Protocol of the Course

The course syllabus is our 'contract' and we will abide by it. You are welcome to suggest modifications to the syllabus.

Format

The course consists of a few lectures by the instructor and many presentations by the students in the class. The topics of the discussions will cover:

• Study of selective chapters of the Handbook of Constraint Programming by Rossi et al.
• Study of selective chapters of the book Constraint Processing by Rina Dechter.
• Discussions of technical papers.
• Collaboration and discussion within and outside the classroom strongly encouraged unless specified (e.g., for occasional assignments, quizzes, or riddles).

Workload

• Required and recommended reading (as indicated in the Class schedule)
• Occasionally, programming, theoretical, and library-search assignments.
• An in-class presentation by a student (the speaker).
• A class discussion of the student's presentation: minimum of two comments/questions by each other student in class.
• Evaluation of the student's presentation by each other student in the class.
• Scribing of the student's presentation and the class discussion by another student in the class (the scribe).
• Evaluation of the scribe's notes by each other student in the class.

Surprise quizzes

There will be surprise quizzes throughout the semester  (with a frequency inversely proportional to students'  attendance).  Quizzes will address any material covered during the lectures and/or appearing in the required reading. No books or personal notes are allowed during the quizzes, unless explicitly specified. Quizzes cannot be made up.

Tests

No tests are planned for the course, and none will be given unless requested by students. Either a midterm or a final exam to individual students can be offered upon request. No books or personal notes are allowed during the exam, unless explicitly specified. Please inform the instructor within before the end of September, 2009.

Attendance

• Attendance is mandatory. Only three absences, with advanced notification, are allowed. Missing more than three lectures may be a cause for failing the course.
• Students are responsible for the material covered and announcements (such as lists of terms for glossary) made during the class.
• Also, there will be surprise quizzes during the regular class.
• Bonuses will be awarded to students who attend all lectures, interact lively, and participate in discussion in class.

Alerts

• Some communications with the class will be carried over email. It is the students responsibility to ensure that their email account on cse.unl.edu is working properly.
• Discussions among students and with instructor are encouraged. Homework however are a strictly individual activity: no sharing is permitted (unless when specified by instructor). Unethical behavior will be heavily sanctioned (e.g., a null grade on the task).
• Always acknowledge any help received from other individuals.
• Always fully reference material used (e.g., encyclopedia, book, paper, journal, web site).