VIBE Engineering Workshop
Join the University of Alberta for a hands-on workshop that teaches researchers, innovators and educators how to use AI-powered tools to build functional software by describing intent in plain language, without needing advanced coding skills.
Participants gain practical experience with modern AI-assisted development workflows, tools, and best practices, leaving with the confidence to create their own applications for research, teaching, or entrepreneurship.
Participants are required to bring their own laptop.
Workshop Overview
VIBE Engineering is a hands-on workshop that introduces U of A researchers, students and faculty members to the emerging practice of “vibe coding” using AI-powered tools to build functional software applications by describing intent in plain English rather than writing code from scratch.
The workshop empowers domain experts to create their own solutions for teaching, research, and entrepreneurial purposes without requiring an advanced programming background. Participants leave the session with a working understanding of modern AI-assisted development workflows and the confidence to apply these tools in their own projects.
Topics Covered
▸ Introduction to Vibe Engineering vs. Vibe Coding: key definitions and the distinction between the two concepts.
▸ Large Language Models (LLMs) for Code Generation: how LLMs are trained and evaluated, and how they compare across context windows, benchmarks, and generalization capabilities.
▸ Vision-Language Models (VLMs): An overview of their emerging role in AI-assisted development.
▸ Modern Software Architecture frontend frameworks (React, ShadCN), backend design, storage solutions (SQLite, PostgreSQL, Supabase), and payment integration (Stripe).
▸ Programming Language Comparison: Python, JavaScript, C++, and C# evaluated by speed, compatibility, and ideal use cases.
▸ AI-Powered Development Tools CLI-based tools (Claude Code, Gemini CLI) and full IDE solutions (Cursor, Windsurf), with a walkthrough of their differences.
▸ Model Context Protocol (MCP): how MCP extends AI capabilities within development environments.
▸ Version Control Essentials: Git and GitHub for safeguarding code during AI-assisted development.
▸ Live Demo and Hands-On Session participants follow along as real applications are built using the tools discussed.
▸ Best Practices planning, prompting, and reviewing AI-generated code.
Expected Learning Outcomes
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
▸ Understand the conceptual foundations of LLMs, VLMs, and AI-assisted code generation. ▸ Distinguish between vibe coding and vibe engineering as complementary practices. ▸ Identify the appropriate AI development tool (CLI vs. IDE) for a given task.
▸ Set up and use Git and GitHub to safeguard AI-generated code.
▸ Build a small functional application end-to-end using natural-language prompts. ▸ Apply best practices for prompting, reviewing, and validating AI-generated code.
This workshop is facilitated by Mohamed Sabek ,PhD Candidate, Construction Engineering and Management , Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Register today!