Syllabus

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One 2-hour session per week, Tuesdays 2:15–4:15pm. No class on 8 and 15 September, 6 October, 20 October (Dussehra), or 10 November (Diwal...
· Class ScheduleClass Schedule
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Tuesdays, 2:15–4:15pm. Dates may shift if I'm travelling — I'll give as much notice as possible, and this page stays up to date.

| Week | Date ...
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Tech 1 Grading Plan

Assessment and Grading Breakdown




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Component
Weightage (%)




1
Attendance and Class...
· AI PolicyAI Policy
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In many courses, an AI policy is a list of things you can't do. This course is different: using AI to generate code is the expected way of working here. The sk...

Course Title: Tech 1 — Web & Mobile Ecosystem Fundamentals

Course Objective: Gain a foundational understanding of the core technologies, platforms, and concepts that underpin the modern web and mobile ecosystems, essential for product and design professionals.

Format: 13 lectures, 2 hours each, once a week.

How this course works

This is not a coding course. You will not be asked to memorise syntax or write programs from scratch. Instead:

  • You will build from week one. Using AI tools, you will generate, modify, and deploy real web applications — starting with a personal webpage in the very first session.
  • Fundamentals follow experience. Each week we dissect something you have already built.
  • AI is the medium, not a module. You are expected to generate most of your code with AI tools. The skill we are building is directing these tools well — which requires understanding the stack conceptually.
  • The course converges into a final project. The last weeks are a build sprint ending in a Demo Day.

Course structure

L1 Welcome to Tech 1 4 August 2026
  • HTML — structure
  • CSS — styling
  • JavaScript — interactivity
  • Hosting and deployment
L2 Git and Web Typography 11 August 2026
  • Version control (Git)
  • Hosting and deployment
  • CSS — styling
  • Web typography
L3 Divs, Dark Mode, Flexbox 18 August 2026
  • HTML — structure
  • CSS — styling
  • CSS — layout
  • Design systems
L4 Units and Responsiveness 25 August 2026
  • Responsive web design
  • CSS — styling
  • Accessibility
L5 APIs 1 September 2026
  • Client-server architecture
  • Static vs dynamic sites
  • APIs and JSON
  • JavaScript — interactivity
  • Understanding data flow
L6 LocalStorage and Databases 22 September 2026
  • Browser storage
  • Databases — SQL
  • Databases — NoSQL
  • Database security rules
  • Understanding data flow
L7 What are LLMs? 29 September 2026
  • How LLMs work
  • LLM APIs
  • AI features in products
  • Prompting as design
L8 Authentication & Authorisation 9 October 2026
  • Authentication
  • Authorisation
  • Identity providers
L9 API Keys and Vercel 13 October 2026
  • API keys and environment variables
  • LLM APIs
  • Serverless functions
  • Hosting and deployment
  • Startups and MVPs
L10 Let's Start a Startup 27 October 2026
  • Landing pages
  • Software development lifecycle
  • Agile / Scrum
  • Version control (Git)
L11 AI Features and the Cloud 3 November 2026
  • AI features in products
  • LLM APIs
  • IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
  • Scaling and cost
L12 Mobile and Shipping 17 November 2026
  • iOS vs Android platforms
  • Native vs hybrid vs web apps
  • App stores and distribution
  • Accessibility
  • Performance
  • Security and privacy
  • DNS
L13 Demo Day 27 November 2026

Key areas, and where they're covered

AI features in products L7L11
API keys and environment variables L9
APIs and JSON L5
Accessibility L4L12
Agile / Scrum L10
App stores and distribution L12
Authentication L8
Authorisation L8
Browser storage L6
CSS — layout L3
CSS — styling L1L2L3L4
Client-server architecture L5
DNS L12
Database security rules L6
Databases — NoSQL L6
Databases — SQL L6
Design systems L3
HTML — structure L1L3
Hosting and deployment L1L2L9
How LLMs work L7
IaaS, PaaS, SaaS L11
Identity providers L8
JavaScript — interactivity L1L5
LLM APIs L7L9L11
Landing pages L10
Native vs hybrid vs web apps L12
Performance L12
Prompting as design L7
Responsive web design L4
Scaling and cost L11
Security and privacy L12
Serverless functions L9
Software development lifecycle L10
Startups and MVPs L9
Static vs dynamic sites L5
Understanding data flow L5L6
Version control (Git) L2L10
Web typography L2
iOS vs Android platforms L12