General Information
All of the information below can be found in the course Syllabus.This course will introduce behavioral models and decision-making in AI through lectures, readings, and discussions of relevant research topics. As this course is designed to be a seminar, reading and discussion will comprise a substantial part of your grade. Throughout the semester we will have student presentations of assigned research papers, so you must come to class prepared to discuss the material and even teach your fellow students.
Required Textbook:
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, 3rd Edition by
Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig. (Prentice Hall 2010).
BE SURE TO GET THE 3rd EDITION---it is significantly
different (and better) than the 2nd edition!!
Readings and Presentations
Readings will be assigned from Artificial Intelligence: A
Modern Approach (AIMA), as well as a variety of additional books and
research publications. These readings are chosen to provide both a
foundation for studying behavior and decision-making in AI, as well as
an understanding of current research directions and advances. All
readings NOT from AIMA will be available on the course website.
One of the most important aspects of research or development in any
field is presenting and explaining your findings to your peers and
supervisors. As such, throughout the semester you will each have a
chance to put on your ``professor'' hat and present one of the
assigned readings to the class. There will be 2 or 3 students per
research paper, with a total of 25 (groups of 2) or 35 (groups of 3) minutes. You may divide the content however you choose, use slides
(or not), and should thoroughly explain the content of the papers to the
class. In addition, you must identify some topics for discussion: potential future research
directions, insights into where this research may lead, what
challenges they face, or what steps might have to be accomplished
before this is widely implemented. Do not just present the
conclusions or future
work paragraph from the paper, but provide your own thoughts for
discussion on the
potential of this research.
Assignments
Throughout the semester you will have 3 or 4 assignments to give you
practice with the course material. You may collaborate with your
classmates, but your final solutions must be your own. If you work
with other students, please note their names on your assignment when
you turn it in.
Exams
The class includes one midterm examination that will test your
understanding of the lecture material as well as some of the research
papers discussed in class. A tentative
date for the exam is:
November 2, 2012
The exact date
will be confirmed later, and may vary due to the progress of the course
and other factors.
Term Project
A significant portion of this course will be a term project, which
will essentially be a miniature version of the research projects you
will do repeatedly throughout your career. The projects will procede according to the follow schedule:
| Late September: | Your teams should be formed by this time |
| October 19: | Term project proposals due by midnight (11:59:59pm) |
| October 24: | Present your proposals in class (10 minutes per group) |
| December 3: | Term project reports due by midnight |
| December 5, 7: | Present your reports in class (25 minutes per group) |
The projects will be done in teams of 3. Start thinking NOW about who you would like to work with. Some things to think about when forming your teams:
- Do you feel comfortable with your team?
- Do their interests and abilities complement yours?
- Do you think you can depend on them?
- Do you think you can work well together?
Grading
Your course grades will be determined according to the
following percentages:
| Assignments | 15% |
| Presentations | 15% |
| Midterm | 30% |
| Term Project | 40% |
Class attendance and participation in research discussions will also be taken into account in determining the course grade. Late assignments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor.
Academic Honesty
The individual assignments must be each
student's own work. Any group projects assigned must be the work of
the students in the group. Plagiarism or copying will result in
official University disciplinary review. Security is an important
aspect of computer science. Students are expected to protect their
work from plagiarists.
Course Evaluations
The Teacher Rating and Course Evaluation
(TRACE) survey is a required part of every course at Northeastern
University. All students are expected to participate in TRACE at the
end of the semster to provide feedback about the course and instructor. This will help us develop better courses for you!