How to use GitHub Copilot Chat to learn to code as a student

What you will build

You will set up a simple study routine with GitHub Copilot and Copilot Chat. You will ask Copilot to explain code you are studying, ask it for prompts to practise with, and then check its answers yourself. The sources describe these learning uses. They do not describe the full installation clicks, so this guide tells you where to look for those.

What you need

• A verified student account. GitHub Copilot is free for verified educators and students aged 13 and above [1].
• A code editor. The sources describe Copilot working inside an editor and an integrated development environment (IDE), but they do not name which editors are supported. Check the GitHub Copilot getting-started guide to confirm your editor.
• Internet access.
• Version numbers. The sources do not name any software versions, so none are given here.

Step by step

1. Check that you qualify. Copilot is free for verified students aged 13 and above. If you are a student in Pakistan who is 13 or older, you can start the sign-up process. Your school or university may also have its own rules about which accounts to use.

2. Go to the GitHub Education site. The Microsoft Education guide suggests starting here. Use this page to begin your sign-up as a student.

3. Find the getting-started guide. The GitHub Blog has a beginner series on getting started with GitHub Copilot, including how to move around Copilot Chat. The excerpt available to this guide does not list the setup steps, so read that guide and follow its setup steps in your editor.

4. Open Copilot Chat in your editor. Copilot Chat runs inside the IDE, so you can ask questions without leaving your coding work. The sources do not give the exact menu name, so look it up in the getting-started guide.

5. Ask for an explanation. Paste a short piece of code from your notes and ask Copilot to explain it. This is the main learning use the sources describe: Copilot Chat can answer questions and give explanations.

6. Ask for a practice prompt. Copilot Chat can also offer prompts for code. Ask it for a small task at your level, then try to write the code yourself before you look at any answer.

7. Review any code suggestions. Copilot suggests code and whole functions as you work in your editor. You decide whether to keep or change each suggestion. Read it line by line before you use it.

Here is a prompt you can copy and paste into Copilot Chat:

Explain this code from my revision notes line by line, as if I am a matric student preparing for an exam. Do not change the code. Then tell me one mistake a beginner might make with it.

Example (for illustration only): a matric student revising a short loop from a past computer science paper pastes the loop into Chat and asks for this explanation.

Check that it works

The sources do not give an exact output to compare against, so there is no fixed result to match. Use this simple test instead:

• Open Copilot Chat in your editor.
• Paste a short piece of code from your own notes.
• Send the prompt from the previous section.

If you get a written reply in the chat that explains each part of the code, the setup is working. If you get no reply, check that you are signed in with your verified student account and that Copilot Chat is open in your editor.

Tips and common mistakes

• You cannot find Copilot Chat. The sources do not describe the menu path. Look in the GitHub Copilot getting-started guide and in your editor’s help pages for how to open it.
• You are not offered free access. Free access is for verified educators and students aged 13 and above. Check that your account is verified through GitHub Education before you assume the free offer applies.
• The explanation does not match your course. Ask a follow-up question, such as asking Copilot to explain one line at a time. Then compare the answer with your textbook or teacher’s notes.
• You copy code without understanding it. Ask Copilot to explain the code first, then try to rewrite a small part yourself without looking at the suggestion.

Use it responsibly

Check every answer Copilot gives you against your textbook, class notes or teacher, because AI can be wrong. Never paste private data into a prompt, such as your full name, roll number, phone number, passwords, access keys or unpublished assignment work that belongs to someone else. Finally, follow your school’s or university’s rules on using AI for assignments and tests. If the rules do not allow Copilot for a task, do not use it for that task.