Cs 1101 Programming Fundamentals

CS 1101: PROGRAMMING FUNDAMENTALS

Course Description:

This course covers the basics of computer programming and provides a foundation for further learning in this area. No previous computer programming knowledge is required to finish this course. The course uses the Python programming language which is very simple and straightforward. The course also covers abstract concepts which can be applied to almost any programming language, and students are encouraged to pay attention to these, since the way of thinking like a programmer is the most valuable lesson they will learn.

Required Textbook and Materials:

The main required textbooks for this course are listed below, and can be readily accessed using the provided links. There may be additional required/recommended readings, supplemental materials, or other resources and websites necessary for lessons; these will be provided for you in the course’s General Information and Forums area, and throughout the term via the weekly course Unit areas and the Learning Guides.

Software Requirements/Installation:

For your assignments, you must download and install the appropriate Python interpreter for your computer and operating system. Versions of the software are available for Windows (XP, Vista, Windows7), Linux distributions, and Mac OS. Most popular distributions of Linux will either include Python or will provide an installation option for it in the software management utility.

You can find available downloads for Python v3.4 at the following URL: http://www.python.org/download/

Installation is relatively straightforward. Follow the prompts when installing. Further information is available in the documentation section located here: https://docs.python.org/3/. Instructions to install and configure Python can be found in the Python setup and usage section of this page.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Describe the history and development of computer programming languages
2. Implement modeling techniques including pseudo code and flowcharts to build conceptual models of a program’s logic, functionality, and execution
3. Implement code using fundamental programming concepts, language constructs and procedural programming approaches.
4. Develop programs using the Python programming language to solve programming problems
5. Independently research programming languages and apply new programming language features

Course Schedule and Topics:

This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week. The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 .

Week 1: Unit 1 – Introduction and Fundamental Concepts

Week 2: Unit 2 – Variables, Expressions, Statements, and Functions

Week 3: Unit 3 – Conditionals and Recursion

Week 4: Unit 4 – Functions and Return Values

Week 5: Unit 5- Iteration and Strings

Week 6: Unit 6 – Lists

Week 7: Unit 7 – Dictionaries and Tuples

Week 8: Unit 8 – Files

Week 9: Unit 9 – Final Exam