Course Goals

• be able intelligently converse about topics in multi-agent systems,
• be able to state common themes and identify problem structures from the multi-agent systems literature,
• be able to apply solution approaches to multi-agent systems,
• be able read and understand current literature in the field, and

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Text

The Evolution of Cooperation by Robert Axelrod,  Basic Books, 1984, ISBN 0-465-02121-2
The remainder of the course reading is available in online notes.  These notes continue to evolve as I get useful feedback from students, so please send me corrections and suggestions.


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Instructor Information

Michael Goodrich    Office 2220 TMCB , 422-6468, mike@cs.byu.edu, office hours: 1:00-3:00 T/Th


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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 is due at the beginning of class in class. Homework turned in on time may receive full credit. Late homework will not be graded and will receive a score of zero.

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 670 students is considered cheating.  Copying portions of answers from others is also considered cheating.





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Quizzes

Quizzes may be given from time to time and will cover not only past class discussions, but also the assigned reading.  Quizzes will either be a short answer format or a short essay format.
 

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Labs

There will be six labs assigned during the course. Please check the class schedule for details.

The labs are an important part to understanding the concepts taught in class. All six labs MUST be completed in order to pass the class. These labs require some programming, but the programming is the easy part of the lab (see Philosophy below).   You can program in a language of your choice.


Philosophy

The labs require you to use the scientific method.  Each lab includes a list of precise things that must be performed, as well as a statement along the lines of do something else that is cool.  The key to succeeding on each lab is to accomplish the list of precise things and write a report on what you did.  This report should include
• a description of the experiments you conducted
• a presentation of the results of the experiments
• an analysis of the data, including explanations of weird or cool phenomena
• a justification for any explanations that you make
• a description of the cool thing you did, and an explanation for why this thing was cool.
I will grade these labs as if you were one of my research students presenting a technical report to me.  The key is to use the scientific method correctly and to explain your results.  Here's a link to the grading criteria used to grade the labs.  To be sure that your explanations are correct and that your hypotheses are well supported, you will almost always need to conduct additional experiments beyond those described in the lab write-up.

Groups

You may work with one other student on labs.  You may submit a single lab report for your team.  Be sure to include (a) both names, (b) a summary of the amount of time each of you spent on the lab, and (c) a summary of the contributions made by each of you. Feel free to share ideas with other teams in the class, but do not copy portions of code or data.  Copying code or data, even if you are only copying a small portion, is cheating.  This is a graduate level CS course, so expect to program and to write.  Since I believe that writing a report with others is an important skill, be sure to do the writing together.  Do not divide the work by having one student do all the coding and analysis and the other student  do all the writing.


Submitting Labs

No code will need to be submitted.  Only lab reports.  Lab reports should be put under my office door by 5:00pm on the day that they are due.

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% but you are one day late, you will instead receive an 65%, but if you are 2 days late, you will receive 45%. 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.

Completion Policy

All labs must be completed to pass the class.

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Exams

Two midterm exams will be given in in class.  The final exam will be given in class. Students failing to take the final exam will receive a UW regardless of other scores. The use of books, notes, and friendly neighbors will not be permitted on any of the exams.

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

Please see the schedule to find out what the midterms will cover. The final will be comprehensive, although there will be more stuff from the later chapters.

Grading

Assignments and exams given throughout the semester are categorized and weighted according to the following schedule:

Category	Weight
Homework and Quizzes	5% total
Labs 1-6	10% each
Midterm I	10%
Midterm II	10%
Final Exam	15%

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 96.0% you will not get a grade less than an A)

A	96 - 100%	B-	80 - 83.9%
A-	92 - 95.9%	C+	76 - 79.9%
B+	88 - 91.9%	C	72 - 75.9%
B	84 - 87.9%	C-	68 - 71.9%

Online Grades

Your grades are available online using blackboard.

All labs and exams must be completed in order to pass the class. No assignments or labs will be accepted during or after reading days.

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Ethical Behavior

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. 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.

Harassment of any kind is inappropriate at BYU.  Specifically, BYU's policy against sexual harassment extends not only to employees of the university but to students as well.  If you encounter sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, or other inappropriate behavior, please talk to your professor, contact the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895 or 367-5689, or contact the Honor Code Office at 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.  Additionally, certain behaviors are inappropriate even if they do not meet the technical criteria for harassment.  Be respectful to each other.


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 been pleased to make adapations requested by the disabilities office.


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 violates 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.




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Last Updated  Sept 5, 2006.
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