Foundation Degree in Computing and Software Development

Module 200: An Introduction to Neural Networks



Illustration of an artificial neuron¹

INTRODUCTION

Contents:

About the Module
How to use the CD-ROM
Schedule of work
Further reading
References

About the Module




Subject
This module is a second-year option for the Foundation Degree in Computing and Software Development provided by the Lancashire Association of FE Colleges. The module looks at artificial neural networks in computing and explains how they work and what they are used for.


Teaching for the module is provided by supported distance learning. Details of the support you will be given are set out in the next section. The distance learning materials are made up of the Units on this CD-ROM and a printed laboratory workbook.


Student support
Email support is available from your course tutor my-tutor. Telephone support is also available by leaving a message for your tutor on the Computing Department's general number: 01772 123456. Messages are regularly passed on to the appropriate tutor. It is our policy that messages from students should be answered within one day. You can also use the general number to arrange to see your tutor in person. Information and messages about this module are posted on the module bulletin board: module 200 bulletin board. The bulletin board has a link to the Computing Department's online discussion group for Foundation Degree students. Weekly one-hour study sessions for students taking this module are held in the local college where you are registered as a student. These sessions will give you the opportunity to discuss your work with a tutor and meet other students on the course. Details of these sessions can be found on the module bulletin board: module 200 bulletin board. Please don't hesitate to use any of these support facilities which you think might be helpful in your studies.


Equal opportunities
The Lancashire Association of FE Colleges is committed to ensuring that all students are given the opportunity to study at the level they wish. If you need support in your studies because of a disability or for other reasons, please let us know. We have a range of material and other forms of practical support available for distance learning students. Module 200, 'An Introduction to Neural Networks', is available in large text form, in braille, or as an audio tape. You can contact your course tutor my-tutor or telephone the Computing Department on 01772 123456 for more information.


Assignments
Assignments have been set at the end of Units 3, 6, 9 and 13. These should be completed and emailed to your tutor in accordance with the instructions at the end of the Units. Each assignment should take you about 10 hours to research and complete. If you need clarification concerning the assignments please contact your course tutor my-tutor.


Prior knowledge
Students are expected to have studied C++ in Module 100, Introduction to Programming, in the first year of the course.

How to use the CD-ROM




System requirements
The files on this CD-ROM are in html format and can be read using Microsoft Windows Explorer or an equivalent html reader. They can also be read by using webpage browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape. You will need internet access if you wish to use the links to online material which are given in this Introduction and in the Units. You will also need a C++ compiler on your PC in order to carry out the programming required in the Units and in the laboratory workbook. If you have any difficulties in opening the files on this CD-ROM or compiling the C++ programs, please email your course tutor my-tutor or contact her/him by telephone (see 'Student support' above).


Files on this CD-ROM
There are 15 files on this CD-ROM:

Introduction

Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Unit 6
Unit 7
Unit 8
Unit 9
Unit 10
Unit 11
Unit 12
Unit 13

Datafiles

Introduction
The Introduction (the file you are currently reading!) gives details of how to use the course materials, how to submit assignments, how to get help and support, and what programs your PC should have.


Units 1 - 13
The Units should be completed in sequence as they build on one another. Each Unit is a worksheet which you should work through carrying out the included exercises as you go. It should take you about three hours to work through a Unit. The Units have been designed to contain all the information necessary to complete the relevant exercises. Lists of reference material are provided at the end of each unit in case you wish to carry out further research. Each Unit is also linked to a section in the printed laboratory workbook. A note at the end of the unit will tell you which section of the workbook you should go to. You should complete the experiments in that section of the workbook before beginning the next Unit. Each set of experiments should take about three hours.


Datafiles
The Datafiles section of this CD-ROM contains data and program listings, including the Perceptron program² which is analysed during the module. Most of this material will be used in carrying out the experiments in the printed laboratory workbook. The workbook will tell you which files are needed for each set of experiments. Program listings and data files should be copied and pasted into appropriate C++ files on your PC. Full details are given in the workbook.

Schedule of work



The module has 13 Units. Each Unit and the laboratory work linked to it should take you a total of about six hours to complete. The total estimated amount of study time allocated to work on the Units and laboratory tasks amounts to 78 hours. The total estimated study time allocated to the assignments is 40 hours. These figures are only a rough guide to help you organise your work on the module. However, to make sure you meet assignment deadlines, you should aim to keep to the module's weekly timetable:

Week 1 Unit 1
Week 2 Unit 2
Week 3 Unit 3 + Assignment
Week 4 Unit 4
Week 5 Unit 5
Week 6 Unit 6 + Assignment
Week 7 Unit 7
Week 8 Unit 8
Week 9 Unit 9 + Assignment
Week 10 Unit 10
Week 11 Unit 11
Week 12 Unit 12 + Assignment
Week 13 Unit 13

Your exact timetable will depend on the point in your second year that you began the module. You can find details of your timetable by going to the module 200 bulletin board and using your student id-number and password to open your 'Personal' file. If you find that you are having difficulties in keeping to your timetable, please contact your tutor my-tutor.

Further reading



There is no set text for this module. You might find some of the textbooks and online material listed below useful, but don't worry if you can't follow everything in them at this point.

Neural Networks in C++
Author: Adam Blum. Published: John Wiley & Sons, USA, 1992. This book is perhaps slightly dated now but it contains a useful introduction to artificial neural networks. It also includes C++ programs for neural networks and studies of various neural net applications, including image recognition which is examined in detail in this module.

Neural Networks for Pattern Recognition
Author: Christopher M Bishop. Published: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995. This is a widely-respected and comprehensive textbook on artificial neural networks. It analyses neural nets from the perspective of their role in pattern recognition. However, it does assume that the reader has a quite high level of mathematical knowledge.

Newsgroup on neural networks
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ai-faq/neural-nets/part1/preamble.html
These 'frequently asked questions' about neural networks are very detailed and they might just provide the answers you need at some points in the course. The information is published on the site of the Usenet newsgroup on neural networks: comp.ai.neural-nets.

Stanford University, USA, 'Neural Networks' website
http://www-cse.stanford.edu/classes/sophomore-college/projects-00/neural-networks/index.html
This is a well-produced site intended for undergraduates.

University of Maryland, USA, 'An Introduction to Neural Networks'
http://www.ee.umd.edu/medlab/neural/nn1.html
Another useful site which has an animated JAVA Applet demonstration of an artificial neuron.

Middle East Technical University, Turkey, 'Introduction to Neural Networks'
http://www.ii.metu.edu.tr/~ion526/demo/demochp.html
This is an excellent site with lots of good information and illustrations but it does assume that you already have a good level of mathematical knowledge.

References



1. Illustration of an artificial neuron taken from the Middle East Technical University, Turkey, online course 'Introduction to Neural Networks': http://www.ii.metu.edu.tr/~ion526/demo/chapter1/section1.2/index.html

2. The Perceptron program which is used as the basis of the analysis of neural networks later in this module is taken from the website of Lawrence B. Holder, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. The original program and accompanying notes can be viewed at: http://www-cse.uta.edu/~holder/courses/ai2cpp/code/mydean/05.Learning/C++Code/Perceptron/

The copyright for the program is held by Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. The copyright notice is reproduced below:

"Copyright 1994, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. Permission to use and modify this software and its documentation for any purpose other than its incorporation into a commercial product is hereby granted without fee. Permission to copy and distribute this software and its documentation only for non-commercial use is also granted without fee, provided, however, that the above copyright notice appear in all copies, that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation, that the name of Brown University not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission, and that the person doing the distribution notify Brown University of such distributions outside of his or her organization. Brown University makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty. Brown University requests notification of any modifications to this software or its documentation."

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