Information measurement, encoding, and transmission as related to the design of artificial intelligence agents such as search engines, robots, and programs that mimic human intelligence. Models of human and artificial intelligence; relations among information, meaning, and data; diagnostic and causal reasoning in the presence of uncertainty. Readings from the literature of information theory and artificial intelligence; writing assignments, completion of a project to design and/or construct an information-driven intelligent agent.
This is a general education course that may be used to satisfy the Scientific World (SW) requirement under the CUNY Pathways General Education structure. The course can also be used to satisfy the Natural Science (NS) requirement for students who matriculated under the Perspectives curriculum that was in effect at Queens before CUNY introduced Pathways.
See the General Education website for more information about the General Education requirements at the College.
The course is offered by the Computer Science Department, and may be used as an elective in the Computer Information Technology (CIT) minor. It does not count as part of the computer science BA or BS majors.
The course has no other courses as prerequisites: you are not expected to have ever written any code, and you don’t need any mathematical preparation beyond high school algebra. What you do need is an openness to new ideas, a willingness to think about how our digital world works, and an interest in creating something new. The Arduino programming language used in this course is actually the same programming language (C++) as the language used in CSCI-111, the first course in the Computer Science majors. (Arduino has a different “runtime environment” from C++, but the languages are the same.) Because the Arduino programming environment is so different from the C++ environment used in CSCI-111, students who have completed a C++ course equivalent to CSCI-111 are allowed to take this course despite the overlap. But students with more programming experience are not allowed to take it. Those students are encouraged to learn Arduino on their own!
Time: Wednesdays 4pm to 6:50pm *
Location: Science Building Room A135A (First class and final) and Science Building
A205 (all other class meetings)
There is no textbook required for this course. All tutorial and reference resources for the course is available online at no cost. Hardware is available in SB A205 for use during class and open lab hours. You and a partner from the course will be given the combination to one of the lockers, where you can keep your lab materials to use outside of class time. Though not required for the course, the Adruino Circuit Playground Express is available through Adafruit for only $24.95. For $5 more the Basic Starter Kit is an excellent investment. In terms of software, you may download and install the integrated development environment (IDE) or use the browser based IDE. Both versions are available at Arduino / Software.
Attendance is important as assignments and quizzes will be based on the information and work covered in class. You should expect to spend at least three hours a week reviewing the information covered in class and completing assignments. During the project phase there will be no assignments or quizzes but expect to spend an equal amount of time if not more working with your group to complete the project. You will be given time in class to work with your groups on your projects.
Quizzes are used as a check of knowledge of the material covered in the previous class and assignment. Quizzes will be be administered at the beginning of each class meeting and typically last about 15 minutes. The first 10 minutes of class, prior to the quiz will be spent reviewing the material, assignments and answering any questions.
Assignments serve as a reinforcement and extension of the information covered in class. You will be expected to do some exploration and investigation in order to complete assignments. Do not hestitate to reach out for assistances. Assignments submission will be discussed in class.
Active learning will be the key to your success. Embrace the class and activities presented. Take scrupulous notes. Ask questions. Be creative. Be motivated.
Reflection notes, topics and code for in class activities will be posted via the outline page. This is not a replacement for your active learning but simply a resources to review what was covered in class. Videos will also be provided demonstrating key programming concepts using the Arduino Circuit Playground Express.
Queens College is a liberal arts college, which means in part that you should expect to develop “critical thinking” abilities while you are here. At the same time, there is a push for everyone to learn “computational thinking” (usually in the form of learning to code) because that sort of thinking is core to so much of what we do in both our social and our work lives.
In order to develop these skills you will learn to write code that makes small electronic devices (microcontrollers) interact with the physical world. The electronic devices you will be using are called Arduinos, along with a C-based programming language. You can think of code writing as teaching a computer how to use information to solve problems. What makes this approach so good for achieving the goals of this course is that the process of teaching computers will help you develop your own ability to think analytically and critically, and that type of thinking is the hallmark of a liberal arts education.
Each topic will be addressed in overlapping segments of the class meetings. That is, we won’t spend X weeks on one topic, then Y weeks on the next one. Rather, we will be revisiting different parts of each topic throughout the course. Below is a list of topics to be covered.
Each semester is a little different, so the following percentages are subject to revision. I will announce any such changes, and will update this list accordingly.
Academic dishonesty is prohibited in the City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity defines and gives examples of academic dishonesty and describes the procedures to be followed when cases of academic dishonesty occur.
All programs in New York State undergo periodic reviews by accreditation agencies. For these purposes, samples of student work are occasionally made available to those professionals conducting the review. Anonymity is assured under these circumstances. If you do not wish to have your work made available for these purposes, please let the professor know before the start of the second class. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should register with and provide documentation to the Office of Special Services, Frese Hall, room 111. The Office of Special Services will provide a letter for you to bring to your instructor indicating the need for accommodation and the nature of it. This should be done during the first week of class. For more information about services available to Queens College students, contact the Office of Special Services (718-997-5870) or visit their website
During the final four weeks of the semester, you will be asked to complete an evaluation for this course by filling out an online questionnaire. Please remember to participate in these course evaluations. Your comments are highly valued, and these evaluations are an important service both to fellow students and to the institution. Your responses will be pooled with those of other students and made available online, in the Queens College Course Information System Please also note that all responses are completely anonymous; no identifying information is retained once the evaluation has been submitted.
The Queens College Helpdesk ((718) 997-4444, helpdesk@qc.cuny.edu) is located in the I-Building, Room 151 and provides technical support for students who need help with Queens College email, CUNYportal, Blackboard, and CUNYfirst.