Department of Computer Science
CS 499 Knowledge Engineering
Meeting
time: Tuesday 4:30 pm – 7:10 pm
Meeting location: Innovation Hall 222
Instructor: Dr. Gheorghe Tecuci,
Professor of Computer Science
Office
hours: Tuesday 7:15 pm – 8:05 pm
Office: Nguyen Engineering Building, Learning Agents Center, Room 4613
Phone: 703 993 1722
E-mail: tecuci
at gmu dot edu
Course Description
Prerequisite: 60 credits and C or better in CS 310 and CS 330
Knowledge Engineering is the discipline
concerned with the design, development, and maintenance of computer systems
that rely on knowledge and reasoning to solve complex problems, commonly called
knowledge-based systems or agents. These systems which address the capturing,
using, preserving, transferring, sharing, and teaching of knowledge, represent
a critical technology in the current evolution toward the knowledge society.
The course covers the basics of
knowledge engineering, including: ontologies and the semantic web,
mixed-initiative reasoning, evidence-based reasoning and discovery, knowledge
acquisition and learning, knowledge base verification, validation and
integration, and frontier research in knowledge engineering.
This is a hands-on course where the learning
of principles, concepts and methods will be enhanced by the practice of using
knowledge engineering tools developed in the Learning Agents Center (http://lac.gmu.edu) to build a knowledge-based system in an area chosen by
each individual student or student team. Examples of such areas include: cyber
security, intelligence analysis, website evaluation, crime scene investigation,
medical diagnosis, behavior modeling, advisor or course evaluation, real-estate
assessment, tutoring, or any other area involving knowledge-based reasoning.
Students will have accounts on
Blackboard and can download the lecture notes by going to courses.gmu.edu and
logging in using their Mason ID and passwords.
Outcomes
Students will obtain a basic
understanding of knowledge-based reasoning, of modeling expert problem solving,
of designing and developing ontologies, of developing reasoning rules through
teaching and learning, and will have the ability to design and develop
knowledge-based systems.
Grading Policy
Exam – 50%
Project assignments and class participation – 50%
Readings
Tecuci G., Lecture Notes on Knowledge Engineering, Fall
2011 (required).
Additional papers required or
recommended by the instructor.
Email
Communication
1. Please include CS499 in the subject of any
message you are emailing to Dr. Tecuci.
2. Please try to limit the size of the files you are
emailing.
GMU
Email Accounts
Students must activate their GMU email accounts to
receive important University information, including messages related to this
class.
Office
of Disability Services
If you are a student with a disability and you need
academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability
Services (ODS) at 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged
through the ODS. http://ods.gmu.edu.
Other
Useful Campus Resources
Writing Center: A114 Robinson Hall; (703) 993-1200; http://writingcenter.gmu.edu
University Libraries “Ask a Librarian” http://library.gmu.edu/mudge/IM/IMRef.html
Counseling And Psychological Services (CAPS): (703)
993-2380; http://caps.gmu.edu
University
Policies
The University Catalog, http://catalog.gmu.edu, is the central resource for university policies affecting student,
faculty, and staff conduct in university affairs.
Honor
Code
You
are expected to abide by the GMU honor code. Information on the university
honor code can be found at http://academicintegrity.gmu.edu/honorcode/.
Additional departmental CS information: http://cs.gmu.edu/wiki/pmwiki.php/HonorCode/CSHonorCodePolicies