Information Retrieval

OHSU Biomedical Informatics 514/614

William Hersh, M.D. , Course Director
Spring Quarter, 2008
3 credits

Last updated: February 5, 2008

Objectives

This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the theory, implementation, and evaluation methods of text-based information retrieval systems. It covers health and biomedical information, current indexing and retrieval practice, system evaluation, research efforts investigating new approaches to indexing and retrieval, and digital libraries.

Time and Location

All class lectures are online.

Readings

The course textbook is the second edition of the instructor’s book, Information Retrieval: A Health and Biomedical Perspective (Spring-Verlag, 2003). Students are responsible for all assigned readings. Updates to the textbook chapters are also required and are posted on the textbook Web site.

Registration

This course is open to all OHSU medical informatics students and others by permission of the course director.

Course outline with tentative weekly topic and reading assignment

Date Posted	Topic	Textbook chapter
4/2	Terms, Models, and Resources	1
4/9	Health and Biomedical Information	2
4/16	Evaluation of Systems	3
4/23	Content	4
4/30	Indexing	5
5/7	Retrieval	6
5/14	Digital Libraries	10
5/21	Evaluation	7
5/28	Research Systems and Methods	8-10
6/4	Term project due; final exam distributed
6/11	Final exam due

Assignments

There are weekly homework assignments on the Blackboard system consisting of multiple-choice homework quizzes and required postings to discussion threads. These are due one week after the material posted.

Final Examination

There is an open-book final examination. The exam has short answer questions. Any material assigned for reading may appear, with emphasis on material is covered in class.

Course Projects

A course project is required of all students, due June 6th at 5 pm Pacific time. The project may consist of:

A 10-15 page paper on a particular line of work on some aspect of indexing, retrieval, or evaluation
A 10-15 page detailed proposal for a new approach to indexing, retrieval, or evaluation
Implementation of a computer program implementing some aspect of indexing, retrieval, or evaluation, with 10-15 pages of commented code

More details about the project will be provided during the term.

Grading

Grading consists of 30% assignments, 30% final examination, 30% course project, and 10% class participation.

Academic Honesty

Course participants are expected to maintain academic honesty in their course work. Participants should refrain from seeking pat published solutions to any assignments. Literature and resources (including Internet resources) employed in fulfilling assignments must be cited. See http://www.ohsu.edu/dmice/enrolled/plag.shtml for details.

Course Instructor

William Hersh, M.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology
Oregon Health & Science University
BICC
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Portland, OR 97201-3098
Voice: 503-494-4563
Fax: 503-494-4551
Email: hersh@ohsu.edu
Web: http://www.billhersh.info