The instructional mode for the on-campus section (COMP 7660-001) of this course is Face-to-Face. The instructional mode for the distance section (COMP 7970-D01) is Online Asynchronous, although distance students are strongly encouraged to participate synchronously whenever possible and should contact the instructor prior to taking this class if they won't be able to participate synchronously.
This course prepares students to perform independent research in general, and in the field of evolutionary computing (EC) 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 COMP 5660/6660 - Evolutionary Computing.
This course has six main SLOs for all students:
(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 prerequisite 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 obtaining a sufficient grade in COMP 5660/6660 - Evolutionary Computing, namely a minimum grade of C, although a B or higher is highly recommended. If you've obtained an equivalent minimum grade for a rigorous foundational course in Evolutionary Computing at another university, then contact the instructor.
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 permission from both the instructor and the teaching department. For any questions about taking this course, contact the instructor.
Instructor
| Name | Daniel Tauritz, Ph.D. |
| Office | 2116A Shelby Center |
| Office hours | Dynamic Office Hours Schedule or by appointment |
| dtauritz@auburn.edu | |
| WWW | https://bonsai.auburn.edu/dtauritz/ |
Miscellaneous Class Information
| Required textbook | None |
| Class website | https://bonsai.auburn.edu/dtauritz/courses/ec/methods/2024spring/ |
| Lecture times | Mondays 4:00-6:30 PM |
| Lecture venue | ACRC Conference Room (Shelby Center 2117) |
| 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
Consistent with AU's policy on class attendance, on-campus students are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions. This is a highly interactive, student-centric course, so attendance for on-campus students is mandatory. Roll 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; 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 during lectures, as well as via Discord, Canvas, E-mail, and the class website. Panopto class recordings are expected to be available via Canvas to all enrolled students. Students are expected to monitor all these communication channels.
Your Auburn University email address (@auburn.edu) is the university-approved form of communication between the instructional team and students. For official communication (e.g., excused absence request, anything grade related), you should use email, not Discord. For lengthy communications (e.g., complex context followed by a question), email is preferred. For quick and short communications, Discord is preferred, using the RMEC Discord server whenever appropriate, or direct messaging when more appropriate. Please never use the Canvas messaging feature. Emails that you send to the instructor should come from your @auburn.edu email address. Sending emails from addresses other than @auburn.edu could result in you not receiving a response to your message.
All email communications from the instructor to you will be sent to your @auburn.edu address. You are expected to check your AU E-mail and the RMEC Discord server daily and twice daily on Mondays (once shortly before the start of class in case of a last minute notification).
You can configure your Canvas notification preferences to receive an email each time a new announcement is posted. Follow the steps in the video linked here to set your notifications preferences and specify that all course alerts are routed to your Auburn University email address (userid@auburn.edu). You can contact Auburn University's OIT Service Desk for assistance forwarding mail sent to your Auburn email address to a different email address that you regularly check.
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
Academic honesty is critical to the entire educational process and is a serious matter in this course. Issues surrounding violations of academic honesty will be handled per the
Student Academic Honesty Code.
You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with this policy and the academic honesty resources and tips available from: https://www.auburn.edu/academic/provost/academic-honesty/.
Classroom Behavior
The Auburn University Classroom Behavior Policy articulated in the Student Policy eHandbook is strictly followed in this course.
Diversity and Inclusion Statement
It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, religion, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, veteran status, ethnicity, race, and culture. All students in this course are expected to respect their
fellow classmates and actively participate in fostering an inclusive learning environment. If you experience anything in this class that makes you feel uncomfortable, please bring it to my attention and we will formulate a response. If you would prefer to remain anonymous you may complete a
Bias Incident Report
which will maintain your confidentiality.
Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups.
Names and Pronouns
Many people might go by a name in daily life that is different from their legal name. In this classroom, we will refer to people by the names that they go by. Pronouns are a way to affirm someone's identity. They are simply a public way in which people are referred to in place of their name (e.g., "he" or "she" or "they" or "ze" or something else). In this classroom, you are invited to share what pronouns you go by, and we will refer to people using the pronouns that they share.
Data Collection and Use Disclosure
Any and all results of graded items in the course are potential data sources for assessment and educational research, and may be used in publications related to educational research and accreditation. All such use will be anonymous. No personal intellectual property (IP) will be infringed.
Emergency Contingency
If normal class and/or lab activities are disrupted due to illness, emergency, or crisis situations (such as a COVID-19 outbreak), the syllabus and other course plans and assignments may be modified to allow completion of the course. If this occurs, an addendum to the syllabus and/or course assignments will replace the original materials.