Online Course Curriculum Developer

### **Course Title:** **Python Programming for Beginners** --- ### **Course Overview:** **Goals:** This course introduces beginners to the fundamentals of Python programming, building from basic concepts to more advanced techniques. By the end of the course, students will be able to: - Write Python programs that solve simple problems. - Understand core Python syntax and structures. - Implement basic programming concepts such as loops, conditionals, functions, and file handling. - Work with libraries for real-world applications, such as data manipulation and web scraping. **Target Audience:** - Absolute beginners with no prior programming experience. - Those with basic programming knowledge in another language who want to learn Python. - High school students, university students, and adult learners interested in learning programming for personal or career development. --- ### **Module Breakdown:** --- ### **Module 1: Introduction to Python & Setting Up the Environment** **Learning Objectives:** - Understand the basics of programming and Python’s role in it. - Set up Python development environment (installing Python, IDEs like VSCode, Jupyter Notebooks). - Write and run the first Python program: "Hello, World!" **Content:** - Introduction to Python: Why Python? Use cases and history. - Installing Python on different platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux). - Overview of IDEs (Integrated Development Environments). - Running Python scripts. **Teaching Materials:** - Videos: "What is Python?" and "Installing Python on Windows/Mac/Linux" - Reading: Python’s official documentation on installation - Interactive activity: Running the first "Hello, World!" script in the IDE **Assignment/Quiz:** - Simple MCQ on Python’s role and history. - Practical assignment: Install Python and submit the first "Hello, World!" program. --- ### **Module 2: Python Basics: Variables, Data Types, and Operators** **Learning Objectives:** - Understand variables, data types (integers, floats, strings, booleans), and type conversion. - Use basic arithmetic, assignment, and comparison operators. **Content:** - Variables: Naming conventions and best practices. - Data types: Introduction to string, int, float, and boolean. - Arithmetic and comparison operators. - Type conversion: Implicit vs explicit casting. **Teaching Materials:** - Video: "Understanding Variables and Data Types" - Interactive practice: Code playgrounds to experiment with different operators and data types. **Assignment/Quiz:** - Quiz: Identify data types and results of expressions. - Assignment: Write a script that asks for user input, performs arithmetic, and prints results. --- ### **Module 3: Control Flow: Conditionals and Loops** **Learning Objectives:** - Write Python programs using if-else statements for decision-making. - Use loops (for, while) for repetitive tasks. - Understand break, continue, and nested loops. **Content:** - Conditionals: if, elif, else. - Loops: for loop, while loop, and control flow with break/continue. - Introduction to logical operators (and, or, not). **Teaching Materials:** - Video: "Control Flow in Python" - Article: "Best Practices for Using Loops" - Interactive practice: Write a program using conditionals and loops. **Assignment/Quiz:** - Quiz: Test understanding of conditionals and loops. - Assignment: Write a program that iterates through a list and prints items meeting certain conditions. --- ### **Module 4: Functions and Modules** **Learning Objectives:** - Define and call functions. - Understand the importance of functions for modularity and code reuse. - Use built-in modules and import custom modules. **Content:** - Creating and calling functions. - Function arguments and return values. - Using Python’s standard library (e.g., math, datetime). - Writing and importing custom modules. **Teaching Materials:** - Video: "Writing Functions in Python" - Reading: Python’s documentation on functions and modules. - Interactive coding exercises: Create custom functions to solve simple problems. **Assignment/Quiz:** - Quiz: Function definitions and module import. - Assignment: Write a program that uses at least two functions and imports a standard library module. --- ### **Module 5: Working with Lists, Tuples, Dictionaries, and Sets** **Learning Objectives:** - Understand and manipulate Python’s built-in data structures (lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sets). - Perform common operations (add, remove, update, search). **Content:** - Lists: Creating, slicing, and modifying lists. - Tuples: Immutable sequences. - Dictionaries: Key-value pairs. - Sets: Unordered collections of unique items. **Teaching Materials:** - Video: "Working with Lists and Dictionaries" - Article: "Understanding Python Data Structures" - Interactive activity: Modify and access elements in data structures. **Assignment/Quiz:** - Quiz: Identify correct usage of lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sets. - Assignment: Write a program that uses each of these data structures to store and retrieve data. --- ### **Module 6: File Handling** **Learning Objectives:** - Read from and write to files using Python. - Understand file modes (read, write, append). **Content:** - Opening and closing files. - Reading and writing text files. - Error handling when working with files. **Teaching Materials:** - Video: "File Handling in Python" - Reading: "Working with Files in Python" - Interactive exercise: Write a script that reads data from one file and writes it to another. **Assignment/Quiz:** - Quiz: File operations and file modes. - Assignment: Write a program that reads a text file and processes the data. --- ### **Module 7: Introduction to Libraries: NumPy and Pandas** **Learning Objectives:** - Install and use third-party libraries. - Understand the basics of NumPy and Pandas for data manipulation. **Content:** - Installing libraries with pip. - Overview of NumPy arrays. - Pandas DataFrames for tabular data. **Teaching Materials:** - Video: "Introduction to Data Libraries: NumPy and Pandas" - Reading: Intro to Pandas Documentation. - Interactive exercise: Basic data manipulation with Pandas. **Assignment/Quiz:** - Quiz: Test knowledge of basic library usage. - Assignment: Write a script that uses Pandas to analyze a simple dataset. --- ### **Capstone Project: Build a Simple Python Application** **Learning Objectives:** - Apply all the skills learned throughout the course to build a small, functional Python application. **Content:** - Choose one of the following project options: 1. **To-Do List Application**: A command-line tool that allows users to add, edit, and delete tasks. 2. **Text File Analyzer**: A program that reads a text file and generates statistics (e.g., word count, frequency of each word). 3. **Simple Budget Tracker**: Use lists/dictionaries to manage expenses and income. **Teaching Materials:** - Capstone guide with step-by-step instructions for each project option. **Assignment:** - Build and submit the final project with a readme file explaining the code. --- ### **Optional Resources for Further Learning:** - Python’s Official Documentation: https://docs.python.org/3/ - Books: - "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python" by Al Sweigart. - "Python Crash Course" by Eric Matthes. - Practice Platforms: - Codecademy’s Python Track. - HackerRank and LeetCode for algorithm challenges. --- ### **Final Assessment:** - The final assessment will consist of two parts: 1. **Quiz:** A comprehensive quiz covering all key topics from the course. 2. **Project Review:** Grading of the capstone project based on functionality, code readability, and documentation. --- This structured outline provides a step-by-step guide for beginners to become proficient in Python, combining theory, hands-on practice, and practical applications to ensure a well-rounded learning experience.