Module 04 Assessment: Unsupervised Exploration Check
Assessment ID: ML-M04-QA01 Estimated active time: 35-50 minutes Status: Draft
Part A: Concept checks
Answer in one or two sentences.
- Why must features be scaled before clustering?
- How many clusters did you choose, and what evidence supported that number?
- Describe what each cluster appears to separate, in plain English.
- Does cluster membership reproduce a column you already had? Show how you checked.
- What would you need to confirm these groups are real rather than an artefact?
Part B: Applied task
Use the supplied synthetic dataset to complete the module activity: Run clustering before and after scaling, inspect a projection, and write three limits.
Part C: Explanation
Explain what the clustering found, and why unsupervised results cannot be validated the way supervised ones can.
Rubric
| Level | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Pass | Completes the activity, explains the output in plain English, compares or limits the result properly, and avoids overclaiming. |
| Revise | Completes most of the task but misses one important comparison, limitation, or data-safety boundary. |
| Not yet | Treats synthetic results as real-world proof, omits the required evidence, or ignores the module safety rule. |
Safety rule
Do not use real personal, confidential, employer, client, health, financial, authentication, or sensitive data.