Supervised Machine Learning: Basic Baby Steps Involved…

Prasan N H
2 min readDec 10, 2023

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Embarking on the journey of developing a Supervised Machine Learning model, whether for classification or regression tasks, involves a systematic process to ensure accuracy and reliability. Let’s unveil the essential steps in this intricate dance between data and predictions.

steps in supervised learning — regression and classification problems
Flowchart of Supervised Learning process

Learning Step — Model Construction and Evaluation

The inception lies in constructing the model by leveraging predetermined class-labels from the training set. This initial phase sets the foundation, but the journey doesn’t end there. Fine-tuning the hyperparameters becomes the next act, preventing overfitting through multiple iterations. The validation set plays a pivotal role in this, employing cross-validation techniques to strike the delicate balance between bias and variance. Finally, the trained model undergoes evaluation with the best hyperparameters, utilizing an unbiased, independent test set. This critical step unveils the model’s performance, comparing known labels with predictions to gauge accuracy and identify errors.

Classification Step — Deploying the Model

With the model now finely tuned and validated, it’s time to deploy it into the real world. The classification step involves utilizing the model to categorize new, unseen data. The model can take various forms, from mathematical formulas to decision trees like Hunt’s algorithm, C4.5 algorithm, or ID3 algorithm, and even Generalized Additive Models (GAMs). The success of a classification model is determined by how well its predicted labels align with the true labels in the training examples.

Train, Validate and Test — Supervised Learning
Train, Validate and Test — Supervised Learning

Understanding the Machine Learning Alchemy

In the heart of machine learning lies algorithms capable of learning from data and making insightful predictions. These algorithms thrive on input data divided into three key sets: training, validation (also known as the ‘Model Development’ set), and test sets. Each set plays a distinct role in different stages of model creation, ensuring a robust and accurate learning process.

Navigating the intricate landscape of developing Supervised Machine Learning models demands precision and a clear roadmap. From constructing and fine-tuning to deploying and validating, each step contributes to the model’s prowess in making accurate predictions.

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Prasan N H

Currently pursuing MS in Information Science from University of Arizona (2023-2025)