Courses
|
|
Course ID |
Course Name |
Semester Offered |
|
COSC6342 |
|
Fall 2008 |
|
COSC4368 |
Artificial
Intelligence Programming |
Fall 2006 |
|
COSC6343 |
Pattern
Classification |
Spring 2005 |
|
COSC6368 |
Artificial
Intelligence |
Spring 2008 |
|
COSC7363 |
Advanced
Artificial Intelligence |
Spring 2004 |
Teaching Philosophy
|
Objective
To
give students a solid foundation in computer science and the vision to apply
their knowledge in real-world applications.
The use of computer science
in real-world applications requires more knowledge than that acquired by an introductory
course in the field. Real-world applications are challenging because they
involve the combination of several techniques interacting in complex ways. The
recently-graduated student often finds a big gap between the understanding of
basic concepts in computer science and the knowledge necessary to comprehend
the structure of a full industrial solution. My teaching strategy is to bridge
the gap between the theory behind an introductory course in computer science
and the knowledge necessary to understand practical applications in the
real-world.
For
example, a course in artificial intelligence can be designed by covering the
basic concepts in the field, while describing projects that have had an
important impact in industry. From chess programs, to the use of machine
learning for face recognition and fraud detection, to the design of highly
massive parallel computers to investigate the protein-folding problem, the
student should get a clear understanding of how techniques in artificial
intelligence are combined to yield practical and tangible results.
My
experience is that students (both undergraduates and graduates) need incentives
to grow in motivation and remain focused during class. That is why explaining
the practical value of a concept may help acquire a different perspective on
the importance of the subject. Other examples include mentioning anecdotes
about the history of how we obtained an understanding of a theory, or how a
mechanism was designed. In summary, I
believe a course must be designed with the purpose of educating students in
both the theoretical and practical aspects of the subject of study.