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Build · The mental models behind the prompts

Coding Foundations for AI-Assisted Builders.

Learn the parts of programming that make AI-generated code understandable: the browser, data, logic, state, Git, databases, errors, and deployment.

AccessFree · public
Structure7 modules · 5 hours
LevelFoundation
Fieldwork7 operating artifacts
Who this is for

New builders who can prompt a coding agent but want enough technical understanding to make better decisions and stop guessing when something breaks.

Course outcome

Leave able to inspect a small web application, trace data through it, diagnose common failures, review an agent's changes, and describe the system in plain language.

01

How the web actually works

Understand browsers, servers, URLs, requests, responses, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as one connected system.

Lessons
  • ↳The browser-server request cycle
  • ↳HTML structure, CSS presentation, and JavaScript behavior
  • ↳Local development, production hosting, DNS, and HTTPS
Field assignment

Trace one page load from the typed URL through DNS, the server response, downloaded assets, and the final rendered interface.

02

Values, types, and data shapes

See programs as transformations of values rather than walls of unfamiliar syntax.

Lessons
  • ↳Strings, numbers, booleans, arrays, objects, null, and undefined
  • ↳Types, schemas, validation, and why shape mismatches fail
  • ↳Reading function inputs, outputs, and side effects
Field assignment

Model a customer, an inquiry, and an appointment as typed data, then list the invalid states the system must reject.

03

Logic, functions, and state

Follow the decisions a program makes and the state it changes over time.

Lessons
  • ↳Conditions, loops, functions, and composition
  • ↳Local state, shared state, persisted state, and derived state
  • ↳Pure logic versus actions that touch the outside world
Field assignment

Diagram the states of a lead form from untouched through invalid, submitting, successful, and failed, including every transition.

04

Components, routes, and interfaces

Break a product into reusable visual pieces and navigable user journeys.

Lessons
  • ↳Pages, layouts, components, props, and composition
  • ↳Forms, events, navigation, responsive behavior, and accessibility
  • ↳Server-rendered and client-interactive boundaries
Field assignment

Decompose a real landing page into a route tree, component tree, content model, and interaction inventory.

05

Git, commits, and reversible work

Use version control as a thinking and safety system, not just a place where code gets uploaded.

Lessons
  • ↳Repositories, branches, commits, diffs, merges, and pull requests
  • ↳Small commits, meaningful messages, and separating unrelated work
  • ↳Recovering from mistakes without destroying someone else's changes
Field assignment

Create a branch, make one focused change, review the diff, commit it clearly, and explain how you would reverse it.

06

Databases and persistent truth

Understand tables, records, relationships, queries, migrations, and permissions well enough to keep data trustworthy.

Lessons
  • ↳Relational data, identifiers, constraints, and indexes
  • ↳Create, read, update, delete, and transactional thinking
  • ↳Schema migrations, backups, and row-level access
Field assignment

Design a small schema for customers, projects, and invoices, including relationships, required fields, and access rules.

07

Debugging and production reality

Replace random prompting with a disciplined loop: reproduce, observe, isolate, change, and verify.

Lessons
  • ↳Syntax, type, runtime, network, data, and environment failures
  • ↳Logs, stack traces, browser tools, and minimal reproductions
  • ↳Builds, deployments, configuration, monitoring, and rollback
Field assignment

Diagnose one broken flow using a written timeline of expected behavior, observed behavior, evidence, hypothesis, fix, and regression check.

Next course

Websites, Apps & APIs from First Principles

Understand how a polished interface, application logic, data, authentication, APIs, integrations, analytics, and infrastructure fit together.

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