An introduction to modern artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the algorithms that make these possible.
The schedule below is tentative, and may be subject to change. Changes will be announced in class, and you are responsible for knowing about any changes even if you miss the class when they are announced.
| Week | Topic | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matrices & Markov chains | Week 01 |
| 2 | Markov chains - con’d | Week 02 |
| 3 | Linear regression & loss functions | Week 03 |
| 4 | Linear classification | Week 04 |
| 5 | Nonlinear classification | Week 05 |
| 6 | Regularization, Midterm 1 | Week 06 |
| 7 | Neural networks, | Week 07 |
| 8 | Neural networks - con’d | Week 08 |
| 9 | Clustering algorithms | Week 09 |
| 10 | Representation & agents | Week 10 |
| 11 | Search algorithms | Week 11 |
| 12 | Markov decision processes, Midterm 2 | Week 12 |
| 13 | Markov decision processes - con’d | Week 13 |
| 14 | Reinforcement learning | Week 14 |
Attendance in this class is required. Repeated absences may result in a forced withdrawal from the course. You are responsible for any material you miss due to absence. Please let me know ahead of time if you know that you will not be able to attend class.
The term grade will be based on the following factors.
| Component | Proportion |
|---|---|
| Workshops | 40% |
| Midterm 1 | 15% |
| Midterm 2 | 15% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
Most weeks we will have one or more in-class workshops. We will use the Python programming language for many of these workshops, and will use Google Colab for convenient access to Python. If you already have Python installed on your laptop, then you can use that instead of Google Colab. If you would like to install Python on your laptop, I recommend downloading Anaconda Individual Edition which is free.
We will do (or at least start) each workshops in class. Any in-class work that you do not finish will become homework that you will need to complete within one week of the class period when it was assigned.
There will be two in-class midterm exams and a cumulative final. These exams will be announced in advance, and you will know exactly what concepts will be covered on each exam.
My office hours are shown on my weekly schedule. I am also available by appointment. If you can’t stop by during my regular office hours, just ask me after class or by e-mail, and I’ll be happy to make an appointment that works for both of us.
Students who think they may need accommodations in this course because of the impact of a disability are encouraged to meet with me privately at the beginning of the semester. Students also should contact Melissa Wood, Title IX/504 Coordinator (mwood@hsc.edu, 434-223-6061) to verify their eligibility for reasonable accommodations. Early contact will help to avoid unnecessary inconvenience and delays.