopier to turn your handwritten notes to a pdf, or many modern phones provide the ability to export a series of photos as a single pdf file. I have set the size limit to 50MB, so don't scan your handwriting at 1200dpi!

Assessment Task 3

Assignment 3

Assignment 3 will consists of a series of problems covering all Lectures from Weeks 1-11.

Due Date: Friday 5 pm Week 12.

A late submission attracts a penalty of 5% per working day as per ANU Policy (https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004604) up until 5 pm Friday Week 13 (a week from the due date). We will provide solutions to the assignment after 5 pm Friday Week 13 and if you submit after that time you get zero marks (100% penalty).   

Extensions will be considered according to the ANU Policy (https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004604). 

Assessment Task 4

Final Exam

Final Exam covers everything you learn in this course.

Hurdle component: min score required is 40% of the exam

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 5 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students