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There are 4 modules in this course
Learn how to design, build, and evaluate intelligent AI agents using Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. This hands-on course introduces the foundations of AI agent development and guides you through creating practical agents that can respond to real-world scenarios using modern Azure AI services.
You’ll begin by exploring how AI agents differ from traditional automation systems and how reactive, deliberative, and hybrid agents operate in different use cases. Using Azure AI Foundry, you’ll learn to configure models, deploy AI services, and create effective system prompts that improve agent behavior and response quality.
As the course progresses, you’ll build a portfolio-ready hotel information agent capable of handling guest inquiries, managing conversations, and integrating knowledge sources. You’ll also enhance agent capabilities using Azure AI services including language understanding, search, translation, sentiment analysis, and multimodal AI tools.
The course concludes with testing, deployment, and portfolio development strategies that help you understand how AI agents operate in production environments. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to build, evaluate, and deploy intelligent AI agents using Azure AI Foundry and related Azure AI services.
Discover what makes AI agents different from traditional automation through hands-on exploration of real-world examples and Azure AI Foundry's powerful interfaces. You'll set up your development environment, test diverse AI capabilities across chat, vision, and speech, and create your first customized AI interaction.
What's included
7 videos2 readings6 assignments
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 26 minutes
Course introduction•2 minutes
Introduction to AI agents•4 minutes
Seeing agents in action•3 minutes
Why Azure AI Foundry•4 minutes
Platform architecture and components•4 minutes
AI services ecosystem•4 minutes
Hands-on with AI capabilities•5 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
Course syllabus•10 minutes
AI agent fundamentals•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 195 minutes
Your first AI interaction graded quiz•30 minutes
Activity: Agent impact and types explorer•45 minutes
Introduction to AI agents knowledge check•30 minutes
Activity: Complete platform tour and setup•45 minutes
Azure AI Foundry platform knowledge check•15 minutes
Activity: Capability exploration and first agent•30 minutes
Building your hotel information agent
Module 2•5 hours to complete
Module details
Transform from AI explorer to agent builder as you design and develop a fully functional hotel information assistant using professional development practices. Use configuration settings, prompt engineering techniques, and conversation management to create an agent that handles real guest inquiries with accuracy and appropriate boundaries.
Enhancing agent responses with prompt engineering graded quiz•30 minutes
Activity: Hotel agent blueprint and lifecycle plan•45 minutes
Agent design and development planning knowledge check•15 minutes
Activity: Hotel agent creation in agents UI•30 minutes
Building with Azure AI Foundry's agents interface knowledge check•30 minutes
Activity: Prompt engineering for your agent•60 minutes
Enhancing your agent with AI services
Module 3•4 hours to complete
Module details
Elevate your hotel agent from basic Q&A to intelligent assistant by integrating Azure's language understanding, knowledge search, and multi-service capabilities. You'll implement intent recognition, connect knowledge bases for accurate information retrieval, and design workflows that combine translation, sentiment analysis, and vision services.
What's included
6 videos1 reading6 assignments
Show info about module content
6 videos•Total 25 minutes
Why language understanding matters•4 minutes
Language service capabilities•5 minutes
Knowledge as agent foundation•3 minutes
Knowledge system demo•4 minutes
Service integration vision•4 minutes
Service capabilities deep dive•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Search and retrieval concepts•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 180 minutes
Natural language understanding graded quiz•30 minutes
Activity: Intent builder and language enhancement•30 minutes
Language understanding and intent recognition knowledge check•15 minutes
Activity: Knowledge system implementation•45 minutes
Knowledge base integration and search knowledge check•15 minutes
Activity: Service integration exploration•45 minutes
Professional agent development
Module 4•4 hours to complete
Module details
Prepare your agent for the real world by implementing comprehensive testing strategies, understanding deployment options, and building your professional portfolio. You'll create test suites, explore API integration approaches, and compile a GitHub repository that showcases your journey from AI novice to capable agent developer.
What's included
6 videos3 readings6 assignments
Show info about module content
6 videos•Total 32 minutes
Why testing saves reputations•5 minutes
Azure evaluation tools demo•8 minutes
From development to deployment•5 minutes
Accessing your agent•5 minutes
Under the hood•4 minutes
Portfolio creation workshop•5 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
Testing methodologies•10 minutes
Deployment architecture•10 minutes
Building your portfolio•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 180 minutes
Technical foundations and portfolio setup graded quiz•30 minutes
Activity: Agent testing and evaluation•30 minutes
Testing and quality assurance knowledge check•15 minutes
Activity: Agent access and model deployment•30 minutes
Our goal at Microsoft is to empower every individual and organization on the planet to achieve more.
In this next revolution of digital transformation, growth is being driven by technology. Our integrated cloud approach creates an unmatched platform for digital transformation. We address the real-world needs of customers by seamlessly integrating Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, LinkedIn, GitHub, Microsoft Power Platform, and Azure to unlock business value for every organization—from large enterprises to family-run businesses. The backbone and foundation of this is Azure.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Certificate?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Certificate, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.