Logistics

Grading Policy

Paper reviews (30%)
Student presentation (20%)
Course project (40%)
In-class participation (10%)

Student Presentations

An integral component of this course is to conduct a systematic literature review on robot learning research through student presentations and in-class discussions. Each student should expect to have at least one presentation regarding their assigned paper readings. To ensure the quality and clarity of the presentations, we expect the students to
  • read the assigned papers thoroughly and gain a good understanding before making the presentation slides.
    Template: [Powerpoint] or [Google Slides]
  • email the slides to the TA and the instructor seven days (EOD) prior to the presentation date for feedback and revision.
    Deadline: 9:59pm Tue for talks next Tue and 9:59pm Thu for talks next Thu
  • email a list of open-ended questions on the topic to the TAs and the instructor seven days (EOD) prior to the presentation date.
Failures to email the slides on time would incur a 20% deduction on the presentation score. Each presentation should be 20min (± 2min). The presentations will be graded in the following aspects:
  • Clarity of presentation (problem formulation, proposed method, key results);
  • Presentation of the background material (basic concepts to understand the research improvement);
  • Review of prior work and the challenges addressed by this work;
  • Analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the research;
  • Discussion of potential research extensions and applications;
  • Response to student questions (in-class and on Ed Discussion).
After each presentation, we will do a 5min Q&A about the presentation. Two papers will be presented in each class, and then we will have a 20min open-ended discussion. The discussion questions will be posted on Ed Discussion by the instructor the day before the class. The slides of the presentations will be shared on the course webpage within one week of the presentation date. The presentation will be worth 20% of the total grade. For students who present more than once (based on availability), the final presentation grade will be the highest score of their presentations.

Useful Resources

Paper Reviews

A paper review will be due by 9:59pm the previous night for each class of student presentations (9:59pm Mon and 9:59pm Wed). There will be two papers presented in each class. You need to pick one paper between them to write a review. You can write a review for both papers, in which case we will consider the review with the higher score for grading. The paper reviews are in a similar review format as the RSS Conference. The reviews are graded based on the level of understanding and critical analysis of the work. Please submit the reviews on Gradescope.

The reviews will be each worth 2% of the total grade and 15 reviews are required, summing up to 30% of the total grade. The reviews will not be accepted late since we expect the students' independent evaluations of the papers prior to in-class presentations and discussions. However, there are more than 15 presentation classes. It allows flexibility for students to skip some reviews due to personal conflicts, such as holy days, conference travel, etc. In the case when more than 15 reviews are submitted by a student, we will take the top-scored 15 for grading. Note that class attendance and participation are required in order to receive a non-zero grade of paper review.

Useful Resources

Course Project

The course project aims to help the students gain in-depth, hands-on experiences applying AI-based techniques to practical robot perception and decision making problems. It consists of three key milestones: a project proposal (5%), a milestone report (5%), a final report (25%), and a spotlight talk (5%). For more detail, please see the Project page.

Useful Resources

Academic Integrity

You are encouraged to discuss assignments with classmates, but all collected data, analysis, images and graphs, and other written work must be your own. All programming assignments must be entirely your own except for teamwork on the final project. You may NOT look online for existing implementations of algorithms related to the programming assignments, even as a reference. Your code will be analyzed by automatic tools that detect plagiarism to ensure that it is original. For the final project, you have full access to the web, but all ideas, quotes, and code fragments that originate from elsewhere must be cited according to standard academic practice. Students caught cheating will automatically fail the course and will be reported to the university. If in doubt about the ethics of any particular action, look at the departmental guidelines and/or ask — ignorance of the rules will not shield you from potential consequences.

The use of artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT) in this class hall be permitted on a limited basis. AI writing tools can only be used for grammar checking, spelling fixing, and language polishing. They should not be used to replace your critical thinking and idea generation. You are also welcome to seek my prior-approval to use these tools on any assignment. In either instance, AI writing tools should be used with caution and proper citation, as the use of AI should be properly attributed. Using AI writing tools without my permission or authorization, or failing to properly cite AI even where permitted, shall constitute a violation of UT Austin's Institutional Rules on academic integrity. Please see Acceptable Use of ChatGPT and Similar AI Tools for more information.

Notice about students with disabilities

The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement — Services for Students with Disabilities at 512-471-6529; 512-471-4641 TTY.

Notice about missed work due to religious holy days

A student who misses an examination, work assignment, or other projects due to the observance of a religious holy day will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence, provided that he or she has properly notified the instructor. It is the policy of the University of Texas at Austin that the student must notify the instructor at least fourteen days prior to the classes scheduled on dates he or she will be absent to observe a religious holy day. For religious holy days that fall within the first two weeks of the semester, the notice should be given on the first day of the semester. The student will not be penalized for these excused absences, but the instructor may appropriately respond if the student fails to satisfactorily complete the missed assignment or examination within a reasonable time after the excused absence.