The UK's Open University is offering its Common Lisp course to anyone on
the Internet, STARTING 5th NOVEMBER 1994 (and finishing in May '95). You
will need to buy the 'set book' for yourself (see below), after which all
tutorials, discussion groups, assignments and feedback will be provided on
the Internet, along with one of several different full Common Lisp
implementations-- or you can use your current favourite Common Lisp. You
will be joining registered students who also receive tuition via email and
conferencing. Our registered students pay a fee, take an exam, and are
offered credits towards an M.Sc. degree, but for this trial Internet run
you will be 'sitting in' at no charge, will not need to take the exam, and
no credits will be awarded (however, a registration scheme WILL enable you
to earn credits if you want to wait until a later presentation in March
1995). The main benefit of the November 1994 presentation is that you will
be able to partake in all the discussions and assignments, and obtain
expert tuition from our team of Lisp wizards.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE EMAIL:
···············@open.ac.uk
Below is a one-paragraph description of the Open University, followed by an
unformatted course summary. Full University details may be found on our
World Wide Web page, at http://hcrl.open.ac.uk/ou/ouhome.html
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
The Open University is the UK's largest University and also its largest
publisher. Our specialty is 'multimedia distance teaching' via texts, TV
programmes (we have our own dedicated BBC studio/production centre on camp
us), radio, cassettes, videos, computers, 'home experimental kits' (e.g.
chemistry labs to explore in your kitechen, rock samples to study earth
science, etc .). Over 100,000 undergraduates are currently enrolled, as
well as over 150,000 Continuing Education students (the former study for a
B.A. degree, whereas the latter just take isolated courses). There are no
entrance requirements, but strict standards are maintained by external
examiners from other universities who assist with the assessment of final
examinations. More than 2,000,000 people have now studied with the OU in
one or other of its programmes! Approximately 30,000 students each year
are involved with courses that have a 'home computing' element, and this
number is about to rise dramatically.
COMMON LISP COURSE DESCRIPTION
COURSE CODE AND TITLE
DM863, Introduction to Common Lisp Programming for Artificial
Intelligence
COURSE LEVEL
Postgraduate, Diploma, Continuing education
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OTHER ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Lisp is the major language used in Artificial Intelligence (AI)
research throughout the world. It is a functional language of
enormous flexibility and power, and its many dialects have been
combined recently into a single dialect, Common Lisp, which allows the
exchange of programs between two computers without modification. The
course will teach students Common Lisp from scratch, using a hands-on
approach during which students will build the kernels of genuinely
useful programs such as a rule interpreter and an object-oriented
system.
The course is for:
- Applications programmers who need the extra power and flexibility
provided by the language to provide up-to-date AI solutions to
their programming tasks
- Information technology/data processing managers who encounter
problems requiring a knowledge of AI techniques
- Researchers in AI who need to understand the vast amount of research
already done using Lisp.
Aims and objectives of the course are to train computing professionals
and AI researchers to a level of competence where they can move on
untaught to the large range of existing books in advanced Lisp
programming.
On completion of the course, students should be able to:
- appreciate and harness the expressive power of Lisp for solving a
wide range of symbolic programming and software engineering tasks
- design and implement medium to large Common Lisp programs in
Artificial Intelligence, satisfying the general requirements of good
software engineering
- continue alone to become skilled and fluent in the use of the
language.
The following sections of the set book are used:
Part 1: Essential concepts:
- Starting out
- The Virtual Machine
- Decision making
- The programming environment
Part 2: Programming and data structures:
- Recursion
- More about functions
- Simple knowledge representation
- Programming style
Part 3: Techniques and applications:
- Rule interpreters
- Object systems.
Common Lisp provides an excellent range of inbuilt debugging tools
which are covered in the section on the programming environment and in
the FreeLisp User's Guide. Recursion, a technique which newcomers
sometimes find difficult to grasp at first, is treated in some depth
in the appropriate section in Part 2.
The disks contain the FreeLisp Common Lisp interpreter, together with
the source code for the programs used in the set book. It is
essential to have access to a suitable computer system to complete the
course, as specified above. The software runs only under Windows 3.1,
which students must obtain separately.
Set book:
Hasemer, Tony & Domingue, John, /Common Lisp Programming for Artificial
Intelligence/. Addison-Wesley, 1989. Highlights of the book (from its
back cover):
A clear tutorial approach, especially in areas which students often find
difficult, such as recursion.
'Hands on' exercises to help reinforce basic concepts and to encourage
experimentation.
Examples based on programs used in AI, emphasizing the role of knowledge
representation.
Three full chapters on object-oriented programming, in which readers
first
build and then use a subset of CLOS, the Common Lisp Object System.
Assessment is by assignments and examination.
Programmes for which this course is required or in which it can be
included:
Continuing Education (Associate Student) Programme
Joint Postgraduate Diploma in Computing and Manufacturing
Postgraduate Diploma in Computing for Commerce and Industry.
Language of instruction is English.
MEDIA AND METHODS EMPLOYED
Set book, reference manual, disks, user's guide, tutorial support,
computer conferencing. [All materials other then the Set book can be
emailed to Internet participants beginning in November 1994].
Tutorial groups will function via the OU's FirstClass computer conferencing
system (and, starting in November 1994, a listserver which mirrors
our internal conferencing system for any Internet user).
Access to an IBM PC (or compatible machine) with at least a 386
processor, Windows 3.1, 6MB of RAM and 20MB free hard disk space is
essential, as is access to a modem. [But for Internet users in November
1994 the ability to run any full implementation of Common Lisp will do.]
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Approximately 120 hours of study are required on this quarter credit
course.
Continuing education students who successfully complete the course
receive a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion. In some instances
credits can be gained and used towards a degree.
--
[Direct replies to: ···············@open.ac.uk]
_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/ _/ Human Cognition Research Lab
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ The Open University
_/_/_/_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/ Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, U.K.
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Tel: +44 908 65-3149 Fax: -3169
_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/_/ ·····················@open.ac.uk
In article <·························@uu-marc-mac.open.ac.uk>,
············@open.ac.uk (Marc Eisenstadt) wrote:
>
> The UK's Open University is offering its Common Lisp course to anyone on
> the Internet, STARTING 5th NOVEMBER 1994 (and finishing in May '95).
>...
> The software runs only under Windows 3.1,
> which students must obtain separately.
>
In fact, for Internet users, the last sentence above is not really true,
and is superseded by a later parapgraph in the message I posted, which
says:
>... [But for Internet users in November
> 1994 the ability to run any full implementation of Common Lisp will do.]
This posting is merely to resolve the apparent contradiction, and to assert
that any genuine Common Lisp on any environment will be fine.
Enquiries, as before, to: ···············@open.ac.uk
Thanks...
-Marc (Eisenstadt)
--
_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/ _/ Human Cognition Research Lab
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ The Open University
_/_/_/_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/ Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, U.K.
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Tel: +44 908 65-3149 Fax: -3169
_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/_/ ·····················@open.ac.uk
==== ENROLLMENT NOW CLOSED FOR NOV '94, BUT MARCH '95 OK (FOR A FEE) ====
In article <·························@uu-marc-mac.open.ac.uk>,
············@open.ac.uk (Marc Eisenstadt) wrote:
> The UK's Open University is offering its Common Lisp course to anyone on
> the Internet, STARTING 5th NOVEMBER 1994 (and finishing in May '95).
Response has been ENTHUSIASTIC, and we're now full!! But read on if you're
interested in a March '95 presentation (which costs) or if you never saw
the original posting.
The March '95 presentation (unlike the November '94 trial run) would cost
money -- on the order of hundreds of UK pounds stirling -- and would
entitle you to full registration, examination, and a certificate. If you're
POTENTIALLY interested, then please contact us at
···············@open.ac.uk
In principle, you will be able to pay via credit card, and take our
examination at any British Embassy or Consulate anywhere in the world, but
the formal details are still being negotiated. We will keep enquirers on
our mailing list and inform you of developments.
Below is a modified version of what we wrote previously. The main details
that have changed for March '95 concern the fact that full registrants will
have the option of receiving some of our conventional glossy materials by
post. The broad picture remains the same.
============ MODIFIED VERSION OF ORIGINAL POSTING =========
The UK's Open University is offering its Common Lisp course to anyone on
the Internet, STARTING MARCH 1995 (and finishing in October '95). All
tutorials, discussion groups, assignments and feedback will be provided on
the Internet, along with one of several different full Common Lisp
implementations-- or you can use your current favourite Common Lisp. You
will be joining the Open University's other UK and European students on
this course who also receive tuition via email and conferencing.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE EMAIL:
···············@open.ac.uk
and specify that you want further information about the March '95
(fee-paying) registration.
Below is a one-paragraph description of the Open University, followed by an
unformatted course summary. Full University details may be found on our
World Wide Web page, at http://hcrl.open.ac.uk/ou/ouhome.html
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
The Open University is the UK's largest University and also its largest
publisher. Our specialty is 'multimedia distance teaching' via texts, TV
programmes (we have our own dedicated BBC studio/production centre on
campus), radio, cassettes, videos, computers, 'home experimental kits'
(e.g.
chemistry labs to explore in your kitechen, rock samples to study earth
science, etc.). Over 100,000 undergraduates are currently enrolled, as
well as over 150,000 Continuing Education students (the former study for a
B.A. degree, whereas the latter just take isolated courses). There are no
entrance requirements, but strict standards are maintained by external
examiners from other universities who assist with the assessment of final
examinations. More than 2,000,000 people have now studied with the OU in
one or other of its programmes! Approximately 30,000 students each year
are involved with courses that have a 'home computing' element, and this
number is about to rise dramatically.
COMMON LISP COURSE DESCRIPTION
COURSE CODE AND TITLE
DM863, Introduction to Common Lisp Programming for Artificial
Intelligence
COURSE LEVEL
Postgraduate, Diploma, Continuing education
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OTHER ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Lisp is the major language used in Artificial Intelligence (AI)
research throughout the world. It is a functional language of
enormous flexibility and power, and its many dialects have been
combined recently into a single dialect, Common Lisp, which allows the
exchange of programs between two computers without modification. The
course will teach students Common Lisp from scratch, using a hands-on
approach during which students will build the kernels of genuinely
useful programs such as a rule interpreter and an object-oriented
system.
The course is for:
- Applications programmers who need the extra power and flexibility
provided by the language to provide up-to-date AI solutions to
their programming tasks
- Information technology/data processing managers who encounter
problems requiring a knowledge of AI techniques
- Researchers in AI who need to understand the vast amount of research
already done using Lisp.
Aims and objectives of the course are to train computing professionals
and AI researchers to a level of competence where they can move on
untaught to the large range of existing books in advanced Lisp
programming.
On completion of the course, students should be able to:
- appreciate and harness the expressive power of Lisp for solving a
wide range of symbolic programming and software engineering tasks
- design and implement medium to large Common Lisp programs in
Artificial Intelligence, satisfying the general requirements of good
software engineering
- continue alone to become skilled and fluent in the use of the
language.
The following sections of the set book are used:
Part 1: Essential concepts:
- Starting out
- The Virtual Machine
- Decision making
- The programming environment
Part 2: Programming and data structures:
- Recursion
- More about functions
- Simple knowledge representation
- Programming style
Part 3: Techniques and applications:
- Rule interpreters
- Object systems.
Common Lisp provides an excellent range of inbuilt debugging tools
which are covered in the section on the programming environment and in
the FreeLisp User's Guide. Recursion, a technique which newcomers
sometimes find difficult to grasp at first, is treated in some depth
in the appropriate section in Part 2.
The disks contain the FreeLisp Common Lisp interpreter, together with
the source code for the programs used in the set book. It is
essential to have access to a suitable computer system to complete the
course, as specified above. The [supplied] software runs only under
Windows 3.1, which students must obtain separately. [BUT INTERNET ENROLLEES
CAN
USE ANY FULL COMMON LISP ON ANY COMPUTER, SO WINDOWS 3.1 IS NOT REQUIRED]
Set book:
Hasemer, Tony & Domingue, John, /Common Lisp Programming for Artificial
Intelligence/. Addison-Wesley, 1989. Highlights of the book (from its
back cover):
A clear tutorial approach, especially in areas which students often find
difficult, such as recursion.
'Hands on' exercises to help reinforce basic concepts and to encourage
experimentation.
Examples based on programs used in AI, emphasizing the role of knowledge
representation.
Three full chapters on object-oriented programming, in which readers
first build and then use a subset of CLOS, the Common Lisp Object System.
Assessment is by assignments and examination.
Programmes for which this course is required or in which it can be
included:
Continuing Education (Associate Student) Programme
Joint Postgraduate Diploma in Computing and Manufacturing
Postgraduate Diploma in Computing for Commerce and Industry.
Language of instruction is English.
MEDIA AND METHODS EMPLOYED
Set book, reference manual, disks, user's guide, tutorial support,
computer conferencing. [All materials other then the Set book can be
emailed to Internet participants beginning in November 1994].
Tutorial groups will function via the OU's FirstClass computer conferencing
system (and, starting in November 1994, a listserver which mirrors
our internal conferencing system for any Internet user).
Access to an IBM PC (or compatible machine) with at least a 386
processor, Windows 3.1, 6MB of RAM and 20MB free hard disk space is
essential, as is access to a modem. [But for Internet users the ability
to run any full implementation of Common Lisp will do.]
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Approximately 120 hours of study are required on this quarter credit
course.
Continuing education students who successfully complete the course
receive a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion. In some instances
credits can be gained and used towards a degree.
--
[Direct replies to: ···············@open.ac.uk]
======================== END OF ORIGINAL POSTING ====================
Thanks for your expression of interest.
-Marc Eisenstadt
--
_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/ _/ Human Cognition Research Lab
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ The Open University
_/_/_/_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/ Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, U.K.
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Tel: +44 908 65-3149 Fax: -3169
_/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/_/ ·····················@open.ac.uk