At the very beginning the course gives some tips on how to work with LLMs and the rest of the course is just "let's use LLM for abc".

Grader malfunction

Each course in the "Generative AI for Software Development" curriculum is well thought out, tested, paced well, and graded automatically. There will be many new concepts for someone who is new to computer science or python and software development, but that's what the LLM is there to help with! I gained a deeper appreciation for how to use / partner with an LLM, and throughout the 3 courses, I learned many new Python skills around documentation generation, unit testing, dependency management, and database manipulation. As an experienced software engineer, I found some of the lectures tedious and problems simple, but partnering with an LLM felt fresh and new and was critical to completing exercises in a timely manner (often with a one-shot response!), especially when I didn't know where to start or how to get unstuck. I must stress, that _I still learned a ton_, even though the LLM did some heavy lifting. For example, I knew about Python's `requirements.txt`, `pip install`, and `conda`. But I learned from the LLM some differences in how `pip` and `conda` manage dependencies that makes a smarter `conda` user today. I also learned from the course lectures about Python docstring formats and tools for HTML generation, among other subjects. This course starts with the prompt-engineering practice of assigning a role, being specific, providing examples, iterating on a solution, and maintaining a healthy amount of skepticism about the LLM's fallibility (usually because of how I prompted it), and throughout it provides a good palette of domains in which to practice all of this. **Once you get comfortable with how to talk to an LLM and become familiar with its strengths and weaknesses, using one feels a bit like "cheating" on a math test with a calculator—it's a game-changer for the scope of problems you can solve!** The LLM provides all kinds of great insights and know-how: it handles syntax adeptly, provides perfect algorithmic implementations, and handily recommends and employs libraries and techniques that would have just eaten up my time to discover, let alone put to use. I'm grateful for how Laurence Moroney and his team have distilled these skills into meaningful steps for all to learn and practice at their own pace.

This course is a brilliant deep dive into how to collaborate with AI for software and system design. Laurence Moroney’s expertise and passion for AI make even complex topics feel approachable and highly relevant. The course emphasizes using AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), to guide software architecture design and apply advanced design patterns, improving both code quality and maintainability. One of the highlights was learning how to design software applications with AI insights and apply Gang of Four design patterns using LLMs. The hands-on labs were challenging but rewarding, pushing me to rethink traditional software design approaches and explore how AI can drive more efficient system design. Laurence’s approach ensures you leave with practical, real-world skills, like configuration-driven development and leveraging AI for code optimization. For anyone looking to elevate their software architecture design process and integrate AI into their development workflow, this course is a must. Highly recommended for developers seeking to boost their design capabilities with AI-driven insights!

This course had an unexpected impact on me… I was one of those developers skeptical to use AI to assist me on programming (“I’m already a senior programmer… I don’t think any LLM could do a better job than me”)… but at the same time, I knew that mindset was wrong… and that’s why I started this course. I was expecting from this course just to teach me how to properly use LLM’s to improve my development workflows… and yes, I learned all that, but I also ended up building my own AI agents using Langchain, which is definitely not included in the course! What I mean by this is that the true value of this course does not (only) lie on the knowledge you’ll get on how to cleverly use LLM’s to super-power your development productivity… but in the MOTIVATION it will give to figure out in which other ways LLM’s could be used to make our life easier.

I recently completed this course, and I found it to be an excellent resource for software engineers. The course effectively covers essential concepts of generative AI and its practical applications in software development. One of the highlights was learning prompt techniques to maximize the utility of large language models (LLMs). The hands-on exercises allowed me to practice pair-coding with LLMs, which significantly improved my coding efficiency. I highly recommend this course to software engineers looking to enhance their skills and stay competitive in the tech landscape. It provides a great blend of theory and practical application, equipping participants with valuable tools for daily development tasks.

Design Patterns are a challenging area for many developers to grasp. Understanding these patterns can solve numerous problems encountered in software development, but comprehending them requires corresponding development experience. Through the various techniques for querying LLMs mentioned in the course, I was able to enhance my knowledge from different perspectives on areas I didn't understand. At the same time, LLMs also serve as excellent mentors. Compared to the previous two sections of the course, this part is more advanced in application, further demonstrating the power and usability of LLMs.

Excellent perspective on how to use Generative AI as a force multiplier. Through examples, guidance, self-paced and graded exercises, this course concretely illustrates how software developers and systems engineers can more effectively leverage knowledge forged by others. I found the emphasis on the difference between expecting the LLM to magically implement quality, professional-grade software versus using the LLM as a development partner (i.e. brainstorming, pair coding and peer reviewing with an LLM) to be particularly helpful.

Thank you so much, Professor, and the entire team, and DeepLearning.AI!!!! Thanks to people like you, with your vast knowledge and experience, your great enthusiasm and generosity, you make it possible for us to have access to and learn from your teachings, allowing us to become better people and professionals every day. And in this way, we can improve in our jobs and try to do things as best as possible. Again, eternally grateful! I have learned so much!!!!!!

The knowledge I got from this course is transformational. You cannot code anymore in isolation and use your traditional methods. Using LLM as a pair programmer is a must. This course helps understand how and when an LLM should be used in the different phases of software development. Highly recommend for software architects and developers!!

Definitively a recommended course. I like that the specialization is rounded by looking on system Design Patterns. Unfortunately these are restricted to OO Patterns. Nowadays I would like to have seen a little bit about designing distributed system, which is more and more the very nature of modern software systems.

Up until now, I had only used an AI agent to help me write tests and debug code. I'm impressed at what an AI agent is truly capable of when you learn to interact with it. Thanks for helping me understand all the new ways in which I can now be more productive as a programmer with the help of an LLM.

Finally, after all these years, the typical object oriented programming patterns coursework in college was taught by Laurence in a way that i understood and was a lot more fun than i thought it would be when i started learning this course. Thanks much!

I just loved the assignment (social networking DB). It gave me a chance to brush up my knowledge on DB Concepts, Python coding especially using sqlalchemy tool. Awesome Work !

course exceeded all of my expectations! From start to finish, it provided a perfect blend of theoretical concepts and hands-on practical applications.

Short but informative course that gives insights how to collaborate with the LLMs in designing software and overall brainstorming

this course is very useful for me. I can understand more about software design and how to apply in my work.

This course has really helped me develop familiarity with using LLMs to tackle a range of scenarios

Excellent tutor, engaging content, one of the best online training courses I have done.

interactive and practical, hard to solve even with ai that is the objective!!! :D