1. S. Russell and P. Norvig, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, 2nd Edition, Prentice-Hall, 2003.
2. Fogel, D. B., Evolutionary Computation: Toward a New Philosophy of Machine Intelligence, IEEE Press, 2000.
3. Larranaga, P. and Lozano, J. A., Estimation of Distribution Algorithms: A New Tool for Evolutionary Computation, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002.

Course Topics:

1.    Introduction
2.    Evolutionary Computation
            a. Evolutionary Programming
            b. Genetic Algorithms
            c. Evolution Strategies
            d. Particle Swarm Optimization
            e. Estimation of Distribution Algorithms
3.    Machine Learning
            a. Naive Bayesian Classifiers
            b. Artificial Immune Systems
            c. Instance-Based Methods
            d. Decision Tree Learning
           

Example Homework Results

1. Homework I
2. Homework II
3. Homework III
4. Homework IV

Grading

The final grade will be based on assignments (written and programming), a final project, and a final exam. If you fail to turn in an assignment on time (without an official University excuse), you will receive a zero. No late assignments will be accepted! The grading scale for all assignments is as follows:

   90-100   A

   80-89    B

   70-79    C

   60-69    D

   below 60 F

Final grades will be determined using the following percentages:

                  Assignments (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)     25%
                  Final Project                   50%
                  Final Exam                      25%

Assignments

Assignments will consist of programming and/or written exercises. All work is to be done independently (unless explicitly stated by me).
Late homework solutions will not be accepted. I reserve the right to keep all homework assignments.

Project Proposal

Students are expected to develop a project proposal that describes an application of  course concepts. After the proposal is approved by the instructor, the student will then perform the requested research, present his/her findings to the class, and submit a final project report.

Final Project Presentation

Each student will be required to present the results of their research during the last two weeks of class. This presentation should be no more
than 15 minutes in length.

Final Project Report

A final project report is due by the last day of class. The report should provide an introduction to their chosen application, a brief literature review, a detailed
description of their solution, and a discussion of their results and conclusions. A copy of all references used and programs developed must be submitted along with the project report.

Accomodation policy

If you need special accommodations, please contact me during the first week of classes.

Cheating

Instances of cheating will be handled according to university policy. Cheating covers any case in which a student has received unauthorized aid in his/her performance that contributes to a course grade or submits material contributing to a course grade with the intent to deceive the instructor or grader. If the unauthorized aid includes help from another student, then that student is considered to have cheated as well.