Get started with AI-assisted development

Overview

This course provides a comprehensive guide to accelerating application development using GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat within a Visual Studio Code environment. Participants will learn to leverage AI-powered tools to enhance coding efficiency, generate documentation, develop unit tests, and implement code improvements. The curriculum emphasizes practical skills through hands-on exercises and a guided project, ensuring learners can effectively integrate GitHub Copilot into their development workflows.

Prerequisites

Participants should have:

• An active subscription for GitHub Copilot, either personal or organizational
• One or more years of code development experience
• Experience developing C# applications in Visual Studio Code with the C# Dev Kit extension

Target audience

This course is suitable for:

• Experienced developers aiming to enhance productivity using AI tools
• Software engineers interested in integrating GitHub Copilot into their workflows
• Technical professionals seeking to improve code quality and maintainability

Objectives

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Understand the features and benefits of GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat
• Install and configure GitHub Copilot extensions in Visual Studio Code
• Generate code documentation using GitHub Copilot tools
• Develop new code features and unit tests with AI assistance
• Implement code improvements to enhance quality, reliability, and security
• Apply GitHub Copilot tools in a guided project to reinforce learning

Outline

Module 1: Get started with GitHub Copilot

• Introduction to GitHub Copilot and related AI tools from GitHub, OpenAI, and Microsoft
• Overview of GitHub Copilot tools, benefits, and limitations
• Installing GitHub Copilot extensions for Visual Studio Code
• Exploring autocomplete features of the GitHub Copilot extension
• Exploring AI assistance features of the GitHub Copilot Chat extension
• Configuring GitHub Copilot extensions for Visual Studio Code

Module 2: Generate documentation using GitHub Copilot tools

• Introduction to documentation capabilities with GitHub Copilot Chat
• Using the “document” and “explain” features
• Generating code explanations
• Generating project documentation
• Generating inline code documentation
• Completing a documentation challenge and reviewing the solution

Module 3: Develop code features using GitHub Copilot tools

• Overview of code development features
• Best practices when using GitHub Copilot
• Creating code using line completions
• Creating code using Inline Chat
• Completing ’create new code’ and ’code logic’ challenges and reviewing solutions
• Converting code between programming languages

Module 4: Develop unit tests using GitHub Copilot tools

• Overview of unit testing tools and environment
• Creating unit tests using GitHub Copilot Chat
• Creating unit tests for specific conditions
• Completing a ’create unit tests’ challenge and reviewing the solution

Module 5: Implement code improvements using GitHub Copilot tools

• Understanding Copilot’s support for improving code
• Improving code quality
• Enhancing reliability and performance
• Enhancing security
• Completing an “app improvement” challenge and reviewing the solution

Module 6: Guided project – Accelerate app development using GitHub Copilot tools

• Preparing the development environment
• Analysing and documenting code
• Developing new app features
• Developing unit tests
• Refactoring and improving code

Exams and assessments

There are no formal exams included in this course. Learners will complete interactive labs, guided exercises, and scenario-based tasks to reinforce understanding and assess their progress.

Hands-on learning

This course includes:

• Guided labs on installing and configuring GitHub Copilot extensions
• Practical exercises for generating documentation, developing code features, creating unit tests, and implementing code improvements
• A comprehensive guided project to apply learned skills in a real-world scenario
• Instructor feedback and collaborative learning activities