Course syllabus

ISE 102 – Introduction to Intelligent Systems Engineering

Section 001, TR, 9:00 AM-10:40 AM, In-Person

Congdon Hall 1006

Course Syllabus - Spring 2025

"This syllabus is subject to change, but only with sufficient notification"

 

 

Welcome to Dr. Saeidi’s Introduction to Intelligent System Engineering class! This is an interdisciplinary course that introduces students to intelligent systems via several fundamental topics. Students will learn how intelligent systems interact with the physical world through inputs (sensors) and outputs (actuators). Moreover, this course covers how intelligent algorithms are developed and implemented to process the inputs and control real systems. This course enables a hands-on experience during which the students program microcontrollers like Arduino with various sensors and actuators.

The students who successfully complete this course will:

• Understand the basic principles of intelligent systems.  
• Understand the fundamentals of computing and how it is implemented in intelligent systems. 
• Define the terminologies commonly used in intelligent systems.  
• Understand how systems can interact with the physical world through inputs and outputs. Learn about different types of sensors and transducers. 
• Learn algorithmic thinking and design basic algorithms that transform inputs into outputs.  
• Understand how computing is used in intelligent systems and how data is handled and processed by computers. 
• Learn about binary numbers and different operations on binary numbers.  

What else do I need to know about this course? Prerequisites: CSC-131 This course requires hands-on experience, applications of mathematical concepts, and programming techniques. I will cover the basics of the required tools as needed, but eventually, you will be responsible for filling any gaps in knowledge you may have while taking this course.  Plan carefully to complete assignments and projects in a timely manner.  Make sure you have pens/pencils/notebooks during the class. You will need to take notes regularly, and we will have paper-based submissions for some in-class activities and quizzes.

 

What do I do when I need help? If you need help, talk to me or send me an email. I will do all I can to help you understand the materials. How to contact Dr. Saeidi? E-mail: saeidih@uncw.edu Office hours: Mondays, 2:00 pm-3:00 pm and Thursdays, 3:45 pm-4:45 pm and  (only by appointment) Office: 2038 Congdon Hall Phone: (910) 962-2094 You can email me at any time but I only respond to emails from 8 am to 5 pm. All the emails must be in the following format otherwise I might not open them in time:   ISE102 – proper title   For example "ISE-102 – Project/Lab 2"

 

Textbooks (Optional)

• The Mechatronics Handbook, Second Edition, by Robert H. Bishop, CRC Press, 2007
• Sensors and Actuators: Engineering System Instrumentation, Second Edition, by da Silva, CRC Press, 2015

Other Resources (More resources will be posted in different modules as well)

• https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/index.html 
• https://www.w3schools.com/cpp
• C_tutorial.pdf
• arduino-projects-book.pdf
• The search engine of your choice
• ...

 

Grading

A modified 10-point scale will be used to compute your course grade. Pluses and minuses will be assigned based on the following chart.

Assignments:

There will be 5-6 paper-based and computer-based assignments. These assignments need to be completed and submitted individually (no collaborations allowed).

Midterm Presentation:

Each student will investigate and research one intelligent system based on the topics/choices provided by the instructor. The result must be submitted via a report and explained to the class via a presentation. This task must be completed and submitted individually (no collaborations allowed). Each student will have 7 minutes to present the results followed by a 3-minute Q&A session.  Your work must be submitted before the first day of presentations.

Exams: 

There will be one midterm exam for this course (on Thursday 3/27/2025). This exam will be in-person. No exemptions from the exam will be given.

Projects:

After the midterm exam, the course content will include more elaborate techniques. Therefore, one final project, which requires group work, is embedded in the course. 

Reports and presentations/demos: A report and a presentation are expected for the project (a technical report + an in-class presentation). You will form teams to complete the projects, write the reports, and present your work to the class. Each team will consist of 2 students. For the presentations, each team will have 10 minutes to present the results followed by a 5-minute Q&A session.  Your work must be submitted before the first day of presentations for the final project.

The team member list is due on 2/25/2025. Once the teams form, they will remain unchanged throughout the semester. Be careful when selecting teammates to ensure that an effective collaboration is achieved.

The top 2 projects (based on the progress during the semester) will present their results during the Computing Showcase event (5/1/2025).

 

Late submission policy for the assignments, reports, and presentations:

• Prompt notification  (for good reason, documented illness, etc.) is required.
• Otherwise, 5% penalty per day.
• After 5 days,  it will result in a 0 grade for the specific assignment/lab/report/presentation. 

 

Attendance: 

Regular attendance is expected. This course proceeds at such a pace that class absence can have an impact on student performance and final grades. Each student is responsible for all the work, including tests and written work, in all class sessions.

 There will be extensive in-class activities and some questions and problems in the exams will be from the lecture notes. Unavoidable schedule changes may be announced in class and class participation and in-class activities may impact final grade determination in some cases. 

Students must wait 15 minutes if the professor is late for class.

Anticipated Absences. Anticipated absences should be reported to the instructor at least seven days before the absence is scheduled to occur. Situations in which an instructor is encouraged to approve a documented anticipated absence include:

• Attendance at university-sponsored activities in which the student is representing UNCW, e.g., a professional meeting in which the student presents his or her research, required varsity athletic events for team members, or required events for SGA officers. Instructors may require certification of the student’s participation from the administrator in charge of the activity. Absences for university-affiliated, but not directly sponsored, activities (such as a club or Greek life events) do not qualify under this policy.
• Required court attendance as certified by the Clerk of Court.
• Required military duty as certified by the student’s commanding officer.

Unanticipated Absences. Students are encouraged to communicate with instructors in a timely fashion after unanticipated absences from class. Each faculty member determines how to treat such absences but typically will excuse absences due to health emergencies, death in the family, or a comparable emergency when supported by verifying documentation from the student. 

Two missed submissions or three unexcused absences will result in an F grade in the class.

USING CELL PHONES DURING CLASS COUNTS AS AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE!!!!!!

 

Academic Integrity

Use of any AI code generators is not allowed. Violators will be reported. See here for more details

https://uncw.edu/about/university-administration/student-affairs/departments/dean-students/honor-code

University Policy on academic integrity will be followed for this course. Cheating will be taken very seriously, resulting in harsh penalties. Since the skills required in this class are also required in the next class, cheating in this class will seriously hamper your ability to pass the next class. Please refer to this page for more information about the University policies. 

Any dissemination of class notes, lecture slides, recordings, handouts, copies of exams, or any other course materials without permission of the instructor is prohibited by UNCW policy.  UNCW Copyright Use and Ownership Policy (http://www.uncw.edu/policies/documents/01210.copyrightpolicy.pdf) specifies that class notes and related materials are considered derivative of the original intellectual property of the course instructor. Therefore, the instructor (not the student) owns the copyright and must provide specific permission to distribute and/or reuse those materials for anything other than personal use and scholarship by the student. Commercial use, display, or dissemination of such notes, copies, or recordings—as well as posting to websites--will generally constitute an infringement of copyright and the Honor Code.  Materials that qualify as student-owned are listed in the policy.

Health and Safety Protocols:

Please do not come to class when you are not feeling well or are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. Inform the instructor so that proper measures can be taken for you to keep up with the class pace. If you have been exposed to COVID-19 or are concerned about exposure, please contact the Student Health Center at (910) 962-3280 for specific information about testing, contact tracing and quarantine/isolation requirements, which differ for vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals, according to CDC guidance. Remember, keeping healthy is essential to keeping campus open! Thank you for your help and compliance.