Zhejiang University
College of Computer Science and Technology

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Yao-Xiang Ding

Fall & Winter 2022

General Information | Slides & Readings | Labs | Problem Sets

Announcements
Course summary
Staff, lectures, office hours
Prerequisites
Grading
Problem sets
Lab projects
Term projects
Academic integrity
Acknowledgement


Announcements

  • 2023.1.6, final exam week: Final exam will be on Jan. 7 14:00-16:00 online.

  • 2023.1.6, final exam week: Reference solutions for Problem Set 2, Problem Set 3, and Problem Set 4 are out.

  • 2022.12.20, week 15: Lab Project 3 and Problem Set 4 for Lecture 11-12 are out.

  • 2022.11.27, week 11: Lab Project 2 and Notes on Project Report are out.

  • 2022.11.26, week 11: Problem Set 3 for Lecture 8-10 is out.

  • 2022.11.4, week 8: The mid-term quiz will be on the class of 11.7, both online and offline. Please attend on time.

  • 2022.11.4, week 8: Reference solutions for Problem Set 1 are out.

  • 2022.11.4, week 8: Problem Set 2.2 for Lecture 6-7 are out.

  • 2022.10.22, week 6: Problem Set 2.1 for Lecture 5, and Lab Project 1, are out.

  • 2022.10.12, week 5: Problem Set 1.3 for Lecture 4 is out. The due date for problem set 1.1-1.3 is 10.17.

  • 2022.9.29, week 3: Problem Set 1.2 for Lecture 3 is out. We have NO class next week. Happy golden week!

  • 2022.9.22, week 2: Problem Set 1.1 for Lecture 2 is out. Please also check the labs page for the Week 2 task.

  • 2022.9.19, week 2: There is NO lab course this Wednesday!

  • Course summary

    You can find slides and reading materials here: Slides & Readings

    This course introduces the core AI techniques that let the machines be able to
  • obtain insightful knowledges via their own imperfect perceptions;
  • make rational decisions in a complicated and uncertain world.
  • The course will include three parts: decison making, knowledge reasoning, and machine learning.

    Staff, lectures, office hours

  • Lecture Time:
    Monday 6-8 (every week), 紫金港西1-416
    Wednesday 11-12 (lab, double week),紫金港机房

  • Teacher:  Yao-Xiang Ding
    Office: 519 Meng Minwei Building, Zijingang Campus
    E-Mail: dingyx.gm at gmail.com
    Office hours: Wednesday 15:00-17:00
    (Please make appointment on Ding Ding or E-Mail. For unexpected visits, I have to aplogize for the possible absence.)

  • TA: Yifei Peng
    E-Mail: yifeidsr at zju.edu.cn

  • Notice: If you have any doubt or difficulty in this course, please contact the teacher or the TA freely.

  • Prerequisites

    Basic calculus, linear algebra, and probability. We don't assume strong coding ability, but some experiences of programming and algorithm design would be helpful.

    Grading

    Final grades will be based 60% on the knowledge part, and 40% on the lab part.

    The knowledge part will be based 40% on the regular homework assignments (4 problem sets, 10% each), 10% on the mid-term quiz, and 50% on the final exam.

    The lab part will consist of 4 projects, 25% each.

    There are up to 5 honor scores for the final grading which can be obtained by completing one of the two term lab projects. Note that the honor scores are entirely additional: You can surely obtain full final grading scores (100) without them in theory. But in my view, completing them would let you learn more and have great fun :-P


    Problem sets

    Link for the problem sets: Problem Sets

    The problem sets are written exercises. You will be graded primarily on getting the right answer, but also on writing up your answer clearly, concisely and precisely. There will be some challenging problems with special marks. It will be all right if your answers are incorrect on them. Your grades will mostly decided by the thoughts and efforts shown from your answers.

    The problem sets can be submitted in hand-written (on class), printed (on class), or eletronic forms (to TA's e-mail). The problem sets will be due on the Monday classes of Lecture 5, 9, 12, 14. For each problem set, if you are not able to submit in time, please contact the TA and provide a formal explanation document. Then you will have one-week extra time for submission, such that due date will be extended to the next Monday (more time will be given only due to special reasons). Any delay without explanation, or delay more than one week without special reasons, will receive only 60% out of the original grading. All problem sets must be submitted before the final exam. After that, any missing problem set will lead to losing all scores on it.


    Lab projects

    Link for the lab projects: Lab Projects

    The lab projects are programming assignments. They are graded largely on whether or not your program works correctly and efficiently, but also on whether your code is written cleanly following good programming practices including proper documentation. DON'T BE WORRY: The purpose of lab projects is deepening the understanding of important algorithms other than producing complicated softwares. So the workload will be reasonable. The outputs of the projects are expected to be executable codes companioned with brief reports of results, which should be submitted by E-Mail to the TA. The due dates are usually the same to the corresponding problem sets. The late policies are the same to those for the problem sets.

    Notice: Teamwork is allowed for the lab projects, while each team is limited up to 2 people. For teamwork, the work division should be clearly explained in the report. The grade of a team member will be decided not only by the overall quality of the submission, but also the significance of her(his) contribution. We define the significance of contribution as "whether the project can not be done if the contribution is missing".


    Term projects

    The term projects will be released in the lab project page: Lab Projects

    The introductions to the two term projects are provided in Lecture 1. Both projects, together with their detailed grading policies, will be released about one month before the last lecture.


    Academic integrity

    Every participant of this course should strictly follow the basic standards of academic integrity. The teacher and TA will try their best to make the effort of all students count and the grading accurate and fair. Meanwhile, all students in this course should obey the following rules.

    Discussions of problem sets among students are allowed. However, before discussing with another student, you should first spend a substantial amount of time trying to arrive at a solution by yourself. After discussion, in the solutions, you should note clearly who you discussed with and clarify the parts done by you and the others.

    For lab and term projects, the work division should be noted accurately and clearly. Any use of open-source codes should be declared.

    Remember: Any work with your name must be truly done by you. Let us make our contributions in building a pure academic environment.

    Acknowledgement

    This course is influenced by the following courses and the materials therein:

  • Princeton COS402
  • UC Berkeley CS188

  • Last updated on 2022.1.6.