INF2D: Course Overview
Course Outline
This course focuses on approaches relating to representation, reasoning and planning for solving real world inference. The course illustrates the importance of (i) using a smart representation of knowledge such that it is conducive to efficient reasoning; and (ii) the need for exploiting task constraints for intelligent search and planning. The notion of representing action, space and time is formalized in the context of agents capable of sensing the environment and taking actions that affect the current state. There is also a strong emphasis on planning and reasoning methods in probabilistic domains: that is, in situations where the agent has to cope with uncertainty about the state its in and/or the effects of the actions it chooses to execute.
The lectures are in weeks 1-10, tutorials in weeks 2-11, and labs (which are clinic sessions for the two courseworks) in weeks 4-9. The topics are (roughly) as follows:
- Introduction
- Search algorithms
- Automated inference
- Symbolic Planning
- Probabilistic inference
- Rational decision making
By the end of the course, students should know how to build an agent that can make rational decisions even though it's uncertain about the state it's in, uncertain about what the consequences of its actions might be, it has to consider not just the immediate consequence of its next action but also whether desirable states are reaching from that outcome via further subsequent actions, and the agent is also facing dilemmas from its conflicting preferences ('you can't have it all').
The course is delivered through lectures, readings from the required textbook (Russell and Norvig, see the Library Resources), quizzes (not assessed and no feedback save for numeric questions and MCQs), weekly tutorials, labs and discussion boards.
Assessment consists of 2 pieces of coursework and an exam (see Assessment for details).
Weekly Activities
- There are 3 in-person lectures each week (see the timetable for times).
- For lectures in weeks 1--5, the lecture will be streamed live, and you will be able ot access the recording afterwards.
- For lectures in weeks 6--10, as well as the in-person lecture recording, there are also already pre-recorded lectures (approximately three videos per lecture, ranging in length from 5 minutes to 24 minutes). These videos have edited captions. We recommend you come to the in-person lectures so that you can engage in questions and answers, but if you need edited captions, they are there in the pre-recorded videos!
- There are also 3 online post-lecture quizzes each week, to be done in your own time after watching the lecture videos and/or attending the in-person lecture, to test your understanding of the content in the lecture.
- 1 in-person tutorial each week. You should attempt to do the tutorial exercises in advance. There are 10 tutorials, in weeks 2 to 11 inclusive. Check out which tutorial group you're in under Users and Groups.
- In weeks 4--9, there are lab sessions in Appleton Tower. These are clinic sessions for the two pieces of coures work. Weeks 4--6 cover coureswork 1 (logic and search); weeks 7--9 cover coursework 2 (symbolic planning). There will be two demonstrators present to help you with any problems you might have.
We suggest the following weekly schedule:
Monday: |
The online quizzes, required reading and videos are available in Course Materials. It should take you about 6 hours total each week to watch the videos or attend the lectures, do the quizzes and read the required reading that is set for that week. |
Tuesday: |
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Wednesday: |
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Thursday: |
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Friday: |
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The schedule for your in person tutorial (in weeks 2 to 11) depends on which group you are in. Check this out under Groups on the course webpage on Learn.
Overall, each week, the Directed Learning and Independent Learning activities (i.e. the guided self-study activities, such as preparing your tutorial assignments, doing the required reading, or attending the drop-in labs) should take you about 10 hours in total. This estimate does not include the time you need to do the two pieces of Inf2D coursework.
Our Partnership with You
We agree to:
- provide materials and support that will help you learn.
- set assessments that will fairly assess the learning outcomes.
In turn, you must agree to:
- devote the time needed to work through the course materials
- maintain standards of academic integrity (see the school policy on academic misconduct).