Computer Science 564 – Heuristic Search and Constraint Processing

Fall 2021

Course Description

The course will examine combinatorial problem solving and optimization with constraint processing and heuristic search methods. It contains two main parts. The first part covers basic and advanced search techniques and the second part study constraint processing techniques and constraint programming.

Instructor

  • Jean-Alexis Delamer

  • Office: Annex 9C

  • Office Hours:

    • Thursday, 10:00 – 11:00

    • Friday, 9:30 – 10:30

  • Email: jdelamer at stfx.ca

Class Times

  • Tue 12:15 - 13:05, MULH 2034

  • Thu 11:15 - 12:05, MULH 2034

  • Fri 13:15 - 14:05, MULH 2034

Website

Textbook and Lecture Notes

Lecture notes will be posted to the website. Assignments will be submitted through Moodle.

Topics

The course contains two parts.The first part introduces heuristic search techniques. The objective is to provide the students with the tools to find a partial or optimal solution for problems that have large state spaces. Different techniques will be studied to find an optimal solution (A* algorithm, etc.), and suboptimal solutions when the problem is intractable. In this part, heuristics search for adversarial problems (2-player games like chess, go, etc.) will also be covered.

The second part of this course will cover constraint processing. The objective is introducing the students to constraints formalization, and algorithms to solve constraint processing problems. Typical problems will be presented such as generating timetables, etc. The students are expected to be self-motivated as research articles will be provided on each topic and will constitute an important part of the course content.

Student Evaluation

Worth

Assignments / Quizzies

20%

Final project

40%

Midterm Exam

20%

Final Exam

20%

Assignment Submission

  • Instructions for the submission of assignments will be posted on the course website. It is each student’s responsibility to read and follow the instructions. Failure to follow the submission instructions may result in the assignment receiving a mark of zero.

  • You will be required to submit each programming assignment electronically. Details will be given in the assignment descriptions. We reserve the right to use similarity detection software to detect possible cheating cases.

Assignment Due Dates

  • The date and exact time assignments are due will be given in the assignment specifications.

  • No submissions will be taken after the due date; there are no late submissions.

  • No extensions will be given for assignments.

Assignment Marking

  • A request for adjustment in an assignment mark must be made within 2 weeks of the date on which it was first available after marking. (Beyond that date, regrading will not be considered, regardless of whether you retrieved your assignment.) Such a request must be submitted to the course instructor in writing, and must include specific reasons why you believe you deserve more marks. The request must be accompanied by all materials that were originally handed in, as well as the original marker’s grade summary sheet. The instructor will inform you by email when the reevaluation process is complete.

  • It is each student’s responsibility to keep up-to-date backups of assignment disk files in case of system crashes or inadvertently erased files. Students must keep disk copies of all material submitted, as well as the actual graded assignment, to guard against the possibility of errors in recording marks. It is not safe to discard these materials until you are satisfied that your final mark for the course has been computed properly.

Tests

  • No cheating of any form is allowed

  • Tests and exams are closed book/laptop/notebook/etc.

  • Calculators will not be permitted

  • Use of a cell phone is not permitted

  • The possession of unauthorized devices during tests and examinations constitutes violation of academic integrity, as per section 3.8.2(b)(v) of the academic calendar

  • Anything that a reasonable person would deem as cheating is not permitted

Email Contact

I may need to send email messages to the whole class or to students individually. Email will be sent to the StFX email address assigned to students. It is the responsibility of the student to read this email on a regular basis. You may wish to have mail forwarded to an alternative email address.

Note that StFX and most other email providers establish quotas or limits on the amount of space available to you. If you let your email accumulate there, your mailbox may fill up and you may lose important email from your instructors. Losing email is not an acceptable excuse for not knowing about the information that was sent.

Students are encouraged to contact their course instructor via email with brief, email appropriate questions regarding lecture materials or clarification of assignments. However, before sending email to an instructor, the student should check the course website to see if the requested information is already there. Students must send email from their StFX account and include CSCI 161 in the subject line of the email. Lengthy and in-depth questions are to be asked during office hours.

Attendance

Students missing three classes without reasonable cause will be reported to the Associate Dean. See section 3.7 of the academic calendar for more details.

You will be reported to Dr. Cathy MacDonald, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs’ Office if you are repeatedly delinquent in assignments or attendance at classes or laboratories.

Class Recording Policy

Students may not create audio and/or video recordings of classes. Students creating unauthorized recording of lectures violate an instructor’s intellectual property rights and the Canadian Copyright Act. Students violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary actions.

Statement of Academic Offenses

Scholastic offenses are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offense. See section 3.8 of the academic calendar.

It is your responsibility to understand what academic misconduct is. Ignorance of the rules is not an admissible excuse for academic misconduct. I will pursue academic offenses fully. I will apply -100% (not 0) as a grade. I will also advocate for an automatic failure in the course, or expulsion from the university when allowed.

Use of Plagiarism-Checking Software

All required papers/submissions may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system.

Use of Cheating-Analysis Software

All submitted work may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating (MOSS).

Statement on Accommodation of Religious Observances

Requests for accommodation of specific religious or spiritual observance must be presented in writing to the instructor within the fist two weeks of class.

Statement for Students with Disabilities

Students who have a disability and who require academic accommodations must register with the Centre for Accessible Learning as early as possible in order to receive accommodations. http://sites.stfx.ca/accessible_learning/

The Tramble Center for Accessible Learning welcomes students with documented permanent disabilities and offers them a student-centered program of support. Located in Room 108 of the Angus L. MacDonald Library, new and returning students meet with program staff to discuss options for support. Deadline for registering with the Center is two weeks prior to the end of classes each semester and 3 Business Days’ notice is required for booking all accommodated tests and exams.

To book an appointment please use the following: * link — http://stfxcal.mywconline.com * Phone — 902 867 5349 * Email — tramble@stfx.ca

Academic Accommodation for Medical Illness

Those unable to attend class, submit an assignment, or write a test, should refer to sections 3.7 and 3.9 of the academic calendar.

Scent Policy

For the benefit of the many students that have a scent sensitivity, my classroom is a no-scent zone; please respect this policy.

Equity

Everyone learns more effectively in a respectful, safe and equitable learning environment, free from discrimination and harassment. We invite you to work with me to create a classroom space – both real and virtual – that fosters and promotes values of human dignity, equity, non-discrimination and respect for diversity.

Please feel free to talk with us about your questions or concerns about equity in our classroom or in the STFX community in general. If we cannot answer your questions or help you address your concerns, we encourage you to talk to the Chair/Coordinator of the Department/Program or the Human Rights and Equity Advisor. Please note that a Human Rights and Equity Advisor will soon be appointed. In the meantime, students, faculty, or staff may also contact the Director of Human Resources at hr@stfx.ca or the Office of the AVP&P.

Code

A part of the code is directly inspired by AIMA <https://github.com/aimacode/aima-python>.