Course Summary
This course is an introduction to basic concepts of programming using Python. It covers data structures, control structures, functions, input/output, and object-oriented programming.Key Learning Points
- Learn the fundamentals of Python programming language
- Understand basic programming concepts
- Explore object-oriented programming
Related Topics for further study
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the basics of programming using Python
- Learn how to write Python programs that use data structures, control structures, and functions
- Gain an understanding of object-oriented programming in Python
Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course
- No previous programming experience required
- Access to a computer with an internet connection
Course Difficulty Level
BeginnerCourse Format
- Online self-paced
- Video lectures
- Assignments and quizzes
Similar Courses
- Python Data Structures
- Python Functions, Files, and Dictionaries
- Python Classes and Inheritance
Related Education Paths
Notable People in This Field
- Creator of Python
- Data Scientist
Related Books
Description
This course provides an introduction to programming and the Python language. Students are introduced to core programming concepts like data structures, conditionals, loops, variables, and functions. This course includes an overview of the various tools available for writing and running Python, and gets students coding quickly. It also provides hands-on coding exercises using commonly used data structures, writing custom functions, and reading and writing to files. This course may be more robust than some other introductory python courses, as it delves deeper into certain essential programming topics.
Knowledge
- Identify core aspects of programming and features of the Python language
- Understand and apply core programming concepts like data structures, conditionals, loops, variables, and functions
- Use different tools for writing and running Python code
- Design and write fully-functional Python programs using commonly used data structures, custom functions, and reading and writing to files
Outline
- Module 1 : Course Introduction, Intro to Programming and The Python Language, Variables, Conditionals, Jupyter Notebook, and IDLE
- About the Instructor : Brandon Krakowsky
- What you should expect from this Course
- Why begin with Python?
- Module Intro
- What is Programming?
- Client-side vs. server-side programming
- Introduction to core programming concepts: Data structures, Conditionals, Variables, Functions, and Loops
- What is Python?
- Python is interpreted
- Why Python?
- Downloading & installing Python
- Downloading & Installing Jupyter Notebook
- Using Jupyter Notebook
- How do I write Python?
- Printing
- Basic Data Types
- Arithmetic operators
- About division
- Boolean values
- Comparison operators
- Code Along Exercise : Even/Odd
- Strings
- Casting
- How to use Coursera Labs & understand Autograder output
- Downloading & installing IDLE
- Using the IDLE shell
- Running a Python script
- Adding comments to Python scripts
- Code Along Exercise : Comment the program to greet user
- Assigning a variable
- Boolean operators
- Variable substitution
- Combining variables
- Code Along Exercise : Cats & dogs
- Getting user input
- Code Along Exercise : Calculate total bill
- The if … elif … else statement
- Code Along Exercise : Numerical grade to letter grade
- Multiple if conditionals
- Checking user input
- Coding Demonstration : Common Python Errors
- Coding Demonstration : Creating a function to convert numerical grade to letter grade
- Course Layout & Syllabus
- Tips to succeed in this course
- Module 1 Resources (DOWNLOAD RELEVANT CODE AND/OR DATA FILES FOR THIS MODULE HERE)
- Python - Getting Help
- Quick Intro to Variables
- Homework 1a : Instructions
- What is a Python script?
- Python Errors
- Reading : Quick Intro to Functions
- Homework 1b : Instructions
- Quiz 1 - Intro to Python & The Python Language
- Practice Quiz - Variables & data types
- Quiz 2 - Variables & Conditionals
- Module 2 : Intro to Lists, Loops, and Functions
- Module Introduction
- Creating a list
- Updating a list
- Types of Loops
- Executing code a given number of times
- Iterating over a list
- Code Along Exercise : Find minimum value
- Iterating over strings
- Iterate over a string
- Code Along Exercise : Iterate over a name
- 'for' loops using range
- Repeatedly executing code based on a condition
- Waiting for user input
- Code Along Exercise : Secret password
- Exiting a loop using break
- Exiting a loop using continue
- Nested loops
- Code Along Exercise : Multiplication tables
- Coding Demonstration : Average program
- Coding Demonstration : Word reversal
- What is a function?
- Built-in functions
- User-defined functions
- Code Along Exercise : Square
- Code Along Exercise : Greater than
- Docstrings (Documentation Strings)
- Code Along Exercise : Get factors
- Code Along Exercise : Unique list
- Execution order
- The main function
- Coding Demonstration : Vowel/word counter
- Module 2 Resources (DOWNLOAD RELEVANT CODE AND/OR DATA FILES FOR THIS MODULE HERE)
- Homework 2 : Instructions
- Quiz 3 - Intro to Lists & Loops
- Practice Quiz : Intro to Lists, Loops, and Functions
- Quiz 4 - Functions
- Module 3 : More with Lists, Strings, Tuples, Sets, and PyCharm
- Module introduction
- About PyCharm
- Downloading & installing PyCharm
- Running code
- A review of lists
- More list operations
- List functions
- Slicing lists
- Strings vs. lists
- Slicing strings
- Code Along Exercise : Name Substring
- Split and join
- Creating a tuple
- Code Along Exercise : Max and min function
- Creating a set
- Iterating over and updating a set
- Module 3 Resources (DOWNLOAD RELEVANT CODE AND/OR DATA FILES FOR THIS MODULE HERE)
- String functions
- Homework 3 : Instructions
- Practice Quiz : Jupyter Notebook, IDLE, & PyCharm
- Quiz 5 - Lists & Strings
- Quiz 6 - Tuples & Sets
- Module 4 : Dictionaries and Files
- Module Introduction
- Creating a dictionary
- Key:value pairs
- Updating a dictionary
- Code Along Exercise : Grade/attendance book
- Opening a file
- Basics of file open method modes
- Reading a file
- Newline characters
- Writing to a file
- Closing a file
- Coding Demonstration : Open and read a file
- Coding Demonstration : Open, read, and append to new file
- Coding Demonstration : Open, read, and append to same file
- Coding Demonstration : Open, read, and write to new file
- Coding Demonstration : File to Dictionary
- Intro to Homework 4
- Module 4 Resources (DOWNLOAD RELEVANT CODE AND/OR DATA FILES FOR THIS MODULE HERE)
- Homework 4 : Instructions
- Quiz 7 - Dictionaries
- Practice Quiz : Python Dictionaries & Files
- Quiz 8 - File I/O
Summary of User Reviews
Discover the basics of Python programming with this introductory course on Coursera. Users have praised the course for its engaging content and practical exercises. Overall, this course is highly recommended for beginners interested in learning Python programming.Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course
The course provides practical exercises to help learners apply the concepts they've learned.Pros from User Reviews
- Engaging content that keeps learners interested
- Practical exercises to apply what you've learned
- Clear explanations of complex concepts
Cons from User Reviews
- Some users found the course too basic
- Limited interaction with instructors
- No certificate of completion for free version
Brandon Krakowsky
4 Raiting
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