AI for Software Engineeringin Abu Dhabi

Module 1: Introduction to AI for Software Engineering

• Understand the role of artificial intelligence in modern software engineering.
  • Explore AI applications across software planning, design, development, and maintenance.
  • Identify opportunities and limitations of AI-assisted engineering.
• Examine how AI is changing software development practices.
  • Review practical industry use cases.
  • Understand the benefits of combining human expertise with AI capabilities.

Module 2: AI Tools and Technologies for Developers

• Explore AI-powered tools used throughout software development.
  • Understand AI coding assistants, code analysis tools, and development automation platforms.
  • Review tool capabilities, limitations, and integration options.
• Learn how to select suitable AI tools.
  • Compare tools according to project requirements, programming languages, and workflows.
  • Consider privacy, security, accessibility, and cost.

Module 3: AI-Assisted Software Requirements Engineering

• Apply AI techniques to software requirement analysis.
  • Interpret business requirements and user needs.
  • Generate initial user stories, use cases, and acceptance criteria.
• Improve requirement documentation.
  • Identify ambiguous statements and missing requirements.
  • Review AI-generated specifications for accuracy and completeness.

Module 4: AI for Software Design and Architecture

• Understand AI-assisted software design approaches.
  • Explore component design, architectural alternatives, and system modelling.
  • Use AI to explain common architectural patterns.
• Evaluate design decisions.
  • Compare possible solutions against scalability, maintainability, and performance needs.
  • Validate recommendations against project constraints.

Module 5: AI-Assisted Programming and Code Generation

• Learn techniques for generating code with AI tools.
  • Create functions, classes, and reusable components from clear instructions.
  • Refine generated code to meet functional requirements.
• Improve code comprehension.
  • Generate explanations of unfamiliar code.
  • Review suggestions for correctness, readability, and compatibility.

Module 6: AI for Multiple Programming Languages

• Explore AI assistance across common programming languages.
  • Practise with Python, Java, JavaScript, or another supported language.
  • Understand language-specific syntax and implementation patterns.
• Integrate generated code into projects.
  • Adapt code to existing conventions and dependencies.
  • Test generated components before use.

Module 7: AI for Agile Software Development

• Explore AI support for agile engineering workflows.
  • Draft user stories, refine backlogs, and break requirements into development tasks.
  • Prepare sprint summaries and technical notes.
• Improve team coordination.
  • Use AI to organise project information and summarise progress.
  • Verify generated plans against team priorities and delivery commitments.

Module 8: AI-Assisted Debugging and Root Cause Analysis

• Use AI tools to investigate software defects.
  • Interpret error messages, logs, and stack traces.
  • Explore possible causes of runtime and logic errors.
• Validate proposed solutions.
  • Apply fixes in a controlled development environment.
  • Reproduce issues and confirm that corrections resolve the problem.

Module 9: AI for Software Testing and Quality Assurance

• Explore AI-assisted test planning.
  • Generate test scenarios, unit tests, and edge cases.
  • Identify possible gaps in test coverage.
• Evaluate software quality.
  • Review test results and investigate failures.
  • Validate generated tests against actual application requirements.

Module 10: AI for Code Review and Refactoring

• Apply AI to code review activities.
  • Identify potential duplication, complexity, and maintainability concerns.
  • Examine suggested improvements against coding standards.
• Practise responsible refactoring.
  • Simplify code while preserving intended behaviour.
  • Run relevant tests and review changes before merging.

Module 11: AI for Software Documentation

• Generate and improve technical documentation.
  • Prepare code comments, docstrings, API descriptions, and module summaries.
  • Draft developer guides and onboarding materials.
• Maintain documentation quality.
  • Verify technical details against the implementation.
  • Update documentation when software behaviour changes.

Module 12: AI for DevOps and Software Delivery

• Understand AI applications in development and operations workflows.
  • Explore support for build pipelines, deployment documentation, and log analysis.
  • Examine how AI can assist with identifying delivery bottlenecks.
• Review deployment and monitoring practices.
  • Interpret system alerts and operational information.
  • Validate recommendations before changing production systems.

Module 13: AI for Software Security and Risk Management

• Identify risks associated with AI-assisted development.
  • Review generated code for insecure patterns and potential vulnerabilities.
  • Understand privacy risks when sharing source code or project data.
• Apply secure engineering practices.
  • Protect credentials and confidential information.
  • Use security checks, human review, and approved development policies.

Module 14: AI for Performance and Scalability

• Explore AI-assisted performance analysis.
  • Identify potential bottlenecks in code and application workflows.
  • Review optimisation suggestions for algorithms and resource usage.
• Evaluate scalability considerations.
  • Compare design alternatives for growing workloads.
  • Benchmark changes before adopting performance recommendations.

Module 15: Responsible AI and Engineering Governance

• Understand responsible AI use in software engineering.
  • Examine accuracy, bias, transparency, licensing, and accountability considerations.
  • Recognise the limitations of AI-generated recommendations.
• Establish review and governance practices.
  • Define when human approval is required.
  • Maintain traceability for important engineering decisions and code changes.

Module 16: Capstone Project and Practical Assessment

• Develop a software solution using AI-assisted engineering techniques.
  • Analyse requirements and prepare an initial design.
  • Implement selected features using appropriate AI tools.
• Validate and present the solution.
  • Perform testing, debugging, code review, and documentation.
  • Review security, maintainability, and overall functionality.
  • Present project results and explain where AI assistance was used.

Course Delivery

• Instructor-led sessions, demonstrations, and guided discussions.
• Hands-on activities involving AI-assisted engineering workflows.
• Practical assignments, code reviews, and project-based exercises.
• A capstone project to consolidate learning through StepMerit training in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.