Logistics

General Information

Lecture: 8:30-10:00am, Tuesdays and Thursdays
Location: UTC 4.134
Discussion Forum: Ed Discussion
Assignment Submissions: Gradescope
Course Textbook: Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, by Russell and Norvig
Note: You need the 3rd Edition (Blue cover) published by Pearson

Course Requirements


Class Participation

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


Homework Exercises

Throughout the semester, problem sets will be assigned and automatically graded through the Gradescope system. These homework exercises will be scored by the autograder. You can submit as many times as you like up to the deadline; the goal of these problems is to get you comfortable with the material and prepared for the midterms and final.


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.


Midterms

Two take-home midterms will be given; each is a 90-minute exam on Gradescope which can be completed in a 40-hour window.


Final

A final exam will be given on December 14th, 1-3 PM. It will be in-person at ECJ 1.202.

Submitting Assignments

You will be submitting a number of assignments, consisting of homework exercises, and programming assignments. All submissions will be done through Gradescope.

Grading Policy

Class participation (10%)
Homework exercises (20%)
Programming assignments (30%)
Midterms (20%)
Final (20%)

Extension Policy

Homework Exercises

Extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but in most cases they will not be granted. The greater the advance notice of a need for an extension, the greater the likelihood of leniency.

Programming Assignments
You are permitted to request a maximum of five extension days for the entire semester. No more than two extension days may be requested for any individual assignment with the exception of the first assignment for students who were added to the course.

Academic Integrity

You are encouraged to discuss assignments with classmates, but all collected data, analysis, images and graphs, and other written work must be your own. All programming assignments must be entirely your own except for teamwork on the final project. You may NOT look online for existing implementations of algorithms related to the programming assignments, even as a reference. Your code will be analyzed by automatic tools that detect plagiarism to ensure that it is original. For the final project, you have full access to the web, but all ideas, quotes, and code fragments that originate from elsewhere must be cited according to standard academic practice. Students caught cheating will automatically fail the course and will be reported to the university. If in doubt about the ethics of any particular action, look at the departmental guidelines and/or ask — ignorance of the rules will not shield you from potential consequences.

Notice about students with disabilities

If you are a student with a disability, or think you may have a disability, and need accommodations please contact Disability and Access (D&A). You may refer to D&A’s website for contact and more information. If you are already registered with D&A, please deliver your Accommodation Letter to me as early as possible in the semester so we can discuss your approved accommodations.

Notice about missed work due to religious holy days

A student who misses an examination, work assignment, or other projects due to the observance of a religious holy day will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence, provided that he or she has properly notified the instructor. It is the policy of the University of Texas at Austin that the student must notify the instructor at least fourteen days prior to the classes scheduled on dates he or she will be absent to observe a religious holy day. For religious holy days that fall within the first two weeks of the semester, the notice should be given on the first day of the semester. The student will not be penalized for these excused absences, but the instructor may appropriately respond if the student fails to satisfactorily complete the missed assignment or examination within a reasonable time after the excused absence.