Syllabus
AI-Assisted Programming for PhD Researchers
Times, sessions, and topics below follow the official course description. The course runs 1–3 September 2026 at Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg.
Day 1 — Foundations and the Agentic Core Loop
| Time | Session | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00–10:30 | Welcome and From Autocomplete to Agents | Lecture 01 |
| 10:30–10:45 | Break | |
| 10:45–12:15 | Version Control with Git | Lecture 02 |
| 12:15–13:15 | Lunch | |
| 13:15–14:45 | First Steps with an Agent | Lecture 03, Lab 1 |
| 14:45–15:00 | Break | |
| 15:00–16:30 | Planning with AI | Lecture 04, Lab 2 |
| 16:30–16:45 | Break | |
| 16:45–17:00 | Day 1 Wrap-Up |
Day 2 — Verification, Safety, and Extension
| Time | Session | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00–10:30 | Verification and Testing with Agents | Lecture 05, Lab 3 |
| 10:30–10:45 | Break | |
| 10:45–12:15 | Working Safely with AI-Generated Code | Lecture 06, Lab 4 |
| 12:15–13:15 | Lunch | |
| 13:15–14:45 | Extending the Agent | Lecture 07, Lab 5 |
| 14:45–15:00 | Break | |
| 15:00–16:30 | Your Research Project | Lecture 08, Lab Project Overview |
| 16:30–16:45 | Break | |
| 16:45–17:00 | Day 2 Wrap-Up |
Day 3 — Implementation and Presentation
| Time | Session | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00–10:30 | Project Development I | Capstone |
| 10:30–10:45 | Break | |
| 10:45–12:15 | Project Development II | Lecture 09, Capstone |
| 12:15–13:15 | Lunch | |
| 13:15–17:00 | Final Presentations | Presentations |
Evaluation
This is an accredited course. Evaluation is based on the final presentation, which must include:
- Project demonstration: A working demo of the implemented solution.
- Process reflection: How AI tools were used throughout planning and development.
- Challenges and limitations: Difficulties encountered and how they were addressed.
- Insights and recommendations: Practical advice for other PhD students working with AI coding assistants.
Presentations are 10–15 minutes in length, followed by Q&A with me and your peers.