Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including lectures. Lectures will be available as recordings (subject to technology failures), but these are no substitute for lecture attendance. The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Course notes will be made available through Canvas.

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Students must ensure they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the university's Health and Safety policy.

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

This course has a programming pre-requisite; we expect all students to be proficient coders. Students will need to create software programmes and/or develop spreadsheets that implement algorithms covered in this course. In some assignments, example code may be provided using languages/tools such as Matlab, Python, Excel, and Visual Basic for Applications; students will be expected to complete this code, typically in the language provided. Students are expected to draw upon their existing programming expertise to quickly adapt to any of these languages. Knowledge of common data structures such as arrays, lists, and dictionaries will be assumed.
As a minimum, we expect that you can trivially write computer code (eg in Python) for tasks such as the following:
1) Given the set X={A,B,C,D,E,F}, choose a random element from this set, i.e. choose some random y∈X.
2) Generate a vector/list that is a random ordering of X
3) Given a vector/list x=(x[1],x[2],x[3],x[4],..,x[n]), calculate f=∑ d(x[i],x[i+1]) (where i=1, 2, ..., n-1) where d(p,q)=(p-q)^2
4) Given the x above, and some j, k, form a new solution y which is the same as x except that the ordering of elements x[j], x[j+1], ..., x[k] has been reversed in y.
5) Using for loops (not built-in Python methods), combine two sets (ensuring duplicate items appear in the new set only once).
6) Assume now that the "sets" are stored in a sorted lists. Repeat step 5), showing how the lists being sorted can make the merge more efficient.
Students will be expected to confidently read and write mathematical expressions, be familiar with mathematical notation such as summations and sets (eg C=A ∪ B , D=A ∩ B , x∈C) and be confident using these to write algorithms.  Student will also need a basic understanding of the two optimisation concepts of branch and bound and the Simplex algorithm; extra background reading material will be provided for students without these optimisation skills.
Students are expected to have a solid background in probability, and so be comfortable with expressions such as: P(A|B)=P(B|A)P(A)/P(B) and other basic concepts of probability.

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

• Honesty - in all aspects of research work
• Accountability - in the conduct of research
• Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
• Good stewardship – on behalf of others
• Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
• Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Tests will, where possible, be run under exam conditions. Assignments will need to be completed independently, in accordance with relevant University regulations, policies, guidelines and handbooks.

Exam:

The exam will be invigilated, in-person, and on-paper hand written.

A student must achieve at least 40% in their exam, and at least 50% overall, to pass this course.

Students must sit the exam to pass the course. Otherwise, a DNS (did not sit) result will be returned.

Policy on Late Assignment Submissions:

For Canvas Quizzes, or assignments given as Canvas Quizzes, no late submissions will be accepted. Once the due date / time is past, all active quizzes will be automatically submitted.

For written assignments, aim to have all files safely uploaded well before the due time. It is highly recommended that you upload draft copies of all files at least one day in advance of the deadline, in case of last-minute technical difficulties.

Late submissions will be marked as usual, but will be subject to a linear penalty at 4% per hour (or part hour). This is automatically applied by Canvas.

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

The student feedback in 2025 was positive so only minor changes to the content and teaching materials are being considered in response.

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Note that in Engineering Science, class representatives are appointed for a 'Part' (eg Part IV) as a whole, not for individual classes.

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor. Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Students who apply for an aegrotat or compassionate consideration for the exam but have not completed the terms test may be required to complete extra work including an oral or written test.

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.