CS373A / CS573A Course Information

Instructor:

Karl Stiefvater, Lopata 404b, 935-8145, qarl@cs.wustl.edu
Office hours: Tuesday 1:00 - 4:00, and by appointment.

Lab Manuals:

GAlib: The Genetic Algorithms Library Manual, 2.4.

Final Grades:

This is a laboratory course. Your course grade depends upon the number and quality of projects completed. There is no other homework or exams. Successful completion of a project entails a working demonstration and a design/code review with the instructor or teaching assistant. Strive for a clean design. Extensive documentation is not necessary.

Point values are assigned to projects based on their level of difficulty. You are free to choose among the projects. However, to ensure a well-rounded exposure to the material and to prevent you from falling behind, the projects are divided into groups, and you must complete a minimum number of projects in each group by a specified date. The workload is expected to average approximately 10 hours per week, but will depend on the number of projects you choose to complete.

To pass the course, you must complete the stated minimum number of projects from each group by the date listed. Beyond this, your course grade will be be determined as follows.

Points Earned	Course Grade
100 or more	A+
90-99	A
75-89	B
60-74	C

Home-Grown Projects:

You are encouraged to come up with your own ideas for interesting applications of genetic algorithms. If you want to implement your ideas as a course project, first check with the instructor. You will need to write a brief project description and negotiate the maximum point value of the project before starting on the implementation.