Latest Courseoutline
Latest Courseoutline
Details
Lecturer: Mrs Catherine Chivasa Contact Details: 0773961494
Email: [email protected]
Course 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.
Course Outline
Module 1: Course Introduction, Intro to Programming and The Python Language, Variables,
Conditionals, Jupyter Notebook, and IDLE
● Learning Objectives
0 Identify core aspects of programming and features of the Python language
○ Use different tools for writing and running Python code
○ Understand and apply core programming concepts like conditionals and variables
○ Write code to process user input and do basic error checking
● Topics
0 Introduction to Programming
○ Introduction to Python
○ Configuring Python and Tools
○ The Python Language
○ Downloading & Installing IDLE (Python’s Integrated Development & Learning Environment)
○ Python Scripts
○ Variables
○ Flow Control: Conditionals
○ Catching Errors
○ Modular Programming
Course Assessment
This course will use a variety of assessments. Ungraded code-along lectures allow students to
practice along with the instructor, and self-assess their ability to apply the concepts and skills
they learned, before attempting the graded assessments. Graded assessments include:
Recommended Resources
● Python Crash Course, by Eric Matthes: https://nostarch.com/pythoncrashcourse2e
(You should also be able to find it on the O’Reilly site through the UPenn library)
● Think Python, by Allen B. Downey: https://greenteapress.com/wp/think-python/
● Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, by Al Sweigart:
https://automatetheboringstuff.com/
● Python in Easy Steps, by Mike McGrath: https://www.amazon.com/Python-easy-steps-
Covers-3-7/dp/1840788127/
Note: Never post code or solutions to assignments on the discussion forum. If you are having
difficulty with code or solutions, a TA may provide an email address to send it in for private
assistance.