Why Python?

This course is designed for students who want to learn the fundamentals of Python programming. This two-day hands-on class will help you get comfortable writing Python code for real-world tasks. You will set up Python, create simple applications, and learn to work with data types, lists, loops, and functions. We’ll also cover file handling, basic error management, and how to organize your code using modules and classes.

Overview of Python Courses

Though Python® has been in use for more than 30 years, it has become one of the most popular languages for software development, particularly within the fields of data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and web development—all areas in which Python is widely used. Whether you’re relatively new to programming, or have experience in other programming languages, this course will provide you with a comprehensive first exposure to the Python programming language. This can serve as a quick start in Python, or as the foundation for further learning.

You will learn elements of the Python 3 language and development strategies by creating a complete program that performs a wide range of operations on a variety of data types, structures, and objects; implements program logic through conditional statements and loops; structures code for reusability through functions, classes, and modules; reads and writes files; and handles error conditions.

Course Objectives

In this course, you will develop simple command-line programs in Python. You will:

• Set up Python and develop a simple application.
• Perform operations on simple data types, including strings and numbers.
• Perform operations on data structures, including lists, ranges, tuples, dictionaries, and sets.
• Write conditional statements and loops.
• Define and use functions, classes, and modules.
• Manage files and directories through code.
• Perform basic exception handling.

Course Content

Lesson 1: Setting Up Python and Developing a Simple Application

• Topic A: Set Up the Development Environment
• Topic B: Write Python Statements
• Topic C: Create a Python Application
• Topic D: Prevent Errors

Lesson 2: Processing Simple Data Types

• Topic A: Process Integers and Strings
• Topic B: Process Decimals, Floats, and Mixed Number Types

Lesson 3: Processing Data Structures

• Topic A: Process-Ordered Data Structures
• Topic B: Process Unordered Data Structures

Lesson 4: Writing Conditional Statements and Loops

• Topic A: Write Conditional Statements
• Topic B: Write Loops

Lesson 5: Structuring Code for Reuse

• Topic A: Define and Call Functions
• Topic B: Define and Instantiate Classes
• Topic C: Import and Use Modules

Lesson 6: Writing Code to Process Files and Directories

• Topic A: Write to Text Files
• Topic B: Read from Text Files
• Topic C: Get the Contents of Directories
• Topic D: Manage Files and Directories

Lesson 7: Handling Exceptions

• Topic A: Handle Built-In Exceptions
• Topic B: Handle Custom Exceptions

—–

Appendix A: Major Differences Between Python 2 and 3

Appendix B: Python Style Guide

Appendix C: Mapping Python Course Content to Python Institute Certification Exams