The first in a three-part series on AI for Coding, this workshop introduces fundamental concepts that will help you engage efficiently with AI in coding tasks. Participants will use the "prompt formula" to write better prompts and learn why specificity matters. 

What you will learn:

• How LLMs work and why tokens matter
• The prompt formula: context + task + constraints + format
• How to write focused, specific prompts that work
• Why conversation history affects your results

About the series: AI for Coding: Data Analysis with Cursor consists of three 30-minute workshops designed to help you use Large Language Models (LLMs) to support exploratory data analysis. We will introduce fundamental concepts, practice breaking down problems into actionable components, and use the Cursor IDE to integrate AI and code more efficiently. Each workshop focuses on a single topic with 30 minutes of teaching, followed by an optional 15 minutes for questions, discussion, and practice.

The coding examples will be in Python but the principles apply to other programming languages including R. Beginners are welcome; participants who have some experience coding in Python or R will find it easier to follow along.

Register for other workshops in the series:

1.  Fundamentals of LLMs - April 9, 2026, 1-1:45pm
2.  Data Analysis & Visualization - April 16, 2026, 1-1:45pm
3.  Building with Cursor - April 23, 2026, 1-1:45pm