Course Requirements

Written Responses to Readings

Weekly readings will be posted on the class website on Tuesday to be due the following week on edX. Associated with some of the readings will be questions that should be answered with concise, well-thought-out, coherent written responses. In many cases, no specific questions will be posted. In those cases, the responses should be free form. Credit will be based on evidence that you have done the readings carefully. Acceptable responses include (but are not limited to):

• Insightful questions;
• Clarification questions about ambiguities;
• Comments about the relation of the reading to previous readings;
• Critiques;
• Thoughts on what you would like to learn about in more detail;
• Possible extensions or related studies;
• Thoughts on the reading's importance; and
• Summaries of the most important things you learned.

These responses will be graded on a 10-point scale with a grade of 9 being a typical full-credit grade. They will be graded mostly on coherence and evidence of careful thought (most questions will not have a "right" answer). Answers will be due by 09:30am the day before the Tuesday class every week (aka 09:30am Monday). Responses received between then and 8am on the class day will be deducted 1 point (for a maximum score of 9). Responses received between then and 8am the following class day will be deducted 2 points (for a maximum score of 8). Responses received after that will be deducted 4 points (for a maximum score of 6).

These deadlines are designed both to encourage you to do the readings before class and also to allow us to incorporate some of your responses into the class discussions.

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Class Participation

Students are expected to be present in class having completed the readings and participate actively in the discussions.

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Homework Exercises

Throughout the semester, problem sets will be assigned and automatically graded through the edX system. You will receive instant feedback from the autograder and can retry each problem as many times as necessary. The goal of these problems is to get you comfortable with the material and prepared for the midterm and final.

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Programming Assignments

There will be a series of Python programming projects in which you will implement various AI algorithms. An autograder script will be provided for each project so that you can check your progress along the way and fix errors in your code. The first of these projects (P0: Tutorial) must be completed individually. All other projects may be completed in pairs or alone.

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Midterm

A midterm exam will be given during a class session or as a take-home exam.

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Final

A final exam will be given on (TBA).

Grading Policy

Written responses to readings (5%)
Class participation (10%)
Homework exercises (20%)
Programming assignments (25%)
Midterm (15%)
Final (25%)

COVID-19 Updates

Safety Information

While we will post information related to the contemporary situation on campus, you are encouraged to stay up-to-date on the latest news as related to the student experience. Check out this website for more information.

"Keep Learning" Resources

This course may be offered in a format to which you are unaccustomed. If you are looking for ideas and strategies to help you feel more comfortable participating in our class, please explore the resources available here.

Sharing of Course Materials is Prohibited

No materials used in this class, including, but not limited to, lecture hand-outs, videos, assessments (quizzes, exams, papers, projects, homework assignments), in-class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets, may be shared online or with anyone outside of the class unless you have my explicit, written permission. Unauthorized sharing of materials promotes cheating. It is a violation of the University’s Student Honor Code and an act of academic dishonesty. We are well aware of the sites used for sharing materials, and any materials found online that are associated with you, or any suspected unauthorized sharing of materials, will be reported to Student Conduct and Academic Integrity in the Office of the Dean of Students. These reports can result in sanctions, including failure in the course.

Class Recordings

Class recordings are reserved only for students in this class for educational purposes and are protected under FERPA. The recordings should not be shared outside the class in any form. Violation of this restriction by a student could lead to Student Misconduct proceedings.

COVID Caveats

To help keep everyone at UT and in our community safe, it is critical that students report COVID-19 symptoms and testing, regardless of test results, to University Health Services, and faculty and staff report to the HealthPoint Occupational Health Program (OHP) as soon as possible. Please see this link to understand what needs to be reported. In addition, to help understand what to do if a fellow student in the class (or the instructor or TA) tests positive for COVID, see this University Health Services link.