GitHub Copilot study plan

GitHub Copilot · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 6 hours per week

Week 1

Use GitHub Copilot Responsibly & Understand GitHub Copilot Data and Architecture

Explain the three pillars of responsible AI use (accuracy, security, and ethics) and how they map to Copilot's suggestions.
Describe Copilot's client-server architecture, including how code context is sent to the model and how responses are returned.
Identify the data types Copilot processes (prompts, code snippets, file paths) and where processing occurs.
Configure basic IDE settings to enable or disable Copilot and adjust suggestion behavior.

A 1-page summary diagram of Copilot's data flow and a checklist of responsible-use principles applied to a sample code snippet.

Week 2

Analyze Copilot's data retention and usage policies, including differences between individual, business, and enterprise plans.
Evaluate security risks such as insecure code suggestions and propose mitigation strategies.
Explain how Copilot handles public code matching and the implications for licensing.
Demonstrate how to report and handle biased or harmful suggestions.

A risk assessment table covering data privacy, security, and licensing for a hypothetical team adopting Copilot.

Week 3

Use Copilot Chat in the IDE to generate code, explain code, and create tests.
Apply the /explain and /tests slash commands effectively in a real project.
Craft prompts that include clear context, language, and constraints to improve suggestion quality.
Compare inline suggestions with chat-based interactions for different tasks.

A recorded demo (or annotated screenshots) showing three different Copilot features used to solve a coding task, with prompt variations.

Week 4

Use Copilot in the CLI to generate shell commands and explain command output.
Experiment with context crafting techniques: providing file context, using comments as prompts, and breaking down complex problems.
Evaluate the impact of context length and specificity on suggestion relevance.
Refine prompts iteratively based on Copilot's responses.

A prompt engineering log with at least five before-and-after prompt examples and an analysis of what improved.

Week 5

Measure productivity gains by timing a task with and without Copilot assistance.
Integrate Copilot into a test-driven development workflow to generate test cases and implementations.
Use Copilot to refactor a legacy function and document the changes.
Identify repetitive coding tasks where Copilot can automate boilerplate.

A productivity report comparing task completion times and quality metrics for two similar tasks, one with Copilot and one without.

Week 6

Configure content exclusions at the repository and organization level to prevent Copilot from accessing sensitive files.
Set up telemetry and audit logs to monitor Copilot usage and detect policy violations.
Apply safeguards such as disabling Copilot for specific languages or file paths.
Document a privacy policy for Copilot usage that aligns with organizational compliance requirements.

A configuration guide with screenshots or code snippets showing content exclusions and audit log setup for a sample repository.

Week 7

Review GitHub Copilot's trust center documentation and summarize key compliance certifications.
Design a workflow for reviewing Copilot-generated code for security vulnerabilities.
Implement a pre-commit hook or CI check that scans for secrets or insecure patterns in Copilot suggestions.
Conduct a tabletop exercise on responding to a data leak incident involving Copilot.

An incident response playbook for Copilot-related security events, including detection, containment, and notification steps.

Week 8

Synthesize all domains by completing a comprehensive practice exam or scenario-based project.
Review weak areas identified in previous weeks and create flashcards for key concepts.
Teach a colleague one responsible-use principle and one productivity technique.
Finalize a personal checklist for responsible and effective Copilot use.

A final project report that documents a full feature implementation using Copilot, including prompt logs, security review, and productivity metrics.

Week 4: Complete a practice quiz covering domains 1, 3, 2, and 4 with a score of at least 80%, and submit the prompt engineering log for review.

Week 8: Pass a mock exam covering all domains with a score of at least 85%, and present the final project report to a peer for feedback.