This course is part of the Python 3 Programming Specialization

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Associated with the Master of Applied Data Science degree
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Python 3 Programming SpecializationUniversity of Michigan

About this Course

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This course introduces the basics of Python 3, including conditional execution and iteration as control structures, and strings and lists as data structures. You'll program an on-screen Turtle to draw pretty pictures. You'll also learn to draw reference diagrams as a way to reason about program executions, which will help to build up your debugging skills. The course has no prerequisites. It will cover Chapters 1-9 of the textbook "Fundamentals of Python Programming," which is the accompanying text (optional and free) for this course.
The course is for you if you're a newcomer to Python programming, if you need a refresher on Python basics, or if you may have had some exposure to Python programming but want a more in-depth exposition and vocabulary for describing and reasoning about programs.

This is the first of five courses in the Python 3 Programming Specialization.

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Course 1 of 5 in the

Python 3 Programming Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 34 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 5 in the

Python 3 Programming Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 34 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.76/5 (4,256 Ratings)

Paul Resnick

Michael D. Cohen Collegiate Professor

School of Information

410,798 Learners

9 Courses

Steve Oney

Assistant Professor

School of Information

404,115 Learners

8 Courses

Offered by

University of Michigan

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This course is related to the 100% online Master of Applied Data Science from University of Michigan. It will provide you with a preview of the topics, materials and instructors so you can decide if the full online degree program is right for you.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(67,634 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

11 hours to complete

General Introduction

11 hours to complete

27 videos (Total 172 min), 31 readings, 6 quizzes

27 videos

Introduction to the Specialization11mHow to Use the Interactive Textbook14mGetting Started7mValues and Data Types7mOperators and Operands7mFunction Calls10mData Types5mType Conversion Functions5mVariables11mStatements and Expressions8mMore About Statements and Expressions6mUpdating Variables7mHard-Coding3mInput6mIntroduction - Objects and Turtle Graphics1mOur First Turtle Program6mInstances: A Herd of Turtles7mRepetition with a For Loop5mMore Turtle Methods1mImporting Modules9mConclusion - Turtle Graphics1mIntroduction - Debugging1mSyntax, Runtime, and Semantic Errors6mKnow Your Error Messages3mIncremental Programming6mCommon Errors5mConclusion - Debugging1m

31 readings

Syllabus10mHelp Us Learn More About You!10mValues and Data Types10mOperators and Operands10mOrder of Operations10mFunction Calls10mData Types10mType Conversion Functions10mVariables10mVariable Names and Keywords10mChoosing the Right Variable Name10mReassignment10mStatements and Expressions10mUpdating Variables10mHard-Coding10mInput10mHello Little Turtles!10mOur First Turtle Program10mInstances: A Herd of Turtles10mObject Oriented Concepts10mRepetition with a For Loop10mA Few More Turtle Methods and Observations10mSummary of Turtle Methods10mImporting Modules10mSyntax Errors10mRuntime Errors10mSemantic Errors10mKnow Your Error Messages10mIncremental Programming10mCommon Errors10mPractice Assignment - Drawing with Turtle10m

1 practice exercise

Optional - What Did You Use to Practice This Week?4m

Week2

Week 2

8 hours to complete

Sequences and Iteration

In week two you will use the lectures and the Runestone textbook to understand the basics of a few python data types - lists, strings, tuples - as well as a control structure - for loops. By the end of this week, you will be able to write more complex programs that create drawings by incorporating for loops. Finally, we will present the basics of an accumulation pattern to you, which will be expanded on in each week for the rest of the course.

8 hours to complete

14 videos (Total 87 min), 23 readings, 4 quizzes

14 videos

Strings7mLists2mTuples3mThe Index Operator7mThe Slice Operator7mConcatenation and Repetition6mCount and Index10mSplit and Join6mThe For Loop12mThe Accumulator Pattern4mThe Range Function5mNaming Your Variables in For Loops3mPrinting Intermediate Results4mKeeping Track of Your Iterator Variable and Your Iterable4m

23 readings

Introduction: Sequences10mStrings10mLists10mTuples10mIndex Operator: Working with the Characters of a String and Accessing Elements in a List10mDisambiguating []: Creation vs. Indexing10mLength10mThe Slice Operator10mConcatenation and Repetition10mCount and Index10mSplitting and Joining Strings10mIntroduction: Iteration10mThe for Loop10mFlow of Execution of the for Loop10mStrings and for Loops10mLists and for Loops10mThe Accumulator Pattern and the Range Function10m(Optional) Traversal and the for Loop: By Index10m(Optional) Nested Iteration: Image Processing10m(Optional) The Gory Details: Iterables10mNaming Variables in For Loops10mPrinting Intermediate Results10mKeeping Track of Your Iterator Variable and Your Iterable10m

1 practice exercise

Optional - What Did You Use to Practice This Week?4m

Week3

Week 3

5 hours to complete

Booleans and Conditionals

5 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 61 min), 12 readings, 3 quizzes

7 videos

Boolean Expressions8mLogical Operators10mThe in and not in Operators3mPrecedence of Operators2mConditional Execution8mUnary Selection, Nested Conditionals, and Chained Conditionals16mThe Accumulator Pattern with Conditionals and Accumulating a Maximum Value10m

12 readings

Intro: What We Can Do with Turtles and Conditionals10mBoolean Values and Boolean Expressions10mLogical Operators10mThe in and not in Operators10mPrecedence of Operators10mConditional Execution: Binary Selection10mOmitting the else Clause: Unary Selection10mNested Conditionals10mChained Conditionals10mMake a Flow Chart before You Write Your Code10mThe Accumulator Pattern with Conditionals10mAccumulating a Maximum Value10m

1 practice exercise

Optional - What Did You Use to Practice This Week?4m

Week4

Week 4

10 hours to complete

Sequence Mutation and Accumulation Patterns

10 hours to complete

22 videos (Total 92 min), 16 readings, 6 quizzes

22 videos

Introduction - Sequence Mutation1mMutability12mList Element Deletion1mObjects and References4mAliasing3mCloning Lists2mConclusion - Sequence Mutation1mIntroduction - Methods on Lists and Strings1mMethods on Lists9mAppend vs. Concatenate7mNon-Mutating Methods on Strings7mString Format Method8mConclusion - Methods on Lists and Strings1mIntroduction - Accumulating Lists and Strings48sThe Accumulator Pattern with Lists4mThe Accumulator Pattern with Strings5mConclusion - Accumulating Lists and Strings1mIntroduction - Way of the Programmer47sMaking Reference Diagrams3mAccumulator Pattern Strategies8mConclusion - Way of the Programmer54sIntroduction - Final Course Assignment4m

16 readings

Introduction: Transforming Sequences10mMutability10mList Element Deletion10mObjects and References10mAliasing10mCloning Lists10mMethods on Lists10mAppend vs. Concatenate10mNon-Mutating Methods on Strings10mString Format Method10mThe Accumulator Pattern with Lists10mThe Accumulator Pattern with Strings10mAccumulator Pattern Strategies10mDon't Mutate A List That You Are Iterating Through10mCourse Feedback10mKeep Learning with Michigan Online10m

Reviews

4.8

3652 reviews

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3 stars
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2 stars
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TOP REVIEWS FROM PYTHON BASICS

by MNJan 2, 2019

I have tried a few different Python courses and this is the one you want to do. Why? Because the textbook used SPACED REPETITION - scientifically proven as the best way to really learn anything.

by NENov 23, 2020

This is a great course for getting started in Python. If you have (even rusty) programming skills, it might seem a little slow in places. Trust me, pay attention - you will still learn new things.

by KMAug 8, 2019

Coursera has improved my practical skill in programming due a lot of practices and guidance. Taking Python basics has really helped me gain confidence to take over so many programming challenges.

by AOct 27, 2020

I have no reason to rate it a star less than 5! The practice exercises and modes of teaching were on point. Also enjoyed the jokes at the end of each section (lol). Sending love and light from here.

View all reviews

About the Python 3 Programming Specialization

This specialization teaches the fundamentals of programming in Python 3. We will begin at the beginning, with variables, conditionals, and loops, and get to some intermediate material like keyword parameters, list comprehensions, lambda expressions, and class inheritance.

You will have lots of opportunities to practice. You will also learn ways to reason about program execution, so that it is no longer mysterious and you are able to debug programs when they don’t work. By the end of the specialization, you’ll be writing programs that query Internet APIs for data and extract useful information from them. And you’ll be able to learn to use new modules and APIs on your own by reading the documentation. That will give you a great launch toward being an independent Python programmer. This specialization is a good next step for you if you have completed Python for Everybody but want a more in-depth treatment of Python fundamentals and more practice, so that you can proceed with confidence to specializations like Applied Data Science with Python. But it is also appropriate as a first set of courses in Python if you are already familiar with some other programming language, or if you are up for the challenge of diving in head-first.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. 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 subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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