This repository contains information about the Artificial Intelligence course, including the course objectives, policies and the schedule. Please check this repository regularly for updates to the policies and the schedule.
- Schedule
- Instructor
- Meeting Times
- Discord
- Course Calendar
- Course Description
- Course Objectives
- Learning Outcomes
- Required Materials
- Course Policies
- Assistance
Below is a tentative schedule of covered topics and associated activities. The schedule is subject to change with the addition of guest appearances.
| Week # | Dates | Topic | Activities/Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan. 16-20 | Intro to AI. |
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| 2 | Jan. 23-27 | ||
| 3 | Jan. 30-Feb. 3 | Search Algorithms in AI. |
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| 4 | Feb. 6-10 |
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| 5 | Feb. 13-17 | Supervised Learning. | |
| 6 | Feb. 20-24 | Computer Vision. | |
| 7 | Feb. 27-March 3 | Probability Fundamentals. Bayes Theory. | |
| 8 | March 6-10 | SPRING BREAK | |
| 9 | March 13-17 | Project 2 work | Lab 2 DUE. |
| 10 | March 20-24 | ||
| 11 | March 27-31 | Deep Learning. |
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| 12 | April 3-7 | AI's carbon impact. Deep Learning Review. | |
| 13 | April 10-14 | Attention. Transformers. |
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| 14 | April 17-21 | Prompt Engineering. Summary: Learning and AI. | |
| 15 | April 24-28 | Continue Project and the Challenge. |
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| 16 | May 1-5 | Continue Project and the Challenge. |
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Dr. Janyl Jumadinova
Office Location: Alden Hall 110
Office Phone: +1 814-332-2881
Email: jjumadinova@allegheny.edu
| Session | Day | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 9:00am - 9:50am | Alden 109 |
| Lab | Wednesday | 2:30pm - 4:20pm | Alden 109/ALIC |
If you are already on the department's Discord server, you will be given access to the course's Discord channel, called #artificial-intelligence. If not, then you will need to join the department's Discord server before you can be added to the course's channel.
Credits: 4
A study of the design and implementation of intelligent computer systems that can learn, plan, and solve problems autonomously. In addition to examining techniques for designing intelligent software agents, students investigate the social, political, and ethical implications of intelligent systems. Through hands-on activities that often require team-work, students explore the application of artificial intelligence methods in areas such as computer vision, natural language processing, and video game development. During a weekly laboratory session students use state-of-the-art technology to complete projects, reporting on their results through both written documents and oral presentations.
Prerequisite: CMPSC 102.
Distribution Requirements: QR, SP.
Complex real-world problems, such as web search, speech/face recognition, machine translation, and autonomous driving, involve rigorous solutions from the field of artificial intelligence or AI. This course will introduce students to the foundational principles that drive these intelligent applications and offer an opportunity to practice implementing some of these systems. Areas of discussion include, but are not limited to probabilistic methods, learning, Markov decision processes, graphical models, natural language processing, virtual reality, and logic. The main goal of the course is to equip students with the tools to tackle new AI problems they might encounter in life by learning how to determine when an AI approach is appropriate for a given situation, being able to select AI method and implement it.
The course will introduce students to the theory and practice of artificial intelligence while covering both the well-established and the cutting-edge areas of the discipline. The course also invites students to assess the correctness of their implementations and conduct both analytical and empirical evaluations of the performance of the AI systems while considering their social, political, and ethical implications. Moreover, the course will ask students to implement small- and medium-scale intelligent systems and to use a wide variety of relevant AI tools. In addition to improving their teamwork skills, students will enhance their ability to write and speak about intelligent systems in a clear and concise fashion.
At the completion of this class, a student must be comfortable with the fundamental theory and practical techniques in artificial intelligence and be aware of the current research in the area. Students should be able to recognize new problems that may be solved using artificial intelligence methods and implement a complete application that uses them to solve the stated problem. Students must develop and apply a strong knowledge of analytical and empirical techniques that they can use to characterize and predict the performance of intelligent systems. Finally, students should be comfortable discussing and arguing the philosophical, ethical, social and political issues surrounding intelligent systems.
There is no required textbook for this course. All reading material will be provided by the instructor and linked on the course schedule.
You are required to bring a laptop to every class. Additionally, you will be required to install software on your laptop and if your laptop is not capable of working with specific software then a departmental laptop will be provided to you.
Besides, the laptop there is no required hardware that you need for this class. All hardware will be provided to you.
| Category | Percentage | Assessment metric |
|---|---|---|
| Class Activities | 25% | check mark grade |
| Conceptual Challenges | 25% | check mark grade |
| Lab Projects | 35% | letter grade |
| Course project | 15% | letter grade |
| Total | 100% |
| Grading scale | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 96 - 100 | A- | 90 - 95.9 | ||
| B+ | 87 - 89.9 | B | 83 - 86.9 | B- | 80 - 82.9 |
| C+ | 77 - 79.9 | C | 73 - 76.9 | C- | 70 - 72.9 |
| D+ | 67 - 69.9 | D | 63 - 66.9 | D- | 60 - 62.9 |
| F | 59.9 and below |
All students are required to actively participate during all of the class sessions. During nearly all class sessions, you will be required to complete and submit class activities (individually and in teams). You will receive a checkmark grade (1) if you complete more than 70% of the activity; otherwise you will receive a 0.
At the end of nearly each week (starting with week 3), students will receive a problem, often containing subparts, to solve. These challenge problems are conceptual in nature and do not require any programming. You will receive a checkmark grade (1) if you complete more than 70% of the challenge; otherwise you will receive a 0.
Graded on a percentage and credit/no-credit basis, these team-based assignments invite students to experiment with various tools and techniques for designing, implementing, evaluating, and documenting an intelligent agent system. To best ensure that students are ready to develop software after graduation, students will complete most of the lab assignments in teams. The evaluation for each lab assignment will include a code review, demonstration, and performance assessment.
This project will present you with an opportunity to design and implement a correct and carefully evaluated intelligent system for a particular problem. You will select an application for an intelligent system that you would like to pursue.
All assignments have a stated due date and are to be turned in on that due date. Unless special arrangements are made with the course instructor, no assignments will be accepted after the late deadline without severe grade penalty. By submitting each assignment a student pledges that they have complied with Allegheny Honor Code. You must follow assignment instructions for submitting your projects in order for them to be graded.
It is mandatory for all students to attend all of the class and laboratory sessions. There are two types of excused absences: 1) the one you notify the instructor about in advance (for example, if you have a job interview during the class/lab time or have a religious observance), 2) the one that occurs due to a documented emergency or illness. If you will not be able to attend a session, please let the instructor know at least one day in advance to describe your situation. In case you missed a class because of an emergency or an illness, please notify the instructor as soon as possible. In both cases the instructor will work with you to get you caught up. Students who miss more than five unexcused sessions will have their final grade in the course reduced by one letter grade. If you need to miss class due to a religious observance, please speak to me in advance to make appropriate arrangements.
Various digital channels are used in this course for communication, including email, Discord, and the GitHub issue tracker. Additionally, the course website is used to store the link to the course GitHub Organization, which will contain course syllabus, course schedule and the assignments. Students are responsible for regularly checking all platforms to ensure that the important messages are not being missed.
Allegheny College also expects students and faculty to act according to its Statement of Community:
Allegheny students and employees are committed to creating an inclusive, respectful and safe residential learning community that will actively confront and challenge racism, sexism, heterosexism, religious bigotry, and other forms of harassment and discrimination. We encourage individual growth by promoting a free exchange of ideas in a setting that values diversity, trust and equality. So that the right of all to participate in a shared learning experience is upheld, Allegheny affirms its commitment to the principles of freedom of speech and inquiry, while at the same time fostering responsibility and accountability in the exercise of these freedoms. This statement does not replace existing personnel policies and codes of conduct.
Keep both of these standards in mind as you exercise your academic inquiry in this course. These serve as our fundamental "first principles" in pursuit of our shared academic goals.
All students and faculty at Allegheny College are bound by the Honor Code. Everyone expects that your behavior reflects this commitment. Given the eminently shareable and reproducible nature of code, the Department of Computer Science adds the following statement to the general college policy:
It is recognized that an important part of the learning process in any course, and particularly in computer science, derives from thoughtful discussions with teachers, student assistants, and fellow students. Such dialogue is encouraged. However, it is necessary to distinguish carefully between the student who discusses the principles underlying a problem with others, and the student who produces assignments that are identical to, or merely variations on, someone else's work. It will therefore be understood that all assignments submitted to faculty of the Department of Computer Science are to be the original work of the student submitting the assignment, and should be signed in accordance with the provisions of the Honor Code. Appropriate action will be taken when assignments give evidence that they were derived from the work of others.
As the nature of "plagiarism" and constituents of "fair use" change often, the department encourages you to periodically review the specific tenets of the general college Honor Code provided in the latest course catalog and in the Compass.
The above statement, of course, also applies to online forums such as Stack Overflow, et al.
The discipline of computer science, like many others, encourages its members to act according to discipline-specific ethics. I encourage you to take time to review the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Code of Ethics.
In addition, students in this class are required to act within the bounds established by the Course Community Guidelines.
Students who struggle to understand knowledge and skills defined in this course are encouraged to seek assistance from the course instructor. Students who need the course instructor's assistance should schedule an appointment through her Office Hour Calendar.
Allegheny College uses an Academic Alert system to send progress notices to the class deans in the Maytum Center for Student Success (MCSS). The progress notices are not punitive. They are an opportunity to connect you with your class dean who can offer additional support and suggest resources if you need assistance. These notices may encourage faculty advisors, coaches (for student-athletes), or other support staff to provide outreach to you as well.
The Office of Class Deans in Pelletier Library serves as a place for students to begin seeking assistance and answers to their questions related to college life. If you have a question and don't know who to ask - ask a class dean. If you want advice - talk to a class dean. Niki Fjeldal is the First Year Class Dean, Amy Stearns is the Second Year Class Dean / Director of Transfer Advising, and Jonathon May is the Third/Fourth Year Class Dean. Please contact them individually or through studentsuccess@allegheny.edu.
As a college student, there may be times when personal stressors, struggles, and/or traumas interfere with your academic performance and/or negatively impact your daily life. Allegheny College recognizes that mental health is an important piece of the holistic human experience, and that this experience influences your academic success. We encourage students to prioritize their mental well-being by seeking services and support as needed.
Keep in mind, course deadlines, absences, and accommodations for mental health are subject to the course policies and expectations that are set within this syllabus. Students are encouraged to communicate with their professors as soon as possible regarding their needs and seek support if their mental health impacts their academic performance or daily life. When you find yourself struggling emotionally, remember that there are supports available, and you are not alone.
Students who are in need of mental health support can access free, confidential services and resources in the Counseling and Personal Development Center (CPDC). CPDC delivers holistic mental health services to the Allegheny College student campus community through brief individual and group counseling, crisis support, outreach programming, consultation, and coordination of care. Students may request services by submitting a form on CPDC's website (sites.allegheny.edu/counseling). Students may also connect with a mental health clinician at any time by calling Allegheny's 24/7 line: 814-332-2105. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health emergency, please call the 24/7 line, Public Safety (814-332-3357), or 911. When in doubt, reach out.
The Gator Success Grant program is designed to provide students with additional financial assistance to offset the total cost of college attendance and to encourage successful on-time degree completion. Currently enrolled students who have an unanticipated need are invited to apply. Grants are usually from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on the request and the student's need. Please direct questions to studentsuccess@allegheny.edu.
If you need to miss class or reschedule a final examination due to a religious observance, please speak to the professor well in advance to make arrangements. Please see https://sites.allegheny.edu/religiouslife/religious-holy-days/ for more details.
Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS) at (814) 332-2898. Student Accessibility and Support Services is located in Pelletier Library. Please do this as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Please see https://sites.allegheny.edu/studentaccessibility/ for more details.