| Unit name | Methods of Artificial Intelligence |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SEMT20003 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Aitchison |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
SEMT20002 Data Science and Statistics |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
Why is this unit important?
Artificial Intelligence is an important emerging area that promises to solve many technological and societal problems. The aim of the unit is to give a broad overview of the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), presenting fundamental techniques and algorithms, with a focus on modern neural networks. There is an emphasis on applications across a range of disciplines, their impact on science and industry, and on their mathematical foundations.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit is the core unit in which the methods of modern artificial intelligence are explored in detail. You will build on your existing understanding of algorithms and of working with data and use this to develop an understanding of techniques in AI and their mathematical and computational foundations. This will then form the foundation for taking more advanced courses on AI in later years.
An overview of content
This course will cover modern approaches to artificial intelligence with a focus on neural networks (NNs). Among other topics, we will cover discussion of NN loss functions, optimisation, and back propagation.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Throughout the unit there is a focus on students understanding theory and modelling principles in order to apply them effectively to AI. At the end of the unit, students will be able to apply these principles to other AI tasks and will learn how that can be done in practice.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the unit, a successful student will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through some combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including lectures, lecturer-led Q+A sessions and Teaching Assistant-led labs/problem classes.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
The lecture notes for each week will provide questions and worked answers. Additionally, some of the practical lab sheets will provide exercises and worked answers. Feedback on these questions and exercises will be provided by some combination of teaching assistant-led lab/problem classes, and lecturer-led QA sessions.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The course is 100% assessed by an exam and will assess all the Learning Outcomes for the unit.
When assessment does not go to plan:
Re-assessment takes the same form as the original summative assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SEMT20003).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
