This course prepares students to perform independent research in general, and in the field of evolutionary computing in specific. This course covers ideation, literature review, proposal writing and evaluation, research software design and implementation, experiment design and analysis, and written and oral reporting. This is a communication intensive course. It is the second in a two-course sequence on EC. The prereq is Introduction to Evolutionary Computing (taught in Fall 2019 as COMP 5970-002/6970-003/6976-V04) or a similar class/background with instructor's approval.
This course has six main SLOs for all students (COMP 7970/7976):
(1) a solid understanding of how research is performed, including ideation, literature review, proposal writing and evaluation, and written and oral reporting,
(2) a solid understanding of how research is performed specifically in the field of EC, including research software design and implementation, and experiment design and analysis,
(3) the ability to formulate & evaluate the intellectual merit and broader impacts (National Science Foundation merit criteria) of a research proposal in the field of EC,
(4) the ability to design, implement, experiment with, and analyze novel technical approaches in the field of EC,
(5) the skills necessary to write conference/journal papers in the field of EC, and
(6) the skills necessary to orally present research at an EC conference.
Justification for Graduate Credit
Graduate credit is justified for this 7000-level course as it is significantly more advanced in academic content than its prerequisitve course at the 5000/6000-level, covers knowledge of the literature in the discipline, and ensures ongoing student engagement in research.The prerequisite for this course is a rigorous introductory course in Evolutionary Computing, such as the one taught at AU in Fall 2019 as COMP 5970-002/6970-003/6976-V04. This course is aimed at graduate students and academically talented undergraduate students in any science or engineering degree program who excelled in the prerequisite course and who seek a structured, rigorous introduction to performing research in the field of EC. Undergraduate students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher may take this course with instructor's permission. For any questions about taking this course, contact the instructor!
Instructor
| Name | Daniel Tauritz, Ph.D. |
| Office | 3127E Shelby Center |
| Office hours | Dynamic Office Hours Schedule or by appointment |
| dtauritz@auburn.edu | |
| WWW | https://bonsai.auburn.edu/dtauritz/ |
| Office phone | +1-334-844-6353 |
Miscellaneous Class Information
| Required textbook | None |
| Class website | TBA |
| Lecture times | Mondays 4:00-6:30 PM |
| Lecture venue | TBD |
| Class schedule | Dynamic schedule |
Grading Information
| Individual Research Projects | 100% of total grade |
| Final Letter Grade | [90-100]: A, [80-90>: B, [70-80>: C, [60-70>: D, <60: F |
Attendance & Makeup Policy
Consistent with AU's policy on class attendance, students are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions. This is a highly interactive, student-centric course, so attendance is mandatory. Role will be taken and students with more than two unexcused absences may be dropped. Students with properly authorized excused absences as defined by the Student Policy eHandbook, upon appropriate verification, need to make arrangements with the instructor to make up missed class sessions.
Assignment Deadline Extension Policy
For distance education students, if an assignment deadline is known in advance to pose a hardness, then with sufficient notice the instructor will attempt to accommodate all reasonable requests for extended deadlines (example of a reasonable request: a working professional needing to travel for their job).
Submission Policy
All written documents need to be electronically typeset and submitted in PDF file format. You are encouraged, but not required, to typeset using LaTeX.
By default, all assignments are due strictly at 10:00pm central time on their respective due dates, and are to be submitted via Canvas or GitHub Classroom as appropriate; assignments can specify alternative submission times and processes. Students are responsible for submitting their assignments well before the deadline to avoid last minute system-related (or other) issues. The default penalty for late submission is a 5% point deduction for the first 24 hour period and a 10% point deduction for every additional 24 hour period. So 1 hour late and 23 hours late both result in a 5% point deduction, 25 hours late results in a 15% point deduction, etc.
Re-grading Policy
Any re-grading requests must be made within one week of the day the assignment grade and feedback was posted. Even if you believe that you found an error in grading, it will not be re-graded if you request re-grading after this deadline.
Communication Policy
Information related to this class will be communicated in class as well as online via Canvas, E-mail, and GitHub Classroom. Panopto class recordings are expected to be available via Canvas to all enrolled students. Students are expected to monitor all these communication channels.
ADA Policy
The instructor will make all reasonable accomodations to comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students who need accommodations need to electronically submit their approved accommodations through AU Access and to make an individual appointment with the instructor as soon as possible during the first week of classes. Students who have not established accommodations through the Office of Accessibility, but need accommodations, need to as soon as possible make an appointment with the Office of Accessibility, 1228 Haley Center, 844-2096 (V/TT).
Academic Honesty
All portions of the Auburn University Student Academic Honesty code (Title XII) found in the Student Policy eHandbook apply to this class. All academic honesty violations or alleged violations of the SGA Code of Laws will be reported to the Office of the Provost, which will then refer the case to the Academic Honesty Committee.
You may discuss assignments with classmates. However, you are individually responsible for solving all assignments, including writing your own code. You are not allowed to view nor copy code or problem solutions from anyone. You may reuse code subject to the restrictions stated in the relevant assignment writeup. If you are having difficulties, don't cheat, instead seek assistance from the instructor!
Classroom Behavior
The Auburn University Classroom Behavior Policy articulated in the Student Policy eHandbook is strictly followed in this course.
Emergency Contingency
If normal class and/or lab activities are disrupted due to illness, emergency, or crisis situation (such as an H1N1 flu outbreak), the syllabus and other course plans and assignments may be modified to allow completion of the course. If this occurs, an addendum to your syllabus and/or course assignments will replace the original materials.