Online Course
AI Agents in Practice

Step into the world of AI agents with this practical course on agentic systems. You’ll learn to design, structure, and code agents that can reason, plan, call tools, work with APIs, and analyze data. From prompt design and multi-step reasoning to safety techniques and LangSmith monitoring, you’ll gain the skills to build AI workflows and take the next step in your AI journey.

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  • Institute of Analytics
  • The Association of Data Scientists
  • E-Learning Quality Network
  • European Agency for Higher Education and Accreditation
  • Global Association of Online Trainers and Examiners

Skill level:

Advanced

Duration:

2 hours
  • Lessons (2 hours)
  • Projects (25 hours)

CPE credits:

4
CPE stands for Continuing Professional Education and represents the mandatory credits a wide range of professionals must earn to maintain their licenses and stay current with regulations and best practices. One CPE credit typically equals 50 minutes of learning. For more details, visit NASBA's official website: www.nasbaregistry.org

Accredited

certificate

What you learn

  • Master the core principles of agentic design.
  • Gain a solid understanding of two leading agent frameworks: ReAct and ReWOO.
  • Create tools that let agents use real data and perform real tasks.
  • Learn to craft prompts for agent reasoning, planning, and tool use.
  • Monitor and debug agents with LangSmith to see what’s happening under the hood.

Topics & tools

AI AgentsLangSmithAI EngineeringProgrammingAIChatGPTLangchainLanggraphPython

Your instructor

Course OVERVIEW

Description

CPE Credits: 4 Field of Study: Information Technology
Delivery Method: QAS Self Study

AI Agents in Practice is a practical, beginner-friendly course that shows you how to design and build working agentic systems using today’s most relevant tools and frameworks, including ReAct, ReWOO, LangGraph, and LangSmith. It’s the natural next step for anyone who understands the basics of large language models and simple chatbots and now wants to build agents that can plan, use tools, and follow multi-step workflows.

Along the way, we’ll tackle the questions most people have when they first encounter AI agents, such as:

  • What drives an AI system browsing the web, reading files, or calling APIs to decide what to do next?
  • In what way does it break a task into steps?
  • How does it determine which tool to use?
  • When does it know to ask a human for help?

If you want clear, practical answers to these questions without getting lost in theory, this course is for you.

We begin with a concise introductory section that provides a solid understanding of what an AI agent is, how it differs from a standard LLM application, and how agents are used in real projects.

  • Grasp the core building blocks of an agent.
  • See how agentic systems fit into real-world AI applications.
  • Apply best practices for creating prompts and prompt frameworks.
  • Understand how system and user messages shape agent behavior.
  • Explore prompt patterns that guide an agent’s reasoning.
  • Look behind the scenes of a real helper chatbot to connect each concept to a concrete example.

In Project 1, you’ll build a Job-Helper agent using the ReAct pattern, turning theory into a working system step by step.

  • Explore the structure of a LangGraph project.
  • Create tools like a file reader and a web-search helper.
  • Add memory so the agent can use information from earlier steps.
  • Build and run the graph that ties everything together.
  • Trace the agent’s behavior in LangSmith.

In Project 2, you’ll create a new version of the Job-Helper agent using ReWOO, giving you a hands-on comparison of two agentic architectures.

  • Shift from the ReAct pattern to ReWOO.
  • Define the planner, executor, and solver nodes in LangGraph.
  • Compare both approaches in LangSmith, examining latency, cost, and behavior.

 

In Project 3, you’ll bring everything together in a new project called the Business Idea Evaluator, a richer workflow that combines multiple techniques.

  • Build advisor “personas” that evaluate ideas from different perspectives.
  • Combine two powerful methods: human-in-the-loop steps for adding context, and parallelization to speed up evaluation.
  • Use a final collection node to merge all outputs into a single, clear assessment.

 

By the end of the course, you’ll understand:

  • How modern agents think and operate
  • The differences between ReAct and ReWOO differ, and when to use each
  • Techniques for designing prompts that support reasoning, planning, and tool use
  • How to structure an agent as a LangGraph with nodes, edges, state, and memory
  • Ways to integrate custom tools and external APIs into your graph
  • Methods for adding human-in-the-loop stages and parallel branches to your workflows
  • How to monitor and debug your agents with LangSmith instead of working blindly

 

We break down complex concepts and code into small, digestible steps that make it easy to follow along and start building. Whether you want to expand your portfolio, level up your AI skills, or simply understand how real agents work under the hood, this course is designed to help you make that leap with confidence.

Prerequisites

  • Intermediate Python skills (comfort with functions, basic data structures, and working in notebooks)
  • Basic familiarity with large language models (e.g., using ChatGPT, prompts, tokens, system vs user messages)
  • A general understanding of AI concepts is helpful but not required

Advanced preparation

  • None

Curriculum

37 lessons 17 exercises 1 project 1 exam

Free lessons

Introduction to the Course

1.1 Introduction to the Course

4 min

Agent Development Tools

2.1 Agent Development Tools

3 min

Why LangGraph?

2.2 Why LangGraph?

4 min

Anatomy of a LangGraph Project

2.3 Anatomy of a LangGraph Project

6 min

Prompt Techniques Part 1

2.5 Prompt Techniques Part 1

3 min

Prompt Techniques Part 2

2.6 Prompt Techniques Part 2

4 min

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ACCREDITED certificates

Craft a resume and LinkedIn profile you’re proud of—featuring certificates recognized by leading global institutions.

Earn CPE-accredited credentials that showcase your dedication, growth, and essential skills—the qualities employers value most.

  • Institute of Analytics
  • The Association of Data Scientists
  • E-Learning Quality Network
  • European Agency for Higher Education and Accreditation
  • Global Association of Online Trainers and Examiners

Certificates are included with the Self-study learning plan.

A LinkedIn profile mockup on a mobile screen showing Parker Maxwell, a Certified Data Analyst, with credentials from 365 Data Science listed under Licenses & Certification. A 365 Data Science Certificate of Achievement awarded to Parker Maxwell for completing the Data Analyst career track, featuring accreditation badges and a gold “Verified Certificate” seal.

How it WORKS

  • Lessons
  • Exercises
  • Projects
  • Practice exams
  • AI mock interviews

Lessons

Learn through short, simple lessons—no prior experience in AI or data science needed.

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Exercises

Reinforce your learning with mini recaps, hands-on coding, flashcards, fill-in-the-blank activities, and other engaging exercises.

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Projects

Tackle real-world AI and data science projects—just like those faced by industry professionals every day.

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Practice exams

Track your progress and solidify your knowledge with regular practice exams.

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AI mock interviews

Prep for interviews with real-world tasks, popular questions, and real-time feedback.

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Student REVIEWS

A collage of student testimonials from 365 Data Science learners, featuring profile photos, names, job titles, and quotes or video play icons, showcasing diverse backgrounds and successful career transitions into AI and data science roles.