STEP-UP ByteSized dRTP Session 5: ByteSized dRTP: AI-assisted Coding

Register here to join our STEP-UP ByteSized dRTP session on ByteSized dRTP: AI-assisted Coding.

STEP-UP ByteSized dRTP Session 5: ByteSized dRTP: AI-assisted Coding

The event will be hosted online via Zoom on Monday 12 October 2026, 15:00-16:30 BST (UTC+1). The Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants shortly before the session. This session will be led by Jay DesLauriers, Imperial College London.

AI coding agents are changing how software is written in academia and industry, with tools that can now explore a codebase, run commands and make changes on the user’s behalf. How well these agents work depends on both the underlying model and the harness around it: the instructions, tools, permissions and checks that guide the agent and verify its work. This hands-on session gives an introduction to working with AI coding agents, using GitHub Copilot in VS Code and the terminal as the example, with approaches that also apply to other tools. Attendees will be introduced to the idea of a harness. They will then see how to use Copilot to explore existing code, guide it with project instructions, check its changes with tests, and record its use for reproducibility. There will be time for hands-on experience through guided exercises and follow-along examples.
Session prerequisites: Participants will need a GitHub account, VS Code with the GitHub Copilot extension, and the GitHub Copilot CLI. If you are eligible, you may want to sign up for GitHub Education for free access to additional Copilot benefits (registration can take up to one week), although the free version will be sufficient for this session. Foundational knowledge of Python and git would also be an advantage.
If you don’t have the required prerequisites for the session, you are welcome to join the session and watch the instructor working through the interactive aspects of the session.

How your information will be used
Personal information you supply to us through this form will be used only for the purposes of contacting you to join the event, for monitoring the outcomes from the event, and to get feedback on the event. We will hold the personal data you have provided for a period of one year after the final day of the event, at which point it is deleted. You have the right to request a copy of the information we hold about you and ask us to correct or remove information, please email info@step-up.ac.uk. We are collecting your contact details in accordance with Imperial College London's Events privacy policy. For more information, please see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/about/university-secretary/institutional-compliance-and-risk-management/information-governance/privacy-notices/events-privacy-notice/