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Brigham Young University
Computer Science

Computer Science

Computer Science 470
Fall 2009

Syllabus

Text

Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, 2nd Edition by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig, Prentice Hall (ISBN 0-13-790395-2).  This book is brand new, and appears to be the most widely used introduction to AI.  My printing is missing pages 389-420; we will not be covering this in class, so if your edition has the same problem it will not kill you.

A book that covers some of the material that we will discuss in class that is not covered in Russell and Norvig is Introduction to AI Robotics by Robin Murphy.

Homework

This semester, all homework will be submitted on paper.

    Format

    Each problem you submit will include a description of the problem along with the solution. You must show all work to receive full credit.

    Deadline

    Homework will be turned in to me in class.  Homework is due at the beginning of class. Late homework will not be graded and will receive a score of zero unless you have a really, really, really good excuse.  If you are sick, please try to contact me before class to make arrangements.

    Homework Discussions on the class wiki.

    You are encouraged to discuss the homework on the class wiki, and read all posted news before beginning and submitting any homework assignment.

    Working Together

    Please feel free to work in groups, but do not simply copy homework answers from others. Copying work from current or previous CS 470 students is considered cheating even if you are only copying a small portion.  For labs, you may work in teams of no more than two people.


Quizzes

Quizzes may be given from time to time and will cover the assigned reading and/or topics from previous lectures.  I will also give self-evaluation quizzes that will not count for credit, but will help you know if you are prepared for exams.
 

Labs

There will be six labs assigned during the course -- five traditional labs and a final project. Please check the class schedule for details.

The labs are an important part to understanding the concepts taught in class. All labs MUST be completed in order to pass the class. These labs require significant programming. CS 240 is definitely a prerequisite to this course, and if your programming skills are lacking you will assuredly have difficulty finishing these projects. Before asking the instructor or TAs about simple C++ syntax, please refer to books and on-line manual pages on the subject.

You are free to use whatever platform and programming language that you want, but we will be running the final project under Linux. Since the final project will be tested under Linux, you may want to do the development under Linux.  Since this is a senior-level CS course, you are expected to be comfortable with C++ and Linux.

    Groups

    You may work in teams of two students on each lab. I suggest that you do labs as a team, but please be equally yoked. Each student in the group should contribute to each lab. In your lab submissions, I require you to give a breakdown of the time each team member spent on the lab; if the hours are greatly out of balance, I reserve the right to change one or more partner's grades.  I have done this before, so make sure that you both work equally hard. Additionally, please share ideas with other teams, but do not be unethical and submit two copies of a program developed by two or more teams or copy code segments from another team. 

    Submitting Labs

    Most labs will be passed off in person to the TAs.  Sign-up times for passing off will be posted on the TA office door.  When labs must be passed off in person, you must pass off before the last available TA hour.  In other words, labs are due no later than the time TA hours end on the assigned due date.

    Although most labs will be passed off in person, the last lab will be submitted by email. For labs submitted by email, use the following form:

      Subject Line

      The subject line should read, "CS470: Final Project". Please be exact.

      Message Body

      The main body of the message should contain personal information, such as problems you encountered during the lab, etc. Include the names of both lab partners and a statement of the time spent by each partner on the lab. If required, results from your lab should be included in the body of your message.

      Binary Attachment

      Send your executable as an attachment to the message. Although you may develop your program anywhere you want, your submitted executable must run correctly on the department Linux workstations. The attachment type should be in MIME format.

      E-mail Address

      Send the e-mail with the lab to this address: cs470ta@cs.byu.edu

    Late Days

    For each school day your lab is late the score will be reduced by 20. Labs are worth 100 points. This means that if you earn 85 points but you are one day late, you will instead receive 65 points, but if you are 2 days late, you will receive 45 points. The last lab has no late days and MUST be turned in on the day it is due. Don't be Late! Go ahead, start working on the labs early. It won't hurt.

    I realize that problems sometimes arise during the semester which prevent you from turning a lab in on time.  To deal with this and to encourage people to submit labs early, we will use the following "pay-it-forward" policy.  For every two days you submit a lab early, you can earn a late day.   For example, if you turn in lab 3 two days late but lab 4 four days early, then no penalty will be assessed to lab 3.   If you turn in lab 3 two days late and lab 4 three days early, you will be assessed a "one-day late" penalty unless other labs are submitted early. Note that the final lab cannot be turned in late; failure to turn the lab in on time will result is a failing grade.


Exams

Two midterm exams will be given.  This semester, the exams will be given in the testing center.   The final exam will be given in class. Students failing to take the final exam will receive an E regardless of other scores.

 The use of books, notes, and friendly neighbors will not be permitted on any of the exams. I occasionally use questions from previous exam --- this allows me to limit the number of new problems that I have to write each semester and helps minimize the number of times you have to face a poorly worded question.  As a result, you are not allowed to study from my previous exams; doing so is cheating.

A calculator is a must have item.

The final exam will not be given early; please don't ask me to disregard university policy.

The topics schedule and topics for the two midterms can be found on the class webpage. The final will be comprehensive, although there will be more stuff from the topics covered later in the semester.

Grading

Assignments and exams given throughout the semester are categorized and weighted according to the following schedule:
Category Weight
Homework and Quizzes
10%
Labs
35% (7% each)
Final Project
15%
Midterm I
10%
Midterm II
10%
Final Exam
20%

All labs must be completed to pass the class

The final lab will be graded partly on the basis of how well your work compares to other students; we will have a competition and your success in the competition will be part of your grade. The winning team is guaranteed to receive an A in the class as long as they pass the final exam.  Passing the final is defined as scoring higher than a C- (higher than 68).

Grade Scale

Grades may be adjusted slightly at the end of the semester to account for shortcomings in my effort to relay concepts to you. The adjustments made to the grading scale will only help you get a better grade. The percentages in the following chart show the grade that is guaranteed (ie if you get a 95.0% you will not get a grade less than an A)
A 95 - 100% B- 80 - 81.9%
A- 91 - 94.9% C+ 76 - 79.9%
B+ 87 - 90.9% C 72 - 75.9%
B 82 - 86.9% C- 68 - 71.9%

Class Participation

Throughout the semester, I will record class participation. At the end of the semester this will be used to help students who are on the border between grades. For example, if your score is on the border between a B and a B+ and if you participated in class then you will receive a B+. By contrast, if your score is on the same border and you have not participated in class then you will receive a B. In past semesters, this participation credit has typically been around 0.5%; between three and four students in a class of 30 will benefit from participation credit.

To receive class participation, you must actively participate in class (answer questions, show an example on the board, etc.), or make a substantial contribution to the course (correct several webpage errors, suggest a major improvement to a lab, help me learn something new, etc.).  For the fall 2009 semester, you may be able to get participation credit for being a subject in experiments we are running in the HCMI research lab.  Please contact me for details.
 

Online Grades

Your grades are available online from blackboard.  We will do our best to get things recorded correctly, but if something is not correct it is your responsibility to point this out to us.  All corrections to grades must be made within two weeks after the score is posted, so check the scores regularly.

No assignments or labs will be accepted during or after reading days.

Cheating, Harassment, and Other Ethical Considerations

Cheating

I encourage you to work with others to accomplish the homework assignments and laboratory exercises. Working together, however, does not mean dividing up the problems or labs and then sharing answers afterwards. You should never turn in any work that is not your own; this applies to both code and to homework. It is far better to do poorly on an exam than to compromise your integrity.

I consider it unethical to use, borrow, study, or distribute old exams, homework, or lab materials (other than those provided). The work in this class should be your own and not simply a copy of someone else's. If you use any material from earlier semesters of this course you may receive a failing grade. If you have taken the course before please come and talk with me about this policy.

Harassment

The following is BYU's statement on preventing sexual harassment.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education and pertains to admissions, academic and athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities. Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees, other students, and visitors to campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895 or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours), or http://www.ethicspoint.com; or contact the Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847.

I believe that everyone should be able to participate in my class without the fear of harassment, and I am committed to the university's policy.

Moreover, please remember that just because a behavior is not technically harassment, it may still be inappropriate.  Be sure to treat all students with respect regardless of age, gender, or race.
 

Computer Abuse

     Accounts on Computer Science Department computers are privileges to be used in conjunction with and in
     support of various related Computer Science classes. Abuse in any form will result in immediate
     suspension of your account(s). If an abuse involves a violation of the honor code, you will be referred to
     University Standards. If an abuse involves illegal activity, appropriate authorities will be notified. In either
     case, you will be immediately dropped from all Computer Science Classes you are enrolled in. Some
     violations are punishable by expulsion from the University. Your keystrokes may be monitored and saved.

     Examples of abuse of your account include:
        1.Transfer or storage of pornographic or illegally duplicated material.
        2.Use of your account to probe or crack security systems, including passwords, or to intercept
          information intended only for others.
        3.Sending mass, commercial, obscene, or harassing email or usenet news posts.
        4.Sharing your account or account password with anyone.
        5.Misusing your lab privileges, including game playing, and especially actions which could cause damage,
          such as rebooting a workstation.

Disabilities

The following is BYU's statement on students with disabilities.
BYU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified persons with disabilities.  If you have any disability that may adversely affect your success in this course, please contact the University Accessibility Center at 422-2767.  Services deemed appropriate will be coordinated with the student and instructor by that office.
I am committed to working with students with disabilities and have successfully worked with the Accessibility Center in previous semesters.

Internet Resources

As much as possible, this class will be conducted electronically. Class announcements, homework and laboratory assignments will be made available through one or more of these, usually blackboard, email, or via the class homepage. It is your responsibility to keep current.

    Blackboard

    Blackboard (available from Route-Y) is like a bulletin board; it allows anyone to post a message for everyone else to read. Both your instructor and your TAs will use it to post important class announcements (such as homework keys, lab source code, tips on how to make labs easier, etc.), so you are advised to read it regularly in order to stay current. However, we'll try to send you emails of important changes so blackboard may just be the place where grades are posted.

    Electronic Mail

    You are invited to send e-mail to either your instructor or your TAs for personal matters, but any e-mail which contains inquiries that can serve for the benefit of the entire class ought to be posted on Blackboard. Submissions (labs, etc.) should be sent to the TA account at cs470ta@cs.byu.edu.

    Again, any correspondence that is not of a personal nature, such as questions about homework due dates, etc., should be posted publicly on Blackboard for the benefit of all. If you have a general question like that, there is a good chance someone else in the class does, too.

    Make sure that your RouteY account has a current email address.  I frequently send email to the class --- especially when I need to correct a mistake made in class or when an urgent announcement must be passed to all students.

    Class Wiki

    The class is a great place to ask and answer questions about labs.  Students used the wiki very effectively in previous semesters, and I'd encourage you to use it this semester too. I've included a link to the wiki from last fall. Since the labs vary from year to year, the wiki is not a perfect source of information but it could provide you with some very useful information. For example, the old wiki includes code for lab 1 that helps you visualize your potential fields.

Maintained by cs470 ta.

Last updated 21 August, 2009