About this course: Programming is an increasingly important skill, whether you aspire to a career in software development, or in other fields. This course is the first in the specialization Introduction to Programming in C, but its lessons extend to any language you might want to learn. This is because programming is fundamentally about figuring out how to solve a class of problems and writing the algorithm, a clear set of steps to solve any problem in its class. This course will introduce you to a powerful problem-solving process—the Seven Steps—which you can use to solve any programming problem. In this course, you will learn how to develop an algorithm, then progress to reading code and understanding how programming concepts relate to algorithms.
Who is this class for: This course is for learners who have an interest in learning how to program, for people with no programming experience or for people with some experience who would like to gain solid fundamentals and a deeper understanding of how to program effectively.
Created by: Duke University
Taught by: Andrew D. Hilton, Assistant Professor of the Practice
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Taught by: Genevieve M. Lipp, Adjunct Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering/Mechanical Engineering
Taught by: Anne Bracy, Senior Lecturer
Computer Science, Cornell University
| Basic Info | Course 1 of 4 in the Introduction to Programming in C Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 4 weeks of study, 6–8 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Introduction
This module introduces a powerful process for solving any programming problem—the Seven Steps. You will learn how to approach a programming problem methodically, so you can formulate an algorithm that is specific and correct. You will work through examples with sequences of numbers and graphical patterns to develop the skill of algorithm development.
8 videos, 8 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Reading: Overview of the Seven Steps
- Reading: Algorithms
- Video: Stepping Through An Algorithm
- Reading: Step 1: Work an Example Yourself
- Reading: Step 2: Write Down What You Just Did
- Reading: Step 3: Generalize Your Steps
- Reading: Step 4: Test Your Algorithm
- Video: Testing an Algorithm for a Numerical Sequence
- Practice Quiz: Steps 1–4
- Reading: A Pattern of Squares
- Video: A Pattern of Squares
- Video: Testing a Pattern of Squares
- Video: Drawing a Rectangle
- Video: Closest Point
- Video: Generalizing Closest Point
- Practice Quiz: Algorithm Practice
- Reading: Next Steps
Graded: Algorithms
WEEK 2
Reading Code
In this module, you will learn to read code—this means you will be able to execute a piece of code by hand, and clearly illustrate what each statement does and what the state of the program is. Understanding how to read code is the only way to be sure you can write correct code. By the end of this module, you will be able to read and understand code with functions, conditional statements, iteration, and other fundamental techniques.
12 videos, 17 readings, 7 practice quizzes
- Reading: Declaring a Variable
- Reading: Assigning a Variable
- Video: Declaring and Assigning a Variable
- Reading: Expressions with Common Operators
- Video: Examples of Expressions
- Practice Quiz: Variables and Expressions
- Video: Using Functions for Abstraction
- Reading: Anatomy of a Function
- Reading: How to Evaluate a Function
- Video: Execution of Function Calls
- Reading: Scope
- Practice Quiz: Functions
- Reading: Printing
- Video: Printing Example
- Practice Quiz: Printing
- Reading: Conditional Statements
- Practice Quiz: Logical Operators
- Reading: If/Else
- Video: Execution of If/Else
- Reading: Switch/Case
- Video: Execution of Switch/Case
- Reading: Shorthand
- Practice Quiz: Conditional Statements
- Reading: Loops for Repetition
- Reading: While Loops
- Video: While Loops
- Practice Quiz: While Loops
- Reading: Do/While Loops
- Reading: For Loops
- Video: Equivalent For and While Loops
- Video: Execution of Nested Loops
- Reading: Continue and Break
- Video: Execution of Continue
- Practice Quiz: Loops
- Reading: Higher-level Meaning
Graded: Reading Code
WEEK 3
Types
Everything is a number to a computer, but types determine the size and interpretation of numbers. In this module you will learn about types beyond integers, both their conceptual representations, and their hardware representations in binary. You will learn basic data types, "non-number" types, and complex, custom types, as well as some important caveats, so you will avoid type-related programming mistakes.
7 videos, 18 readings, 5 practice quizzes
- Reading: Converting between Decimal and Binary
- Reading: Looking under the Hood
- Practice Quiz: Decimal, Hex, and Binary
- Reading: Basic Data Types
- Reading: char
- Reading: int
- Reading: float and double
- Reading: Printing redux
- Video: Types and Formatted Output
- Practice Quiz: Basic Data Types
- Reading: Expressions Have Types
- Reading: Type Conversion
- Reading: Casting
- Video: Type Conversion
- Reading: Overflow and Underflow
- Practice Quiz: Expressions Have Types
- Reading: "Non-numbers"
- Reading: Strings
- Reading: Images
- Reading: Sound and Video
- Video: Everything Is a Number
- Practice Quiz: "Non-numbers"
- Reading: Structs
- Video: Struct for a Rectangle
- Reading: Typedef
- Video: Uses of Typedef
- Reading: Enumerated Types
- Video: Enumerated Types
- Practice Quiz: Complex, Custom Data Types
Graded: Types
WEEK 4
Project
You have learned a lot about designing algorithms and the programming concepts that will help you implement them. For this project, you will develop and test your own algorithm for sorting data. This module will reinforce the importance of being specific when you write an algorithm and provide an opportunity for you to do so yourself, for a very common computational task: sorting.
2 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Sample PB&J Algorithm with Feedback
- Video: Introduction to Sorting
Graded: Writing a Sorting Algorithm
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| Access to course materials | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available |
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