Before class · at home Advanced Programming for Data Scientists

Set up your machine for Vibe Coding

In this unit you'll code with an AI assistant instead of typing every line yourself. Before we meet, get your tools ready: a free GitHub student account, VS Code, and the GitHub Copilot extension — all activated with your university email.

⏱️ Do this a few days early

GitHub's student verification can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Start now so you walk into class ready to code.

What you'll set up

🎓

GitHub Student Pack

Unlocks the free Copilot Student plan plus dozens of developer tools — verified with your @mail.tau.ac.il email.

🧩

VS Code

The editor we'll use in class. Free, cross-platform, and where your AI assistant lives.

🤖

GitHub Copilot

The extension that autocompletes, chats, and edits code with you — unlocked by the Student Pack.

Step-by-step setup

  1. Register for the GitHub Student Developer Pack

    Go to education.github.com/pack and click Sign up for Student Developer Pack. Create a free GitHub account first if you don't have one.

    Already have a GitHub account? Just sign in and apply for the pack — you don't need a new account.

  2. Verify with your university email

    When asked for your school and email, use your @mail.tau.ac.il address. GitHub uses it to confirm you're an active student at Tel Aviv University.

    Add name@mail.tau.ac.il under Settings → Emails in GitHub and verify it before applying — it makes approval much faster.

  3. Wait for approval

    You'll get an email once you're approved. This unlocks the free GitHub Copilot Student plan — unlimited code completions, AI credits, and chat/agent use — along with the rest of the pack.

    Since March 2026 the student benefit is the “Copilot Student plan” (not a free Pro seat): you pick models via Auto selection, which routes across OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google models. That's plenty for this course.

    If it's taking long, GitHub may ask for a photo of your student ID or enrollment document — check your email and the application page. No verification yet? Everyone can use Copilot Free (limited) in the meantime, so you're never blocked.

  4. Download and install VS Code

    Get it from code.visualstudio.com for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux) and install it.

  5. Install the GitHub Copilot extension

    Open VS Code → click the Extensions icon in the sidebar (or press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X) → search “GitHub Copilot” → click Install. This also brings in GitHub Copilot Chat.

  6. Sign in and authorize Copilot

    VS Code will prompt you to Sign in with GitHub. Use the same account that was approved for the Student Pack. Once it's authorized, you'll see the Copilot icon become active in the status bar.

    Tip: open the Copilot Chat panel (Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + I) and say “hello” to confirm it responds.

  7. Check Python and install pytest

    In class we'll run tests, so make sure Python works from a terminal and pytest is installed. Open VS Code's terminal (Ctrl + `) and run:

    terminal
    python --version      # or python3 --version — expect 3.10+
pip install pytest
python -m pytest --version

    No Python? Install it from python.org (tick “Add Python to PATH” on Windows), then reopen the terminal.

Ready check

Tick each item as you finish. Your progress is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.

0 / 6 done

✅ When all six are ticked, you're set

Bring your laptop to class fully charged. We'll warm up with a tiny task, then vibe-code a real question from Problem Set 1 together.

Copilot in 60 seconds

You don't need to master it before class, but knowing these four moves means you can actually drive it from minute one.

⌨️

Inline suggestions

Start typing (or write a comment describing what you want). Ghost text appears — press Tab to accept, Esc to dismiss, Alt/Opt + ] for the next idea.

💬

Chat

Open with Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + I. Ask questions, request code, paste errors. Add #file or @workspace to give it context from your project.

✏️

Edits / agent mode

Let Copilot change multiple files at once and propose a diff you review before accepting. Great for “add tests for this” or “refactor this function”.

🎯

Select-then-ask

Highlight code, press Ctrl/Cmd + I for an inline prompt (“explain this”, “fix the bug”, “add a docstring”). The most-used move in class.

🎓 Using AI honestly on your assignments

This course teaches you to code with AI — but your submitted work must be your own understanding. Use AI to learn, explore, and speed up, then make sure you can explain every line you hand in and that it respects each exercise's restrictions (e.g. Section 1 forbids bin and built-ins). When in doubt about what's allowed, ask. Blindly pasting AI output you don't understand will hurt you on exams — and it's exactly what this unit trains you to avoid.

Troubleshooting

My university email isn't accepted. Make sure it's verified in GitHub (Settings → Emails) before applying. If it's still rejected, upload a photo of your student ID / enrollment confirmation when prompted.

Copilot says "no access". You're probably signed into a different GitHub account than the one approved. Sign out in VS Code (bottom-left account icon) and sign back in with the approved account.

Approval is slow. That's normal — it can take a few days. You can still install VS Code and the extension now; Copilot activates automatically once approved.

Get the Student Pack → Download VS Code