Programming with Generative AI

By Prof. Viraj Kumar | IISc Bangalore

Learners enrolled: 955

ABOUT THE COURSE:

Generative AI tools are being rapidly integrated into professional software development workflows because, for well-specified problems, they often (but not always!) write accurate code. To help students use generative AI tools effectively, this course teaches programming using such tools. It develops two essential skills that are under-emphasised in traditional programming courses: critiquing code (including AI-generated code) and asking clarifying questions.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Primary: Undergraduate Engineering students
Secondary: Computer Science faculty

PREREQUISITES: High-school Mathematics

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: IT Industry (e.g., Infosys, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services)

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	8 weeks
Category :	Computer Science and Engineering
Credit Points :	2
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	18 Aug 2025
End Date :	10 Oct 2025
Enrollment Ends :	18 Aug 2025
Exam Registration Ends :	29 Aug 2025
Exam Date :	01 Nov 2025 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1: Introduction: What is programming and how effective are modern GenAI tools at programming? Optional: Installing GenAI tools on your computer.

Week 2: Representing and manipulating data: Fundamental data types (and potential mismatches with a problem’s needs), objects, expressions, assignments, and error handling in Python.

Week 3: Decomposing complex problems: Using functions to represent and solve sub-problems, principles of good function design. Introduction to conditionals and recursion in Python.

Week 4: Critiquing code: Comprehending and testing code (including AI-generated code) to identify potential errors. Introduction to lists and iteration in Python.

Week 5: Debugging problem statements and code: Asking clarifying questions, manual and AI-assisted debugging. Introduction to dictionaries in Python.

Week 6: Learning a new programming language (C): C vs Python: key differences. Introduction to arrays and structs in C.

Week 7: Introduction to memory management in C: A deeper understanding of Python lists by developing a simplified implementation of Python lists in C.

Week 8: Fast implementations: Identifying “hot” Python code and translating into C, a peek ahead into Data Structures and Algorithms.

Books and references

Python 3 documentation (https://docs.python.org/3/)
The GNU C Reference Manual (https://www.gnu.org/ software/gnu-c-manual/gnu-c-manual.html)
Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming (Leo Porter and Daniel Zingaro, Manning Sept 2023, ISBN 9781633437784)

Instructor bio

Prof. Viraj Kumar

IISc Bangalore

Dr Viraj Kumar is a Visiting Professor at the Kotak-IISc AI-ML Centre. He completed his PhD (2007) in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received the Rose Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education (2011). His research focuses on Computer Science education, with emphasis on India-specific challenges. This course emerges from his ongoing analysis of the impact of Generative AI on programming education. Dr Kumar has contributed to the development of the AICTE model curriculum (2022) and the ACM/IEEE-CS/AAAI Computer Science Curricula (2023). He previously served as a consultant to the Kasturirangan Committee to draft the National Education Policy (NEP 2020).

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams: November 01, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 6 assignments out of the total 8 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IISc Bangalore .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team

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