The goal of the course is to introduce students to Python Version 3.x programming using hands on instruction. It will show how to install Python and use the Spyder IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for writing and debugging programs. The approach will be to present an example followed by a small exercise where the learner tries something similar to solidify a concept. At the end of each module there will be an exercise where the student is required to write simple programs and submit them for grading. It is intended for students with little or no programming background, although students with such a background should be able to move forward at their preferred pace.
About this Course
Learner Career Outcomes
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Skills you will gain
Learner Career Outcomes
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Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University, founded in 1831, is a diverse, energetic liberal arts community where critical thinking and practical idealism go hand in hand. With our distinctive scholar-teacher culture, creative programming, and commitment to interdisciplinary learning, Wesleyan challenges students to explore new ideas and change the world. Our graduates go on to lead and innovate in a wide variety of industries, including government, business, entertainment, and science.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Beginning to Program in Python
In this module we introduce writing functions in Python using the convenient Spyder development environment. The lesson begins with instructions on installing the popular Anaconda distribution of Python, which includes Spyder. It continues by showing how to use the editor in Spyder to type in a function and then run it. Each lesson alternates between introducing a concept by example and having the student test his/her understanding by constructing a function similar to that example. The module lecture is contained in a single program source file named Exercises1.py. This file, which should be downloaded by the student at the beginning of the module, contains the complete lecture except the solutions to the ungraded exercises. The student should work each of these before viewing the instructor's solution. By using the unique capability of Spyder (using IPython Notebooks), the program file is segmented into cells each of which can be executed independently of the others. Thus the student does not have to manage multiple program files and finishes with a lecture file with filled-in student exercises that can be used for reference. Python topics included in this module are print statement, arithmetic operators, input statement, combining of strings, if statement, while loop, and for loop. The module ends with a series of small functions to write to be submitted for grading. Grading is done by custom software and should normally take only minutes with no limit to the number of re-submissions. Hopefully, you'll finish with a perfect score.
Working with Lists and Importing Libraries. The Random library.
Lists, datatypes, libraries, the random library.
Tuples, Data Dictionaries, Text and CSV Files
So far, we have one collection data type, the list. In this module we take up two more: the tuple and the data dictionary. After that we introduce reading and writing text files and give some illustrative examples. Finally, we take up reading and writing Comma Separated Value (CSV) files.
Functional Values, Sorting, Formatting, Statistics, and a Menu Driven Database Program
In this lesson, we take up a variety of topics and give an example using much of what we've covered in the course. First, we show how functions can return values. Then we show how to build lists of various types and how to sort these lists. After that we use the statistic library to introduce basic descriptive statistics. Finally, we show how to use formatting in print statements. As a recap, we work through an application making use of what we've learned to build a menu-driven program that maintains a small database.
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM PYTHON PROGRAMMING: A CONCISE INTRODUCTION
Quite interesting introduction to Python, focusing on the most important components of the language. Looking forward to other courses using the same format. Thank you Bill and team for your hard work.
I took this course mainly to teach my daughter and to review what I already learned years ago. Teaching style is good and assignments are reasonable. I encourage new programmers to take this course.
Overall good introduction to some basics. Often felt too easy, where the problems were regularly answered in the comments describing the problem or were shown exactly the same in a lecture example.
It was my first experience with Python and I enjoyed it very much! A lot of thanks to Instructor and all team, who made this course so interest and understandable. Thanks to Coursera team as well.
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