Semester

Semester 1, 2020

• Tony Downward
• Andrew Mason (director, coordinator)
• Andy Philpott

Section A
Heuristics: Assoc Prof Andrew Mason (12 lectures)
Email: a.mason@auckland.ac.nz

Section B
Decision Making under Uncertainty: Dr Anthony Downward (12 lectures)
Email: a.downward@auckland.ac.nz

Section C
Dynamic Programming: Prof Andy Philpott (12 lectures)
Email: a.philpott@auckland.ac.nz

Lectures are:
Tu 3:00PM-4:00PM: 423-348 (Conference Centre, Room 348)
Th 2:00PM-3:00PM: 206-220 (Humanities Bldg, Room 220)
Fr 1:00PM-2:00PM: 206-220 (Humanities Bldg, Room 220)

Note: This is a popular class; rooms may change if enrolments go beyond forecasts.

Meta-heuristics and local search techniques such as Genetic Algorithms, Simulated Annealing, Tabu Search and Ant Colony Optimisation for practical optimisation. Introduction to optimisation under uncertainty, including discrete event simulation, decision analysis, Markov chains and Markov decision processes and dynamic programming.
Prerequisite: COMPSCI 101 or ENGGEN 131

The coursework consists of 3 assignments, one for each topic, with electronic submission to be made by the deadlines shown in Canvas. Each assignment will be of equal weight. There will be a quiz during the first 3 weeks to help you asses your learning; this will not contribute to your final course mark.

Some of the assignments will involve writing computer code using a language such as Matlab, Visual Basic, Python, etc. Support will not be provided by lecturers for programming; you are expected to be a competent programmer.

If for any reason you cannot submit an assignment on time, please contact the lecturer immediately to let them know what is happening, and submit the assignment as soon as possible. If you wish to have an assignment excluded from your coursework calculation, please follow the instructions at https://www.forms.auckland.ac.nz/en/student/engineering/faculty-of-engineering-application-for-exemption-from-on-course.html

Please check that your marks are recorded correctly on Canvas well before the exam. Changes will not be made after the exam.

Coursework = 30%, Exam = 70%
The final mark for the course will not exceed the exam mark by more than 10%. The exam is closed book. Calculators are permitted in the examination (i.e, the examination is "CP=Calculators Permitted"); please see Clause 8c of the Examination Regulations for the definition of a calculator. As with other courses, the exam and final grades may be subject to scaling.

Students are urged to discuss privately any impairment-related requirements face-to-face and/or in written form with the course convenor/lecturer and/or tutor.

No description given

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting his or her learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

All students enrolled at the University of Auckland are required to complete a compulsory Academic Integrity course, usually in their first semester/year of enrolment. The University of Auckland’s full guidelines on procedures and penalties for academic dishonesty are available here.

Improvements have been made to the notes; content has been adjusted to make it more accessible to a wider range of students; the need for programming expertise is made clearer. In response to student feedback, we will be giving a more algorithmic and less mathematical focus where appropriate.