Artificial intelligence is the science that studies and develops methods of making computers more /intelligent/. The focus of this course is on core AI techniques for search, knowledge representation and reasoning, planning, and designing intelligent agents. The course also aims to give an overview of the historical, philosophical, and logical foundations of AI.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

After completing this course, students should be able to:

1. Identify problems that are amenable to solution by AI methods, and which AI methods may be suited to solving a given problem.
2. Formalise a given problem in the language/framework of different AI methods (e.g., as a search problem, as a constraint satisfaction problem, as a planning problem, etc).
3. Implement basic AI algorithms (e.g., standard search or constraint propagation algorithms).
4. Design and perform an empirical evaluation of different algorithms on a problem formalisation, and state the conclusions that the evaluation supports.

Recommended Resources

Course textbook is ”Artificial Intelligence - A Modern Approach”, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig (Prentice Hall 3rd Edition, or Pearson Edition). This book gives a comprehensive tour of AI, and only a subset of it is part of the course material.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Foundations and History of AI, Intelligent Agents
2	Search Problems, Uninformed Search
3	Informed Search, Heuristics, Adversarial Search
4	Adversarial Search, Stochastic Games
5	Logical Agents, SAT
6	Constraint Satisfaction Problems, Inference, AC3
7	Local Search and optimal search for CSPs, Temporal Constraint Networks
8	Introduction to Planning, Classical Planning Representations
9	Planning Graph, Graphplan, Planning via Satis ability
10	State Space Planning, Planning Heuristics, Partial-Order Planning
11	Guest Lectures. Each semester the course hosts one or two guest lectures, presenting on a range of subjects.
12	Examination Period

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Quizzes	10 %	1 2
Search Assignment	10 %	3 4 5
KRR Assignment	10 %	2 3 4
Planning Assignment	10 %	2 3 4
Mid-semester Exam	20 %	1 2 3
Final Exam	40 %	1 2 3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Quizzes

6 quizzes (2 per module). The total quiz grade (0 to 100) is the sum of normalized quiz grades (that is, each quiz is in the 0 to 100 scale) divided by 6.

Assessment Task 2

Search Assignment

Assessment Task 3

KRR Assignment

Assessment Task 4

Planning Assignment

Assessment Task 5

Mid-semester Exam

Short examination at the middle of the semester.

This is a hurdle assessment: you must achieve a mark of at least 40% in the mid-semester exam to pass the course.

Assessment Task 6

Final Exam

Long examination at the end of the semester.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

All assignments in this course are delivered via gitlab.

Hardcopy Submission

not supported

Late Submission

This course has a rm deadline policy. Assignments are submitted via gitlab, and you will be assessed based on the work submitted by the deadline. Late submissions are not

accepted. In cases where students are unable to make a deadline (eg through illness or misadventure), they should use ANU's special assessment consideration mechanism to ensure that their circumstances are properly accommodated through alternative assessment.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

Assignments are marked promptly with feedback posted to gitlab. The quizzes can be reviewed including their feedback in wattle.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Assignments may not be resubmitted.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students