GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot, is an AI-assisted programming tool that can help you write code. It's an amazing tool that will suggest code based on instructions you write as comments, help you troubleshoot your code when you get errors, and explain what existing code does and how it works. It doesn't replace learning to code, because you still need to know how to break down problems and think like a coder, as well as how to evaluate what Copilot gives you. But, it's a great learning tool and a huge asset even for experienced coders.

Copilot is a paid service, but you can get it for free as a student. To do so, follow the instructions below. Please do not send me a request for Copilot Business. I get these somewhat frequently, but Copilot Business is a paid service, and there's no reason for the lab to pay for something you can get for free. They don't make teh student free access obvious, but if you follow the instructions below you should be fine. Do note that sometimes it can take them a few days to approve your student account — but if you don't hear back from them after a week, I suggest re-submitting the application.

Sign up for GitHub

Go to GitHub's Join page and create an account. The username can be anything you choose (keeping in mind, we are setting you up to operate in a professional environment, and this is how you will appear to the world), but you must use your university email address. Be sure to use a secure password (you can use a password manager like LastPass to generate and store secure passwords; Dalhousie students can access this for free using this link).

Upgrade your GitHub Account to Student

GitHub offers students a valuable range of products and services that they would normally charge a lot of money for. To get these benefits, you need to upgrade your account to a student account. Once you have created your GitHub account in the above step, go to GitHub's Student Developer Pack page and click the button to get your pack. You will be asked to verify your student status, which you can do by uploading a photo of your student ID card, or a transcript. It may take a day or two for you to get verified, so it's best to do this as soon as possible.

Using GitHub Copilot

This is explained in detail in the Neural Data Science textbook, so please see that for more info.