Professor Tak Auyeung of American River College, said it beautifully, “A programming language is not a fashion statement” it is used for a purpose. Whether it is to add new features, modify logic, create APIs to integrate it into other applications, or implement modern development practices, businesses around the world need application developers who know COBOL.
This course introduces Enterprise COBOL programming on IBM Z using Visual Studio Code and modern development tools. Learners build a solid foundation in COBOL program structure, data definitions, arithmetic processing, conditional logic, file handling, and intrinsic functions. The course also introduces real-world practices such as program compilation, debugging, ABEND analysis, performance-aware coding, unit testing, and basic CI/CD concepts. Hands-on labs reinforce learning through practical problem-solving and testing exercises.
On successful completion of this course, learners are eligible to earn the COBOL Programming with VSCode badge.
What's included
5 videos3 readings6 assignments
Show info about module content
5 videos•Total 19 minutes
Welcome to COBOL•2 minutes
VSCode and Extensions•3 minutes
What does COBOL syntax look like?•4 minutes
What are COBOL Divisions?•4 minutes
COBOL Variables•6 minutes
3 readings•Total 85 minutes
Lab Setup: Getting Started•45 minutes
Additional information•10 minutes
Lab Exercises 2.6 and 2.7•30 minutes
6 assignments•Total 35 minutes
Welcome to COBOL•5 minutes
VSCode and Extensions•5 minutes
Basic COBOL Syntax•5 minutes
COBOL Divisions•5 minutes
COBOL Variables•5 minutes
Week 1 graded quiz•10 minutes
COBOL Structure and Cross-Program Communication
Module 2•4 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
7 videos5 readings8 assignments
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 33 minutes
Data Division•2 minutes
File Handling•6 minutes
Procedure Division•4 minutes
Program Structure•6 minutes
What are paragraphs and how do we use them?•6 minutes
How do we call another program?•2 minutes
File Output and Reports•6 minutes
5 readings•Total 130 minutes
Lab Exercise 3.5•30 minutes
Additional information•10 minutes
Lab Exercises 4.6 and 5.4•30 minutes
Lab Exercises 6.8•30 minutes
Lab Exercise 7.5•30 minutes
8 assignments•Total 50 minutes
Data Division•5 minutes
File Handling•5 minutes
Procedure Division•5 minutes
Program Structure•5 minutes
Paragraphs•5 minutes
Program Linkage•5 minutes
File Output and Reports•5 minutes
Week 2 graded quiz•15 minutes
Defining and Manipulating COBOL Data Names/Types
Module 3•3 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
4 videos5 readings5 assignments
Show info about module content
4 videos•Total 23 minutes
Conditional Expressions•7 minutes
Arithmetic Expressions•6 minutes
Data Types•5 minutes
Intrinsic Functions•6 minutes
5 readings•Total 130 minutes
Lab Exercises 8.6 and 9.2•30 minutes
Additional information•10 minutes
Lab Exercise 10.6•30 minutes
Lab Exercise 11.3•30 minutes
Lab Exercise 12.4•30 minutes
5 assignments•Total 35 minutes
Conditional Expressions•5 minutes
Arithmetic Expressions•5 minutes
Data Types•5 minutes
Intrinsic Functions•5 minutes
Week 3 graded quiz•15 minutes
ABEND Handling
Module 4•1 hour to complete
Module details
What's included
1 video1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 11 minutes
ABEND Handling•11 minutes
1 reading•Total 30 minutes
Lab Exercise 13.3•30 minutes
1 assignment•Total 5 minutes
Unit 4 Quiz•5 minutes
Numerical Data Representation
Module 5•22 minutes to complete
Module details
What's included
1 video1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 17 minutes
Numerical Data Representation•17 minutes
1 assignment•Total 5 minutes
Unit 5 Quiz•5 minutes
Dynamic-Length Items
Module 6•12 minutes to complete
Module details
What's included
1 video1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 7 minutes
Dynamic-Length Items•7 minutes
1 assignment•Total 5 minutes
Unit 6 Quiz•5 minutes
UTF‑8 Data Types
Module 7•12 minutes to complete
Module details
What's included
1 video1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 7 minutes
UTF‑8 Data Types•7 minutes
1 assignment•Total 5 minutes
Unit 7 Quiz•5 minutes
COBOL Application Programming Interface (API)
Module 8•12 minutes to complete
Module details
What's included
1 video1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 7 minutes
COBOL API•7 minutes
1 assignment•Total 5 minutes
Unit 8 Quiz•5 minutes
COBOL Program Compilation
Module 9•19 minutes to complete
Module details
What's included
1 video1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 14 minutes
COBOL Program Compilation•14 minutes
1 assignment•Total 5 minutes
Unit 9 Quiz•5 minutes
Multithreading and COBOL
Module 10•18 minutes to complete
Module details
What's included
1 video1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 13 minutes
Multithreading and COBOL•13 minutes
1 assignment•Total 5 minutes
Unit 10 Quiz•5 minutes
Program Tuning and Simplification
Module 11•2 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 18 minutes
Optimal Programming Style•8 minutes
Choosing Efficient Data Types•6 minutes
Handling Tables Efficiently and Compiler Options•4 minutes
1 reading•Total 60 minutes
Lab Exercises - COBOL Challenges•60 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
Unit 11 Quiz•15 minutes
Testing
Module 12•2 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 19 minutes
Testing•8 minutes
COBOL Check•6 minutes
DevOps and CI/CD•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 60 minutes
Lab Exercise - Automation with GitHub Actions•60 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
Unit 12 Quiz•15 minutes
Final Exam
Module 13•1 hour to complete
Module details
Take this exam to earn your COBOL Programming with VSCode badge.
What's included
1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 assignment•Total 60 minutes
Final Exam•60 minutes
Instructor
Instructor ratings
Instructor ratings
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
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For more information about IBM visit: www.ibm.com
On successful completion of this course, learners are eligible to earn their COBOL Programming with VSCode badge. More information can be found here.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.