Introduction to Python Programming

Instructor: Pengcheng Cao
Instructor Emails: p5cao@eng.ucsd.edu
Dates: July 10 - July 29, 2023
Schedule: TBD

Course Description

In this course, students learn to program in Python. The course is aimed at students who may, or may not, have experience with coding at all, but are beginners in Python. Students will listen to explanations and watch demonstrations as they gain practical experience with basic coding concepts such as calculations, string formatting/manipulation, conditional statements, iteration and abstraction of functions, writing proper comments and function headers as well as programming style. For their final project, students will creatively deploy the class materials to develop a simple text-based arcade game.

Learning Outcomes

Understand the rules and syntax used in programming languages
Familiarity with programming constructs
Writing functional code in Python
Preparation for advancement into more in-depth or college-level programming courses

Course Topics

Python Basics
Functions and Modules
Math
String Manipulation
Iterables: Sequences, Dictionaries, and Sets
Flow Control
File Processing
Exception Handling
Dates and Times
Running Python Scripts from the Command Line
Visualization

Prerequisites

Some programming experience would be beneficial.

*Courses vary by experience and exposure to content. Instructors have the ability to change content and pace to serve the needs of students. Courses have been modified for online teaching.