CPSC6899 – Agent Based Modeling (Graduate)
An course introducing discrete event simulation, and the principles of systems
simulation
Instructor | Description | Objectives | Outline | Texts | Assessment | Schedule |Policies
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Charles Turnitsa
OFFICE:
Center for Commerce and Technology, Room 433
OFFICE HOURS:
Mon
10:30-2:30 PM
Tues
9:30–12:30 AM
Thurs 9:30–12:30 AM
And by appointment
PHONE:
Cell: 757-239 8573;
School Secretary: 706-507 8170
E-MAIL:
turnitsa_charles@columbusstate.edu
WEB:
http://csc.columbusstate.edu/turnitsa
CATALOG DESCRIPTION OF COURSE
Agent based modeling, agent based systems. Models of communication systems,
biological systems, and representing interactions. An introductory course to the topic,
designed to teach the material, and also the research method.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and permission of the instructor.
ACADEMIC OBJECTIVES
This course is a broad introduction to networking concepts and emphasizes the
following:



Understanding Multi Agent Systems
Understanding approaches for Agent representation; communication;
interaction.
Design and build an Agent based model for the purpose of conducting research.
Specific goals:
1. Define Intelligent Agents and related terms
a. Environment
b. Agents and Object Oriented systems
c. Agents and Expert System
d. Agents for Modeling
2. Agent based systems as Deductive Reasoning tool
a. Theorem Proving
b. Concurrent Behaviors
3. Agent based systems as Practical Reasoning tool
a. Deliberation plus Awareness
b. Brute Force?
c. Means-End Reasoning
4. Multi Agent Interactions
a. Environment and Motility
b. Strategies
c. Game Theory
d. Nash Equilibria
5. Agreements and Communications
a. Negotiations
b. Communicative Acts
c. Communication Languages for Agents
d. Ontology & Semantic Models
6. Global Behavior from Local Interaction
7. Methods and Systems
2|Page
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
As a student in this course, you are responsible to:
1.
2.
3.
Visit CougarView regularly and participate in all online discussions.
Ask the instructor questions.
Send the instructor e–mail with both comments and questions.
INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
As your instructor in this course, I am responsible to:
Post lessons outlining the assignments for the week;
2. Read all student submissions and discussions;
3. Respond - read any e-mail sent by students and respond accordingly within 48 hours.
1.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Attendance will be based on participation in the Online Forums. If you do not submit either
of these for two or more weeks in a row, you may receive a WF. If an emergency prevents you
from submitting a summary or quiz, please contact me to make alternative arrangements.
TEXTBOOKS
Title: Introduction to MultiAgent Systems
Author: Michael Wooldridge
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN-10: 0-471-49691-X
Year: 2002 (2nd Edition, free from Wiley)
SUPPLEMENTARY BOOKS AND MATERIALS
Material will be provided online through the course Web page.
3|Page
HOW TO ACCESS THIS COURSE
This course is being offered through CougarView (the Desire 2 Learn system). You can
access CougarView from the Columbus State University Homepage.
At this page, click on the "Log on to" link to activate the CougarView logon dialog box,
which will ask for your CougarView username and password. Your CougarView
username and password are:
Username: lastname_firstname
Password: XXXXXX
where "XXXXXX" is the day, month and year of your birthday ddmmyy.
Once you've entered CougarView, you will see a list of courses you have access to. The
CPSC 5157 course is listed as "Computer Networking - Summer Semester 2013 CPSC5157". Below this, you should see my name as the instructor. You may also see new
discussion postings, new calendar postings, and new mail messages. Clicking on the
name of the course will take you to the course's home page.
Once you have clicked on the course's name and accessed the particular course itself,
you will find a home page with links to other sections and tools, and a menu on the lefthand side. The first thing you should do is read the "Welcome (read first)" information.
This information will give you a feel for what's available in the particular CougarView
classroom environment and explain in more detail how the course will work. Once
you've read this information, please feel free to explore other areas.
4|Page
HOW THIS COURSE WILL WORK
This course will consist of readings, weekly research summaries, weekly quizzes, game reviews,
exams, and a final project. On a weekly basis, you will need to:
1. Review the week's lesson
2. Complete the weekly readings
3. Participate in weekly discussions (Crucial for this course)
4. Prepare an agent based model in support of a research question, and write a report of that
model that will be included in a conference paper.
COURSE ASSESSMENT
This course will include a number of readings (both in the textbook and supplemental). There
will be explanatory slides and other materials made available through CougarView.
Grades in this course, for Graduate Students, will be based on the following assessments:

Online discussions – 50%

Agent Based Modeling Project - 30%

Report on Project - 20%
Grading scale:
A 90% - 100% B 80% - 89%
C 70% - 79%
D 60% - 69%
5|Page
SUGGESTED SUMMER SCHEDULE FOR CPSC5157
The tentative schedule given below will help you plan your study over the semester. The
actual start dates and coverage duration of topics may vary.
Module Date
Topic
Book
Chap.
1,2
1
6/10
Agent Based Systems
2
6/17
3
3
6/24
4
7/1
5
7/8
Types of Agents I –
Deductive Reasoning
Types of Agents II –
Practical Reasoning
Reactive and Hybrid
Agents
Agent Interactions
6
7
8
7/15
7/22
7/29
Agent Communications
System vs. Agents
Final Module
7,8
9
4
5
6
Assignment
Due
Introduction
Forum Topic
Report back
from NetLogo
Area of Interest
Discussion
Due by
None
Supporting
Material
Research
Question
Netlogo Model
Refined Model
Report on
Results
7/7
6/23
6/30
7/14
7/21
7/28
None
The Comprehensive Research Project
The assignments for this course are all in support of the final product of the
independent study – which will be a report on a model designed by you – the student –
with input from other students and me – the instructor. That report will be included
into a research paper that we will all write together, in order to present at a conference.
The reason for this is multi-faceted. First it exposes the student to what is involved in
constructing a computer model in order to do research. Second it exposed the student
to the preparation of research material for a report. Third, it will result in a publication
in the student’s name, which is a great asset professionally as well as academically.
Fourth, it exposes the students to working with agent based models and agent based
systems. Fifth, it gives the Instructor the unique opportunity to be exposed to excellent
minds and practitioners in this advanced topic of Computer Science.
For each module where an assignment is due, it will be described, giving the student
expectations on what to produce, and also some guidelines and suggestions. Please, ask
lots of questions. If you are in Columbus, plan to meet on campus. If not, we can create
chat sessions or google hangouts to talk through things.
6|Page
POLICIES
Student Responsibilities
As a student in this course, you are responsible to:

manage your time and maintain the discipline required to meet the course
requirements,

complete all readings,

participate in weekly discussions,

complete and submit programming assignments,

complete and submit the project, and

check for any e-mail sent by the instructor and respond accordingly.
General Policies
You are responsible for all class work missed, regardless of the reason for the
absence(s). Late assignments will not be accepted. No makeup exams or quizzes will be
given, so please make sure you are present for all exams/quizzes. Refer to the CSU
Catalog
(http://academics.columbusstate.edu/catalogs/current/acaregs_grad.php#
attendance) for more information on class attendance and withdrawal.
Course Project
The details concerning the course project will be available within CougarView.
Assignment Due Dates
All assignments are due during the week in which they are assigned and no later than 11:59 PM
(23:59) (Eastern Time). The due dates for each assignment will be given in the weekly lessons,
as part of the posted thread, and in the course's calendar. Assignments submitted or modified
after the assignment due date will assessed a late penalty as described below.
Late Assignments
If circumstances prevent the timely posting of assignments, please notify me by e-mail within
CougarView. Unless you make prior arrangements with me, any assignment submitted after its
assigned due date will be considered late. Late assignments may be submitted up to three days
beyond their assigned due date and are subject to a 10% reduction in points for each day they are
submitted beyond the assigned due date. Assignments not submitted by the assigned due date or
within the three days following the assigned due due will be assessed a grade of zero (0).
Extra Credit
There are no provisions for extra credit in this course.
7|Page
Incompleteness
If unusual circumstances preclude you from completing the course and you have satisfactorily
completed all the other course requirements up until that point, I will award you a grade of
"Incomplete" provided you contact me regarding the unusual circumstances and you agree to
certain conditions for removal of the "Incomplete." You must, however, contact me and arrange
for the Incomplete as soon as you are aware that you will be unable to complete the course and
before the last day of class.
Software
In this course, we will rely on the NETLOGO software. http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/
Obtaining MSDNAA Software
As a student in this course, you are eligible for free Microsoft software development software.
This software is available from the MSDNAA site at:
http://e5.onthehub.com/WebStore/ProductsByMajorVersionList.aspx?ws=f7a001aa-ea9b-e011969d-0030487d8897&vsro=8
If you live or work in the local Columbus area, you can drop by the Department of Computer
Science on the fourth floor in the Center for Commerce and Technology building and check out
a copy of the CDs for any software listed on the MSDNAA site. If you do not live or work in the
local Columbus area, you may either download the software or request that the CDs be mailed to
you.
Downloading the software. Shortly after the semester begins, you should receive an email
message sent to your CSU email address that includes your MSDNAA account information. If
you do not receive this message, simply access the MSDNAA site
(http://e5.onthehub.com/WebStore/ProductsByMajorVersionList.aspx?ws=f7a001aa-ea9b-e011969d-0030487d8897&vsro=8), click on "Your Account" in the upper, right-hand menu, then
click on "Forgot your password?" link under the "Sign In" button. In the resulting page, enter
your CSU email address and click on the "Submit" button. If the system still does not recognize
you, please send a message to cs@columbusstate.edu. Be sure to include your CSU email
address in the message.
Once the software has been downloaded, it must be installed in accordance with the Developer
Academic Alliance Usage Guidelines (http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/academic/bb250609.aspx).
Requesting the CDs be mailed to you. As an alternative to downloading the software, you may
request the software CDs be mailed to you. Simply send an e-mail message to our department
secretary Dianne Phillips (cs@columbusstate.edu). Include in the message the software you are
requesting, your name, address, and the name and number of this course. Once you have
received the CDs, you must install the software in accordance with the Developer Academic
8|Page
Alliance Usage Guidelines (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/academic/bb250609.aspx). Once
you have installed the software, you must place the CDs back in the box they came in (or a
suitable container) and return them to the Department of Computer Science. There should be a
return label in the box the CDs were sent to you in, but you will have to pay for the return
postage.
Technical Support
You must have the ability to administer your own computer system(s), and to install and
configure your own software. Ordinarily, I can only provide limited support.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, activities such as cheating and plagiarism
(http://academics.columbusstate.edu/catalogs/current/acaregs_grad.php#acadmiscondu
ct). It is a basis for disciplinary action. Any work turned in for individual credit must be entirely the work
of the student submitting the work. All work must be your own. [For group projects, the work must
be done only by members of the group.] You may share ideas but submitting identical assignments (for
example) will be considered cheating. You may discuss the material in the course and help one
another with debugging; however, any work you hand in for a grade must be your own. A
simple way to avoid inadvertent plagiarism is to talk about the assignments, but don't read each other's
work or write solutions together unless otherwise directed by your instructor. For your own protection,
keep scratch paper and old versions of assignments to establish ownership, until after the assignment has
been graded and returned to you. If you have any questions about this, please see your
instructor immediately. For assignments, access to notes, the course textbooks, books and other
publications is allowed. All work that is not your own, MUST be properly cited. This includes any material
found on the Internet. Stealing or giving or receiving any code, diagrams, drawings, text or designs from
another person (CSU or non-CSU, including the Internet) is not allowed. Having access to another
person’s work on the computer system or giving access to your work to another person is not allowed. It is
your responsibility to prevent others from having unauthorized access to your work.
No cheating in any form will be tolerated. Penalties for academic dishonesty may include a zero grade on
the assignment or exam/quiz, a failing grade for the course, suspension from the Computer Science
program, and dismissal from the program. All instances of cheating will be documented in writing with a
copy placed in the School files. Students will be expected to discuss the academic misconduct with the
faculty member and the chairperson. If you have any questions about what is plagiarism, check the
following sites:

Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It

Avoiding Plagiarism

Avoiding Plagiarism - MASTERING THE ART OF SCHOLARSHIP
9|Page
GETTING HELP
You can always contact me by phone during my posted office hours (please leave a
message if I am out of my office) or by e-mail.
You are very welcome to drop by during my posted office hours or any other time by
appointment.
CONFIDENTIALITY of INFORMATION
CSU Does not guarantee the confidentiality of information shared by students in the course
environment. Therefore you should not share any confidential information from employers
unless explicitly released for public use.
CSU ADA STATEMENT
If you have a documented disability, as described by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L.
933-112 Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and subsequent
amendments and would like to request academic and/or physical accommodations,
please contact the Office of Disability Services in the Schuster Student Success Center
(room 221), 706-507-8755, as soon as possible. Course requirements will not be waived,
but reasonable accommodations may be provided as appropriate.
Important dates/holidays for Summer Semester, 2013
First day of classes:
Last day to withdraw from the course:
July 4 break (no classes):
Last day of classes:
Final Examinations (On-line Classes):
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Tuesday, July 9
Thursday, July 4 (but, Midterm Due)
Thursday, July 25
Friday, July 26 – Wednesday, July 31
Readiness for Education at a Distance Indicator
(READI)
10 | P a g e
READI is the Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator. READI is an indicator of
the degree to which distance learning will be a good fit for you. READI will help you
prepare to be successful as a distance learning student. You are not penalized for
guessing on the READI assessment; please enter an answer for each question on the
assessment. Upon completion of READI you will receive a score report which will not
only help you understand your strengths and opportunities for improvement, but will
also provide you with resources to help you succeed. Remember, this assessment is
strictly for your benefit. Take the time to rate yourself honestly by following this link:
http://columbusstate.readi.info/
11 | P a g e