Build, Test, and Deploy AI-Powered Web Applications

This prework establishes the foundational knowledge required for the program. Learners develop core web development skills and a strong understanding of modern JavaScript, preparing them for full-stack and AI-assisted development.

This week, learners will be introduced to the primary tools they’ll be working with—ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot. They’ll learn the fundamentals of Generative AI and prompt engineering, and apply these concepts to solve a variety of programming tasks. By the end of the week, learners will apply their knowledge to solve a range of programming tasks and build a Task Manager application.

This week, after a brief introduction to Node.js, learners will focus on working with MongoDB and Mongoose. They’ll use Generative AI to rapidly design, implement, and test a robust MongoDB backend. Learners will explore best practices in schema design, apply them to assess AI-generated models, and leverage AI to generate test data and automate testing for database CRUD operations.

This week, learners will implement API endpoints using AI and explore middleware and error handling in Node.js. They’ll study the core principles of effective API design and use AI to generate REST APIs that follow these best practices. Learners will also leverage AI to document their API designs and test their AI-generated code.

This week, learners will implement user authentication and authorization using JWT, along with complex routes supported by Generative AI. They will also learn best practices for securing the backend and write integration tests to validate full backend functionality.

This week, learners will revisit fundamental React concepts, including components, props and event handlers, and state management. They’ll use Generative AI to rapidly build UI elements and learn how to leverage AI to test their React components using Vitest.

This week, learners will focus on styling React applications with Bootstrap, rendering lists, and managing side effects using the use Effect hook.

This week, learners will explore routing in React, managing side effects, and handling global state using the Context API.They will learn how to make API calls to a backend using the Axios library.

This week, learners will study the Redux library in React. They’ll learn how to create and update state by defining slices and dispatching actions to the global store. Learners will also use Axios to make API calls to the backend, enabling them to build a full-stack application.

This week, learners will integrate large language models (LLMs) directly into their applications to build advanced natural language processing features. They’ll craft effective prompts for tasks such as generating automated responses, rewriting content, and auto-generating tags, and execute these prompts on OpenAI LLMs using API calls. Learners will also create and run tests for the AI-powered features they implement.

This week, learners will explore what AI agents are and how they differ from standard LLM calls. They will learn the anatomy of an agent and how tool calling, planning, and memory work together. Learners will build fully functional agents using the LangChain framework, trace agent executions, and implement safety and guardrails in their designs.

This week introduces learners to building AI-driven software workflows using Claude Code. Students learn to use Claude Code as a powerful developer agent, leveraging its multi-step reasoning and tool-calling capabilities. The module covers how Claude connects to Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools to safely read, modify, and execute code, and how to create specialized sub-agents to handle complex or multi-stage tasks.

This week, learners will be guided through a step-by-step process to deploy their full-stack MERN application on AWS.