The Python programming language was developed with the idea that programmers should have a way to develop code that's easy to create and understand. While Python contains the same basic structures of other languages, it also offers unique functionality that makes the programmer's life easier.

This course will show you how to create basic programming structures like decisions and loops. After that, we'll move on to object-oriented techniques with classes and exceptions. You'll also learn how to use some unique Python data structures like tuples and dictionaries. You'll even learn how to create graphical elements from simple squares and circles to graphical user interface objects like buttons and labels.

By the end of the course, you'll have the foundational knowledge you need to create a variety of Python files, whether they be short scripts, full programs, or graphical user interfaces.

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Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

Two things that make Python attractive are that it's a free download and that it comes with a free development environment, IDLE. In our first lesson, we'll start off right by going on a brief tour of both the language and the environment. You'll see that with IDLE, you can either execute individual statements directly at the interpreter's prompt or save your commands in a program file to be run later. By the end of Lesson 1, you'll be fully prepared to work in IDLE using either method.

Friday - Lesson 02

Programs aren't terribly useful unless you have some way to store values in memory. In Lesson 2, you'll get up to speed with Python variables, and then you'll learn how to use these variables to get input from the user. With this, you'll be able to write Python code to make your programs interactive, making them more useful and a lot more interesting.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

There are many times when you'll want one set of statements run in one situation and another set run in a different situation. For that, you'll need to use Python's if decision structure. In Lesson 3, you'll practice with Python's if syntax and learn how to write both simple and complex conditions to select which statements should be run.

Friday - Lesson 04

Keeping with the theme of programming structures, today's lesson is all about the repetition structure. You'll learn how to write both while and for loops in Python so that your statements can be repeated over and over until some condition is met. You'll also learn some looping features that are unique to Python that help to make your programs more powerful.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Modular programming gives you the ability to write code once, give it a name, and then call on it by name at a later time. In Lesson 5, you'll learn how to write modular programs by creating functions. You'll also learn how to pass data into the functions and then to return values back, building on this knowledge as you proceed through the course.

Friday - Lesson 06

Building on the concept of modular programming, next we'll explore object-oriented programming. This is a popular technique, and in Lesson 6, you'll get an introduction to how it's done in Python. You'll learn how to create a class definition and place variables and functions inside. Then later, you'll use this class to create some objects and work with them to solve simple problems.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

It's now time to take some of the topics we've covered and apply them to something a little more creative. Today, we'll explore Python graphics, where you'll create and work with simple shapes and even get a chance to write programs that simulate animation so that you can watch your shapes move across the screen.

Friday - Lesson 08

Now that you're comfortable with the decision and repetition structures, as well as ways to organize your code, it's now time to turn to ways of managing your data. In this lesson, we'll look at two of Python's basic data structures: lists and tuples. You'll learn how to create these types of variables and use them to manage data for your programs.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

While lists and tuples are useful structures, they put the burden on you to keep track of your data's position within the structure. However, the dictionary structure gives you the ability to associate a word with each piece of data. In this lesson, you'll learn how to use dictionaries to write useful programs in fewer lines of code that'll execute in a shorter amount of time.

Friday - Lesson 10

Programs that work with data in memory are great. However, it's also important to be able to save the data in a file for later use. In Lesson 10, you'll learn how to read from and write to data files. You'll also learn about Python's shelve feature, which is a database-like file that allows for quick and easy access to large amounts of data.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

Let's face it, our programs sometimes encounter problems as they execute. In object-oriented terms, you'd call this an exception. If the exception isn't handled, the program will crash. In this lesson, you'll learn about Python's exceptions and learn how to handle them to keep the program up and running, even when something unexpected happens.

Friday - Lesson 12

You'll finish the course by exercising the creative part of your brain again. This time, you'll learn how to create a graphical user interface (GUI) in Python. You'll learn how to display text with labels and get user data with text boxes, buttons, radio buttons, and check boxes. Now you'll be able to integrate all the conceptual material that you learned in the course with an attractive, easy to use interface to make for useful, interactive programs.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Mike Orsega.

Mike Orsega has a diverse background, with a Bachelor's Degree in Physics from Pennsylvania State University and a Master's Degree in Applied Math from the University of Georgia. Upon graduation, Orsega turned to teaching and discovered the exciting potential of online education. He has more than five years of online teaching experience in university and college coursework ranging from basic computer literacy to advanced programming languages, including online courses in Alice and C# programming.

Requirements:

Python 2.5 and the IDLE development environment. Both are available as free downloads for the Windows, Linux, or Macintosh operating systems at www.python.org. Students will need Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).

Student Reviews:

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