IT492: Recommendation Systems

Academic Year 2023–24 [Winter]

Instructor: Dr. Arpit Rana [arpit_rana@daiict.ac.in]

Prerequisites: Introduction to Data Mining(IT496) – Strict Criterion
Slot: B.Tech. VI or VIII Semester / M.Tech. (ML) II Semester /
M.Sc.(DS) IV Semester

Category: Technical/ICT Elective

Course Credits(L--T--P--Cr): 3--0--2--4
Lectures: TBD
Lab and Practical: TBD
TA contact info: TBD

Course Description:

This course provides students with an understanding of the role of a recommendation system in an
organization, its components, and the theories and techniques used to construct them. The course will
cover basic terminologies; the most widely used recommendation approaches, content-based,
collaborative, and hybrid; offline and online evaluation techniques; and more advanced applications in
various domains.

Course Structure

● Lecture: Learn recommender systems' theories and state-of-the-art techniques.

● Lab: Learn how to use Python-based tools to support lecture and project topics (mandatory)

Suggested Books:

● Recommender Systems: The Textbook [2016] by Charu C. Aggarwal, Springer

Course Outcomes:

After successful completion of the course, the student will have the ability to -

● Understand the fundamentals of recommender systems

● Understand the types of recommendation algorithms
● Understand the evaluation techniques of recommender systems
● Understand the practical issues through case studies
● Apply all of the above in Python (using Python ML Stack, Keras/ Tensorflow)

P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P11 P12

X X X X X X
 IT492: Recommendation Systems
Academic Year 2023–24 [Winter]
Evaluation Scheme:
● In-Semester Exams (I & II):
● Course Projects + Case Study:
● End-Semester Exam:
Tentative Course Plan1:
Units
Introduction to Recommender
Systems
Recommendation Techniques:
Content-based Filtering
Recommendation Techniques:
Collaborative Filtering using
Explicit User Ratings
Recommendation Techniques:
Hybrid Techniques
20%
55% (40% + 15%)
25%
Topics Number of Lectures
Definition, objectives, components,
3
approaches, evaluation, and challenges
Movie Recommendation using User Reviews
[IMDb]
● Feature Extraction from User Reviews,
● User Preference Modeling, Evaluation.
● Extending it to Conversational
9
(GUI-based multi-round) RS,
● Extending it to Sequence-aware
(next-item to add to cart) RS
● Use Sentiment Analysis to Add More
Features from User Reviews
Movie Recommendation using User Ratings
[IMDb]
● Neighborhood-based Collaborative
Filtering (User-User, Item-Item)
● Model-based Collaborative Filtering
(Latent Factor Models: MF and its
variants)
9
● Evaluation
● Extending it to Conversational
(GUI-based multi-round) RS,
● Extending it to Sequence-aware
(next-item to add to the cart) RS
● Content-based vs. Collaborative
Filtering
Movie Recommendation [IMDb]
● Ensemble-based Recommendation
3
● Combine the above two-models and
Evaluate
 IT492: Recommendation Systems
Academic Year 2023–24 [Winter]

Re-ranking for Diversity, Explainability, Context.

Re-ranking Approaches Learning to Rank Algorithms: RankNet, 4
LambdaRank, LambdaMart

Model-based and Model-agnostic Explanation

Explaining Recommendations 3
Engines for Recommendations

Item Recommendation on an E-commerce

Recommendation using
Platform [Amazon]
Implicit Feedback (based on 9
● Using Deep Neural Network
user click pattern)
● Evaluation

1 — This course plan is subject to change without notice.

 IT492: Recommendation Systems
Academic Year 2023–24 [Winter]

Preliminary Schedule of the Course:

Week Lecture Lab1 Due2

Introduction to Recommendation Systems:
Week-1
Definition, objectives, components, — No lab — -
[1 Jan 2024]
approaches, evaluation, and challenges

Week-2 Content-based Filtering – I

— No lab — -
[8 Jan 2024] (Feature Extraction using NLP)

Week-3 Content-based Filtering – II Sunday,

CP - 01
[15 Jan 2024] (User Preference Modeling and Evaluation) [11 Feb 2024]

Week-4 Content-based Filtering: Sentiment Analysis

CP - 01 -
[22 Jan 2024] (Holiday: 26 January 2024)

Week-5 Content-based Filtering – IV

CP - 01 -
[29 Jan 2024] (Sessions will be Taken by the Head TA)

Week-6 First In-Semester Examination

CP - 01 -
[5 Feb 2024] (Monday to Thursday)

Week-6 Collaborative Filtering – I Sunday,

CP - 02
[12 Feb 2024] (Memory-based) [17 Mar 2024]

Week-7 Collaborative Filtering – II

CP - 02 -
[19 Feb 2024] (Matrix Factorization and Variants)

Week-8 Collaborative Filtering – III

CP - 02 -
[26 Feb 2024] (Evaluation, Beyond-Accuracy Measures)

Re-ranking Recommendations: Learning to

Week-9
Rank Algorithms CP - 02 -
[4 Mar 2024]
(Holiday: 8 March 2024)

Week-10
Explaining Recommendations CP - 02 -
[11 Mar 2024]

Week-11 Second In-Semester Examination Sunday,

CP - 03
[18 Mar 2024] (Wednesday to Saturday) [14 Apr 2024]

Week-12 In-semester Break

CP - 03 -
[25 Mar 2024] (Entire week)
 IT492: Recommendation Systems
Academic Year 2023–24 [Winter]

Week-13
SARS using DNN based Models - I CP-03 -
[1 Apr 2024]

Week-14 SARS using DNN based Models - II

CP-03 -
[8 Apr 2024] (Holiday: 11 April 2024)

Week-15 SARS using DNN based Models - III Case Study

-
[15 Apr 2024] (Holiday: 17 April 2024) Viva I

Week-16 Buffer Week [will be used to compensate Case Study

-
[22 Apr 2024] classes falling on holidays] Viva II

Week-17 End-Semester Examination

[29 Apr 2024] [Till 5 May 2024]

1 – Depending on the number of registered students, projects will be assigned to groups or individuals.

2 - Course Projects (CPs) are due at 11:59 PM on the date listed. CPs will be submitted online on IT492 Google
Classroom. CP topics/datasets will be released during the lab sessions only.