Syllabus for COSC 40903
Pervasive Intelligent Environments

Class time & place:  4:00-5:20 MW Tager TV (building east of TTC)
Instructor: Hannon and Burnell (UTA contact professor is Dr. Manfred Huber)
Office: 333 Hannon; 334 Burnell
Phone: 817.257.7166 Hannon; 817.257.6378 Burnell
Email: c.hannon@tcu.edu and l.burnell@tcu.edu
A special contact email for the course(e.g. SHCourse@tcu.edu) may be added latter
Office hours: To be announced.
Course Web Site:
 http://www.cs.tcu.edu/people/professors/burnell/HomeTechwp.html
Textbooks: There is no text for the course. Articles and other readings will be made available either through the web site, on library reserve, or through other means. 
Last update 01.22.04  
Objectives
The exposure of students to emerging technologies in a hands-on fashion is important to prepare them for today's work place or for the pursuit of an advanced academic degree. The objective of this course is to provide such opportunities through the integration of advances in on-going, multi-disciplinary and cross-institutional research in Smart Home technologies into the upper-level undergraduate and beginning graduate curricula at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and Texas Christian University (TCU). Cross-disciplinary, cross-institutional course activities are open to students from different engineering disciplines and  co-taught by faculty from both universities. Students from various disciplines will work together and profit from the diverse expertise and perspectives available in the different fields and institutions. A central goal here is the enhancement of the educational experience and preparation of students through the use of state-of-the-art tools and curriculum components that integrate research and educational experiences. 

Prerequisites
Ability to program in one high-level programming language such as Java, C, C++ (equivalent to the completion of a first programming course in the Computer Science department at UTA or TCU) and upper division or graduate status in Engineering or Computer Science.
Grading
Quizzes:Quizzes will cover the lecture materials and the homeworks. Quizzes are not comprehensive. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Quizzes will be held during the first 20 minutes of the class period on the given dates.

Homeworks: Homework assisgnments will include critiques or summaries of introductory articles and "mini-project" assignments in which, where feasible, multidisciplinary teams of students will work with a particular technology (e.g. sensors) that can be used in smart homes. These mini-projects build upon one another over the semester, but you will be provided with a complete, working solution at the beginning of each new assignment. Teams will be co-located, i.e., from the same university.

Grade Determination:
Item Percentage of Course Grade
Quiz Average   65%
Homework Average
 35%

Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is expected. Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and suspension from the University. Since dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. More information regarding academic integrity may be found in the TCU Handbook or by contacting your instructor.
Grading Errors: Requests for re-evaluation of points on exams, homeworks, and projects must be returned to the instructor within one week, and accompanied by a brief written description of the grading error you believe was made. After this time, grades are final. Papers will not be re-evaluated in the classroom, before, during or after class. Resubmitting a paper for re-evaluation subjects the entire paper for review. This means that if an error was made in your favor, you may lose points when re-submitting.
Reading Assignments: Completing reading assignments before the class period in which the material is discussed will improve your chances of  success in this class. Not all the assigned material will be covered in class, but you will be responsible for it in projects and exams.
Instructional Format. In general, the instructional format of the class will be class lecture, discussion and student presentations. UTA faculty will give some of the lectures. Guest lecturers, video presentation and other means of instruction will be employed as warranted.
Absence Policy. Regular and punctual attendance increases your probability of success in the class. University policies on attendance are described in the University catalog
Disabilities: Texas Christian University complies with the American with Disabilities Act and with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. No otherwise qualified individual shall be denied access to or participation in the services, programs and activities solely on the basis of a disability. The University shall provide reasonable accommodations for each eligible students who (a) has a record or history of such an impairment or (b) is regarded as having such an impairment. If you require an accommodation based on disability, you should make arrangements to meet with the instructor privately in the office during the first week of the semester, to make sure you will be properly accommodated.

NOTE: some of the course technologies are in the research stage and thus unforseen difficulties may occur. Students  need to work with the instructor well in advance of due dates to ensure that work arounds can be found and communicated as needed.

Guidelines for contacting instructors.With multiple instructors from TCU and UTA, it can be difficult to know who you should contact. Dr. Hannon will be the primary point of contact, unless you are otherwise informed. For specific projects or topics, another contact may be specific. It is your respopnsibility to make sure you communicate with the appropriate instructor. Save copies of ALL email communications you have with any of the instructors during the semester.

Planned Course Contents

The following outline is a guideline only and is subject to change.
A mandatory filed trip to UTA is being planned for UTA Engineering Week (February). Students will tour the UTA Smart Home facilities and communicate with UTA smart home researchers and students. More details will be provided in class.
 
Week
Lecture
Quizzes
(Wed.)
1: Jan. 12  Course Introduction -- Pervasive Intelligent Environments (TCU only)
  
2: Jan 19 MLK Holiday (Monday)
Intelligent Environments
 Homework 1 assigned.
3: Jan 26
 Sensors and Actuators
4: Feb 2
 Sensors and Actuators
Networks
 Quiz #1
5: Feb 9
 Networks
6: Feb 16
 Networks
7: Feb 23
 Database
 Quiz #2
8: Mar 1
 Database
Prediction
9: Mar 8
 Prediction
Last Day to Drop is March 10		 Quiz #3
-: Mar 15
 Spring Break March 15-19
10: Mar 22
 Systems Engineering Principles for Developing Smart Home Technologies
--- requirements, development cycle, reliability, market analysis, ...
11: Mar 29 Decision Making
 Quiz #4
12: Apr 5 Decision Making

13: Apr 12
 Robotics and Automation
 Quiz #5
14: Apr 19 Robotics and Automation
15: Apr 26 Ethical issues, Privacy, and Security, Specialized markets (e.g., elder care) ,  Future Directions
TCU Last day of classes is April 28
 Quiz #6 
16:  May 3 TCU Finals Week: No final exam
UTA: presentations, etc.
17: May 10 UTA Finals Weel: No final exam

Changes
Course syllabi are intended to provide students with basic information concerning the course. The syllabus can be viewed as a 'blueprint' for the course; changes in the syllabus can be made and students will be informed of any substantive changes concerning examination, the grading or attendance policies and changes in project assignments.
This course was developed, in part, with  funding from the National Science Foundation, grant EIA-0203499
Note: Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation