Planning cockpit · becomes the syllabus

DRLXXX Agentic AI — Fundamentals and Applications

5 ECTS PhD seminar · Molde, Norway · Fall 2026 (tentative Week 35) · Swati Aggarwal & Bjørn Jæger · guest instruction by Jules White

The modules

BlockModule 1 · Module 1 · Foundations of Agentic AIModule 2 · Module 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research DesignModule 3 · Module 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent SystemsModule 4 · Module 4 · Supervised Research & Project DevelopmentModule 5 · Module 5 · Research Integration & Presentation
8:30–11:30
How This Course Was Built · 15mAugmented Intelligence · 45m✎Build a Prompt Pattern Library · 40mA Conversation Is One Big Prompt · 15mAn LLM Has No Memory · 15mConversations Are Plays: User, Assistant, System · 15m✎Exercise: You Are the Playwright · 25mNext-Word Prediction: Learning from Patterns · 15mTeaching by Example · 50m✎Exercise: Train by Example · 30mEvery Response Is Part of a Future Prompt · 20mAlignment: Training the Trajectory · 20mWhat Is an AI Agent? · 25m✎Exercise: Your First Agents · 30mMultimodal Prompts: Images as Context · 20m✎Exercise: The Agent's Eyes · 25mTools: Constraining the Actions · 20mTool Parameters and Descriptions · 20m✎Exercise: Give the Agent Tools · 35mThe Conversation with the Computer · 20mProtocols and Function Calling · 25mShadows on the Wall · 20mThe Context Window: The Wall Has Edges · 20mThe Economics of the Conversation · 20m✎Exercise: The Window Lab · 35mFraming: The Description Chooses the Solution · 25mWhat Is Agentic AI? + Prompt Engineering Fundamentals for Agents ✎Hands-on Human-in-the-Loop Agent Prototyping The Agent Loop · 30m✎Exercise: The Agent Forge · 45m✎Hands-on Agent Rapid Prototyping & Experimentation
720 / 180 min planned — over
Tools Are Words · 25mThe Language of Action · 30mTool Design Case Studies · 35m✎Exercise: The Design Studio · 40mSelf-Dialogue: Tools Made of Prompts · 25mWhat Comes Back: Designing Tool Results · 30mJust-in-Time Training: Results That Instruct · 30mRead the Manual: Self-Training on Demand · 25mThe Table of Contents · 30mSkills: The Brilliant Employee's First Day · 40m✎Exercise: Build a Skill · 40mTeaching Your Future Self · 30mJumping-Off Points: Naming for the Searching Agent · 30m✎Exercise: The Relay · 45mErrors That Teach · 30mThe One Percent: Errors That Detect · 30mCompaction: The Handoff to Yourself · 30mAbstraction: Briefing in Apples · 25m✎Hands-on Tool Design & Experimentation Searching by Meaning · 35mRAG: The Librarian Who Reads Ahead · 30mMemory: The Journal Between Conversations · 30mDiscovering Tools: The Catalog, Not the Toolbox · 25m✎Exercise: The Memory Lab · 45m✎Hands-on Agent Skill Design Agentic Research Design Considerations
735 / 180 min planned — over
Module 3 Overview Agent Planning ✎Hands-on Agent Planning & Prototyping Cognitive Load: The Two Loads · 30mLifetimes: What the Conversation Should Carry · 35mDo We Need an Agent at All? · 30mCode at the Forks: Workflows with Minds Inside · 30mThe Explorer · 30mThe Scientist and the Designer · 35mThe Planner–Executor · 30mThe Actor–Critic · 30m✎Hands-on Agent Cognitive Load Management Experimentation Multi-agent Systems: The Coordination of Conversations · 30mThe Architecture of Coordination · 25mThe Team: Role-Based Coordination · 30m✎Hands-on Multi-agent Systems Experimentation Task Decomposition: Trees with Evidence · 35mThe Task Is a Directory · 30m✎Hands-on Multi-agent Task Decomposition Experimentation
400 / 180 min planned — over
Module 4 Overview Independent and Collaborative Research Project Development Applied Agentic AI Experimentation and Prototyping Faculty Supervision and Research Consultation Iterative Design and Methodological Refinement
0 / 180 min plannedIndependent & collaborative project development, faculty supervision
Module 5 Overview Final Research Project Development Session Guided Mentorship and Individual Feedback Collaborative Problem-Solving and Research Exchange Preparation of Research Demonstrations and Presentations
0 / 180 min plannedFinal project development, guided mentorship, demo preparation
12:30–13:45Agent design, prototyping & informal benchmarking (exercise: pattern-language)Agentic research project design session (exercise: human-as-runtime)Research project refinement & prototypingPeer feedback & collaborative project workshopsResearch project presentations
14:00–15:30Presentation of agent designs & scholarly discussionCollaborative discussion & presentation of research designsCollaborative discussion & presentation of research designsResearch progress presentations & scholarly discussionReflective discussion, course synthesis & research planning
rehearsed scripted outlined idea

Unscheduled modules

Module 0 · Format Example10 lessons

Backlog

Every lesson, least finished first — this is the authoring worklist.

Human-in-the-Loop Agent PrototypingideaModule 0 · Format Example · 45m
Tool Use & DesignideaModule 0 · Format Example · 35m
Knowledge & Memory SystemsideaModule 0 · Format Example · 40m
Agent Training & SkillsideaModule 0 · Format Example · 30m
Agent PlanningideaModule 0 · Format Example · 30m
Context & Cognitive Load ManagementideaModule 0 · Format Example · 40m
Multi-agent Systems & Task DecompositionideaModule 0 · Format Example · 40m
What is Agentic AI?outlinedModule 0 · Format Example · 25m
Prompt Engineering for AgentsoutlinedModule 0 · Format Example · 30m
Augmented IntelligenceoutlinedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 45m
What Is Agentic AI? + Prompt Engineering Fundamentals for AgentsoutlinedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI
Hands-on Human-in-the-Loop Agent PrototypingoutlinedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI
Hands-on Agent Rapid Prototyping & ExperimentationoutlinedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI
Agent Design, Prototyping, and Informal Benchmarking SessionoutlinedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI
Presentation of Agent Designs & Scholarly DiscussionoutlinedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI
Hands-on Tool Design & ExperimentationoutlinedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design
Hands-on Agent Skill DesignoutlinedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design
Agentic Research Design ConsiderationsoutlinedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design
Agentic Research Project Design SessionoutlinedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design
Collaborative Discussion and Presentation of Research Project DesignsoutlinedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design
Module 3 OverviewoutlinedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems
Agent PlanningoutlinedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems
Hands-on Agent Planning & PrototypingoutlinedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems
Hands-on Agent Cognitive Load Management ExperimentationoutlinedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems
Hands-on Multi-agent Systems ExperimentationoutlinedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems
Hands-on Multi-agent Task Decomposition ExperimentationoutlinedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems
Agentic Research Project Refinement & Prototyping SessionoutlinedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems
Collaborative Discussion and Presentation of Research Project DesignsoutlinedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems
Module 4 OverviewoutlinedModule 4 · Supervised Research & Project Development
Independent and Collaborative Research Project DevelopmentoutlinedModule 4 · Supervised Research & Project Development
Applied Agentic AI Experimentation and PrototypingoutlinedModule 4 · Supervised Research & Project Development
Faculty Supervision and Research ConsultationoutlinedModule 4 · Supervised Research & Project Development
Iterative Design and Methodological RefinementoutlinedModule 4 · Supervised Research & Project Development
Peer Feedback and Collaborative Project WorkshopsoutlinedModule 4 · Supervised Research & Project Development
Research Progress Presentations and Scholarly DiscussionoutlinedModule 4 · Supervised Research & Project Development
Module 5 OverviewoutlinedModule 5 · Research Integration & Presentation
Final Research Project Development SessionoutlinedModule 5 · Research Integration & Presentation
Guided Mentorship and Individual FeedbackoutlinedModule 5 · Research Integration & Presentation
Collaborative Problem-Solving and Research ExchangeoutlinedModule 5 · Research Integration & Presentation
Preparation of Research Demonstrations and PresentationsoutlinedModule 5 · Research Integration & Presentation
Research Project PresentationsoutlinedModule 5 · Research Integration & Presentation
Reflective Discussion on Agentic AI Research Directions and Future ApplicationsoutlinedModule 5 · Research Integration & Presentation
Course Synthesis and Research PlanningoutlinedModule 5 · Research Integration & Presentation
Agent LoopsscriptedModule 0 · Format Example · 20m
How This Course Was BuiltscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 15m
Build a Prompt Pattern LibraryscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 40m
A Conversation Is One Big PromptscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 15m
An LLM Has No MemoryscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 15m
Conversations Are Plays: User, Assistant, SystemscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 15m
Exercise: You Are the PlaywrightscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 25m
Next-Word Prediction: Learning from PatternsscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 15m
Teaching by ExamplescriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 50m
Exercise: Train by ExamplescriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 30m
Every Response Is Part of a Future PromptscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 20m
Alignment: Training the TrajectoryscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 20m
What Is an AI Agent?scriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 25m
Exercise: Your First AgentsscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 30m
Multimodal Prompts: Images as ContextscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 20m
Exercise: The Agent's EyesscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 25m
Tools: Constraining the ActionsscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 20m
Tool Parameters and DescriptionsscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 20m
Exercise: Give the Agent ToolsscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 35m
The Conversation with the ComputerscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 20m
Protocols and Function CallingscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 25m
Shadows on the WallscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 20m
The Context Window: The Wall Has EdgesscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 20m
The Economics of the ConversationscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 20m
Exercise: The Window LabscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 35m
Framing: The Description Chooses the SolutionscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 25m
The Agent LoopscriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 30m
Exercise: The Agent ForgescriptedModule 1 · Foundations of Agentic AI · 45m
Tools Are WordsscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 25m
The Language of ActionscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Tool Design Case StudiesscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 35m
Exercise: The Design StudioscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 40m
Self-Dialogue: Tools Made of PromptsscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 25m
What Comes Back: Designing Tool ResultsscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Just-in-Time Training: Results That InstructscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Read the Manual: Self-Training on DemandscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 25m
The Table of ContentsscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Skills: The Brilliant Employee's First DayscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 40m
Exercise: Build a SkillscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 40m
Teaching Your Future SelfscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Jumping-Off Points: Naming for the Searching AgentscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Exercise: The RelayscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 45m
Errors That TeachscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
The One Percent: Errors That DetectscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Compaction: The Handoff to YourselfscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Abstraction: Briefing in ApplesscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 25m
Searching by MeaningscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 35m
RAG: The Librarian Who Reads AheadscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Memory: The Journal Between ConversationsscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 30m
Discovering Tools: The Catalog, Not the ToolboxscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 25m
Exercise: The Memory LabscriptedModule 2 · Tools, Knowledge, Memory & Research Design · 45m
Cognitive Load: The Two LoadsscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 30m
Lifetimes: What the Conversation Should CarryscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 35m
Do We Need an Agent at All?scriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 30m
Code at the Forks: Workflows with Minds InsidescriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 30m
The ExplorerscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 30m
The Scientist and the DesignerscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 35m
The Planner–ExecutorscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 30m
The Actor–CriticscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 30m
Multi-agent Systems: The Coordination of ConversationsscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 30m
The Architecture of CoordinationscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 25m
The Team: Role-Based CoordinationscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 30m
Task Decomposition: Trees with EvidencescriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 35m
The Task Is a DirectoryscriptedModule 3 · Planning, Context & Multi-agent Systems · 30m