12/07 Software Engineering in the Age of AI [Austin, TX], December 7-10, 2026

Software Engineering in the Age of AI is designed for scientists and engineers working in environments where LLM-assisted and agentic coding workflows are increasingly common. This course teaches Software Engineering as the discipline that demonstrates correctness and manages risk when code generation is cheap, but human attention and judgement are not. Amid claims that coding agents can “one-shot” web applications, how can you maintain the discipline to demonstrate that your code is correct, provide accountability for design decisions and traceability of action, and provide the knowledge necessary (for human or agent) to debug or modify your code under pressure?

In this course, we will introduce you to modes of developing, focusing on human-agent collaboration, and provide you with foundational knowledge and experience to develop software you can have confidence in. You’ll learn about naming and architectural practices, testing frameworks, logging tools, and the appropriate uses of source control software (git). Whether you use a coding agent or not, these skills are critical for risk management when human attention and judgement are at a premium.

With lots of instructor-guided discussion, live demos, and practical exercises to walk through, this is a course to follow up Python Foundations for Scientists & Engineers or Data Analysis with Pandas. Pre-requisite: This course requires a basic proficiency in Python and the scientific Python stack. Practical experience with Python and NumPy is necessary as this is not a course in "vibe coding". If you have completed Python Foundations for Scientists & Engineers and at least one other Diller Digital course offering, or the equivalent from other sources, and spent at least 2 months actively developing in Python, you have the requisite background for this course.

This class is taught on the beautiful campus of Huston-Tillotson University, in Austin, TX, walking/scooter distance from some of the best food and music in the country! Live music and entertainment options for your evenings abound. See our recommendations for details.

Full description here.

Taught over 4 days, December 7-10, 2026 from 9:00-16:00 Central Time, with an hour break for lunch. Optional networking activity on Friday Dec 11.

In-person, Huston-Tillotson University, Austin, TX

See Terms of Service for details.