Optimizing Your Workflow with GitHub Copilot and VS Code from Coursera

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Syllabus

Building an Application Using GitHub Copilot with VS Code

By the end of this lesson, learners will use GitHub Copilot within a Next.js project, allowing Copilot to assist with setting up the project, designing the interface, and implementing the main Pomodoro timer logic.

Advanced Practical Coding Applications of GitHub Copilot

This module focuses on the advanced practical applications of GitHub Copilot, covering code translation, understanding code, and debugging. You will engage with hands-on activities and real-world examples to harness the full potential of Copilot in their coding workflows.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Focuses on AI-driven code review, documentation, and development planning, which are essential for efficient project management and high-quality software development

Teaches how to optimize code, identify inefficiencies, and generate test cases, which are crucial skills for improving software performance and reliability

Explores generating and managing documentation with Copilot, including version control, which is vital for maintaining organized and accessible project resources

Covers planning development strategies and ideating with AI, which can help developers create innovative solutions and streamline their workflows

Includes hands-on activities and practice quizzes, ensuring learners gain practical experience and mastery of GitHub Copilot and VS Code

Requires using GitHub Copilot within a Next.js project, so learners should have some familiarity with Next.js to get the most out of the course

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Optimizing Your Workflow with GitHub Copilot and VS Code with these activities:

Review JavaScript Fundamentals

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Reinforce your understanding of JavaScript syntax, data types, and control flow to better understand the code generated and manipulated by GitHub Copilot.

Browse courses on JavaScript

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Review basic JavaScript syntax and data types.
Practice writing simple JavaScript functions.
Work through online JavaScript tutorials.

Read 'Working Effectively with Legacy Code'

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Learn how to apply GitHub Copilot to improve and maintain existing codebases.

View Brutal Refactoring on Amazon

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Read sections on identifying and addressing technical debt.
Practice applying refactoring techniques to legacy code snippets.
Consider how Copilot can assist with these tasks.

Read 'Clean Code' by Robert C. Martin

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Learn coding best practices to improve the quality of code generated by GitHub Copilot.

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Read sections on code style and design principles.
Apply the principles to existing code snippets.
Reflect on how these principles relate to Copilot's suggestions.

Four other activities

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Create a GitHub Copilot Usage Guide

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Solidify your understanding of GitHub Copilot by creating a comprehensive guide for other developers.

Browse courses on GitHub Copilot

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Document common use cases for GitHub Copilot.
Provide examples of effective prompts and code generation.
Share tips and tricks for optimizing Copilot's performance.
Publish the guide on a platform like Medium or a personal blog.

Practice Code Refactoring Exercises

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Improve your ability to identify and correct inefficiencies in code generated by GitHub Copilot through targeted refactoring exercises.

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Find code snippets with potential inefficiencies.
Apply refactoring techniques to improve the code.
Compare the original and refactored code.

Build a Small Application with Full Documentation

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Apply your knowledge of GitHub Copilot and documentation best practices by building a complete application with comprehensive documentation.

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Choose a small application to build (e.g., a simple API wrapper).
Use GitHub Copilot to assist with code generation and debugging.
Generate documentation using Copilot and refine it manually.
Test the application thoroughly and address any issues.

Create a VS Code Extension Snippet Library

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Develop a library of useful code snippets for VS Code to accelerate your coding workflow and leverage GitHub Copilot's suggestions more effectively.

Browse courses on code snippets

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Identify common coding patterns and tasks.
Use GitHub Copilot to generate initial code snippets.
Refine and customize the snippets for specific use cases.
Package the snippets into a VS Code extension.
Share the extension with the community.

Career center

Learners who complete Optimizing Your Workflow with GitHub Copilot and VS Code will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Application Developer

An application developer builds and refines applications for various platforms. This course directly impacts an application developer's workflow by teaching how to leverage GitHub Copilot for efficient code generation, debugging, and comprehensive documentation. The course will help an application developer be more productive because of its emphasis on streamlining development processes with AI. An application developer will also benefit from learning how to use Copilot for development planning and best practices in code review. This course covers hands-on activities and real world examples, which a developer can use directly in their daily work. The course will also help an application developer manage their version control using the most up-to-date methods.

See salaries and explore the career path for Application Developer

Software Developer

A software developer designs, develops, and maintains software applications. This course is beneficial to a software developer by providing practical experience with AI-powered coding tools like GitHub Copilot, which automates code generation, debugging, and documentation. Such tools can improve development speed and accuracy. This course would allow a software developer to focus on more complex problems, since they will learn to delegate rote tasks to Copilot. Specifically, the course's modules on code translation and understanding code directly enhance a developer's ability to work with diverse codebases. Taking this course allows a software developer to optimize their workflow and improve their efficiency.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

Web Developer

A web developer builds and maintains websites. This course is beneficial for a web developer because it introduces AI-driven code generation, which can dramatically speed up web development. The course specifically covers how to use GitHub Copilot to design interfaces and implement logic, which are key parts of web development. The course's hands on activities provide direct experience with these tools, which improves a web developer's skill set. Furthermore, learning to use Copilot for documentation and best practices in code review helps a web developer stay current with technologies and standards through an optimized workflow. A web developer will improve their productivity and efficiency by taking this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer

Full-Stack Developer

A full stack developer works on both the front-end and back-end of applications. This course helps a full stack developer by providing tools for AI-assisted coding, code review, and documentation that makes for better development planning. Full stack developers often face the difficulty of context switching, and this course helps them maintain concentration by streamlining many repetitive tasks through automated code generation. The course's focus on hands-on activities translates directly into the work of a full stack developer. By taking this course, a full stack developer will learn to optimize their workflow on both the front end and backend, making them more productive and efficient.

See salaries and explore the career path for Full-Stack Developer

Mobile Application Developer

A mobile application developer builds applications for mobile devices. This course helps a mobile application developer improve their workflow by providing training in AI-driven code generation and debugging with GitHub Copilot. The course's focus on using Copilot to implement logic is directly relevant for any mobile application developer. The hands-on activities offered in this course allow a mobile application developer to practice these skills and integrate them into their own work. Because this course covers best practices in code review and automated code generation, a mobile application developer will greatly benefit from taking it.

See salaries and explore the career path for Mobile Application Developer

Code Reviewer

A code reviewer examines code for errors and compliance with best practices. This course helps a code reviewer understand how to use AI tools like GitHub Copilot to improve code review workflows. The course specifically focuses on identifying inefficiencies, generating test cases, and applying coding best practices with Copilot. A code reviewer can use what they learn in the course to better find errors and reduce bottlenecks. Because this course teaches how AI can automate some aspects of the code review process, a code reviewer will be able to focus on the more complex and subtle issues. This course particularly helps a code reviewer because it teaches them how to make code reviews more efficient and effective.

See salaries and explore the career path for Code Reviewer

Software Engineer

A software engineer is deeply involved in the design, development, and maintenance of software systems. This course helps a software engineer gain expertise in using GitHub Copilot for AI-driven coding assistance. This course also improves a software engineer's ability to automate tasks like code translation, debugging, and documentation. The course's focus on development planning with AI will help a software engineer better strategize and execute projects. The hands-on activities and practical examples in the course will help a software engineer apply these skills directly to their daily work. By taking this course, a software engineer will build a foundation to optimize their workflow and be more productive.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

Quality Assurance Engineer

A quality assurance engineer is responsible for testing software to ensure it is bug-free and meets requirements. This course helps a quality assurance engineer develop better test cases, since it covers the generation of test cases using GitHub Copilot. The course's focus on code review also provides best practices relevant to quality assurance. A quality assurance engineer can use the insights from this course to automate test creation, which will allow them to focus on the more complex parts of testing. Because this course emphasizes best practices and error detection with AI, a quality assurance engineer will benefit from taking it.

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Technical Writer

A technical writer creates documentation for software and hardware. This course may be useful for a technical writer because it covers generating and managing documentation with Copilot, including version control and best practices. Though typically a technical writer may not be coding directly, the skills this course teaches can help technical writers to better understand how the software works, and to more effectively communicate about the design and function of software. Specifically, the course's focus on documentation helps a technical writer produce better, more complete materials. The course teaches technical writers how to leverage AI in their documentation workflow, which will make their work more efficient.

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DevOps Engineer

A DevOps engineer is responsible for the integration of development and operations teams, focusing on streamlining the software development lifecycle. This course may be useful to a DevOps engineer because it introduces ways to optimize workflows with GitHub Copilot. Specifically, the course covers how to use Copilot for code review, which can be helpful for continuous integration and continuous deployment. The course also helps with overall development planning and the implementation of such plans. The course's focus on automation also aligns with the goals of DevOps, which emphasizes speed and efficiency. A DevOps engineer will improve their workflows, be more efficient, and bring better practices to development teams.

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AI Engineer

An AI engineer develops and implements machine learning models and AI solutions. This course provides insight into using GitHub Copilot for AI-assisted coding, which is useful for an AI engineer. Even though an AI engineer may not use Copilot directly in the development of AI algorithms, it is a tool that can help with the more mundane tasks of coding. This course's focus on coding best practices can help an AI engineer improve the quality and efficiency of their code. An AI engineer may also benefit from the course's focus on development planning and implementation, which can improve the execution of AI-related projects. Because this course introduces AI tools for coding, it may be useful for an AI engineer.

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Software Architect

A software architect designs the high-level structure of software systems. This course may be useful for a software architect because it can help them understand the potential of AI-driven coding tools such as GitHub Copilot, and how these tools impact the software development process. Although the architect may not be writing code directly, they need to know about the tools their team uses so they can make effective decisions. The course's focus on development planning with AI also provides insight into how to approach design in a way that leverages AI. Understanding Copilot can help a software architect make better decisions about the development infrastructure and workflow. A software architect may benefit from taking this course to stay current with developments in AI-assisted software development.

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Data Engineer

A data engineer is responsible for building and maintaining the infrastructure that supports data analysis. This course may be useful for a data engineer since it can help them be more productive. Although a data engineer may not be using GitHub Copilot directly, this course could still be useful as most coding has parts that are redundant and can be automated. The course's focus on code review, documentation, and version control helps data engineers maintain the quality and consistency of their codebases. This course may be beneficial for a data engineer who wishes to optimize their workflow by automating repetitive coding tasks.

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Project Manager

A project manager is responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects. This course may be useful for a project manager, though it may not be directly applicable to many of their tasks, since they don't write code. A project manager can at least learn about the ways their teams can use AI for coding and documentation, which allows a project manager to better assign resources. The course's focus on development planning and implementation will help a project manager understand the software development process. A project manager who takes this course will be better informed about how AI can aid in software development, and will be able to plan projects more realistically.

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Technical Consultant

A technical consultant advises clients on technology solutions. This course may be useful for a technical consultant since it teaches them about AI-powered coding tools. This is relevant to the consultant since clients might want to learn about or adopt such tools. This course's coverage of code optimization can also be helpful as consultants will look for ways to improve workflows and processes. The course helps introduce a technical consultant to new technologies so they can continue to offer current advice. A technical consultant may be interested in the course to expand their knowledge of AI-assisted development tools.

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Optimizing Your Workflow with GitHub Copilot and VS Code

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