CS 470/670 Artificial Intelligence
Course Syllabus
Fall 2008

TEXT BOOK

Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig Prentice Hall (2nd edition) ISBN: 978-0137903955 1132 pages Published: December 30, 2002

Course Supplementary Material:
Online code repository to accompany the textbook.

COURSE GOALS

1. To gain familiarity with the foundations and the history of Artificial Intelligence
2. To learn how to solve problems by various searching strategies
3. To develop skills in evolutional computing
4. To develop knowledge and reasoning skills
5. To gain knowledge on knowledge representation
6. To develop skills in learning from observations and statistical learning
7. To gain skills in reinforcement learning
8. To develop skills of using Artificial Intelligence algorithms for solving practical problems

METHODOLOGY

Lecture and interactive problem solving.

APPRAISAL

Participation: 5% of the total
Individual Homework: 15% of the total
Term Project: 15% of the total
Midterm Exam: 30% of the total
Final Exam: 35% of the total

GRADING

91+ = A; 89+ = A-;
87+ = B+; 83+ = B; 80+ = B-;
77+ = C+; 73+ = C; 70+ = C-;
67+ = D+; 63+ = D; 60+ = D-;
0+ = F;

READING

We will read from the recommended text book, various sources on the web, and slides that will be made available on the web site. The schedule for the readings are given on the schedule web page.

OTHER POLICIES

1. Homework:
   • All homework must be typed not hand-written and must be submitted with the given cover page (Download the cover pages from the Assignments page).
   • Homework is due exactly at the prescribed time. No late homework is accepted.
   • Turn in the paper copy of a homework assignment in class and submit the softcopy of the assignment through your UMass Online Blackboard Blackboard Learning System (BLS) account at http://boston.umassonline.net/index.cfm.
   • Any questions or complaints regarding the grading of an assignment or test must be raised within one week after the score or the graded assignment is made available (not when you pick it up).
2. Providing answers for any examination when not specifically authorized by the instructor to do so, or, informing any person or persons of the contents of any examination prior to the time the examination is given is considered cheating.
3. Penalty for cheating will be extremely severe. Use your best judgment. If you are not sure about certain activities, consult the instructor. Standard academic honesty procedure will be followed for cheating and active cheating automatically results F in the final grade. Please check University Policy on Academic Standards and Cheating for additional information.
4. You are expected to come fully prepared to every class.
5. No incomplete grade under nearly all situations.
6. There is no formal attendance policy. However, you are responsible for everything discussed in class. You may receive a zero for lack of participation.
7. Pay very careful attention to your email correspondence. It reflects on your communication skills. Avoid using non-standard English such as "how r u?" in your email message. In addition, I recommend you put the class number 470/670 and a brief summary of your question in your email subject. For example,

   Subject: CS470/670 A question on heuristic search.

8. I immediately discard anonymous emails.
9. The ringing, beeping, buzzing of cell phones, watches, and/or pagers during class time is extremely rude and disruptive to your fellow students and to the class flow. Please turn off all cell phones, watches, and pagers prior to the start of class.

© Wei Ding, 2008, all rights reserved. This document is made available for use by the students of CS 470/670 at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Copying, distribution or other use of this document without express permission of the author is forbidden. You may create links to pages in this web site, but may not copy all or part of the text without permission of the author.