Introductory information

We invite you to take part in the course "Introduction to programming in Python 3". This course is designed to help you learn the basics of Python programming on your own.

Programming, although it requires specialist knowledge, is above all a skill. In order to learn how to program, it is not enough to read or even remember the entire basic content of the course, but you have to write programs: therefore, an important part of the basic content of the course are code examples demonstrating the use of the described elements of the language in practice, and in each lesson, at least one exercise has been prepared to be done by yourself.

The course is designed for beginners, however its completion will provide a solid foundation for further Python learning. From the course, you can also find out where to look for further information about this programming language.

Prerequisites

The course does not impose any prerequisites other than basic computer skills (starting computer and programs, knowledge of the computer keyboard and text editing rules).

Expected course results

The participant of the course will, at the end of the course:

• know the syntax of Python and its most important keywords, operators, and embedded functions,
• be able to write programs requiring communication with the user,
• be able to create compound statements containing conditional instructions and loops,
• know the basic rules of formatting code in Python and creating identifiers,
• be able to use built-in Python data types, including multi-value types,
• be able to define own functions and classes and use them,
• know the basic sources of information on the Python language and its practical use.

Conditions for passing the course

In order to complete the course with a positive result and obtain a personal electronic certificate confirming this fact, it is necessary to provide correct answers to at least 70% of the questions in the final tests of each module and the final test combined.

Responsible institution and funding

The course was developed by University of Szczecin with co-financing from the European Social Fund within the framework of the Operational Programme Knowledge Education for Development (PO WER) (agreement no. POWR.03.01.00-00-W038/18).

Authors of the course

The author of the course content is dr hab. Jakub Swacha (a long-time Python educator) except for the lessons "Support for HTML and PDF documents" and "Support for relational databases" in the module "Using PYPI modules", which were prepared by dr Artur Kulpa (an experienced Python teacher yet also a professional programmer). The contents of most of the exercises were developed by mgr Thomas Naprawski (also a Python teacher and practitioner).

Course outline

The course consists of the following modules:

1. Introduction
2. First contact with the Python language
3. Character strings
4. Programs
5. Sequences
6. Loops
7. Sets and dictionaries
8. Functions
9. Object-oriented programming
10. Python standard modules - overview
11. Data processing
12. Algorithms in Python
13. Storage of data
14. Use of PYPI modules
15. Python in practical applications
16. Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

• What do you need for the course?

To use the course, you need a computer with Internet access, a current web browser and a Python language interpreter (which can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.python.org/; version 3.8 is recommended).

• How long will it take to complete this course?

The content of the main course modules is scheduled for 60 hours of study (this does not include an organisational module including the initial test). If you devote 4 hours a week to learning, this translates into 15 weeks of learning, but if you study more intensively (2 hours a day, 6 days a week) this will translate into 5 weeks. The course can be completed in one week in urgent cases (9 hours per day).

It should be noted, however, that 60 hours of learning is an indicative time, assuming that the participant does not know the Python language, but is an experienced computer user, especially has no problems with typing. It is natural that the people for whom this course will be a completely first contact with typing on the computer may need even several times more time to process the prepared material. In turn, people who already know the basics of the Python language or are proficient in other programming languages can complete the course even several times faster than the assumed time.

• Does the course end with a Python certificate?

No, but the knowledge gained through the course provides a solid foundation for applying for the PCEP (Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer) certificate. However, any person who successfully completes the course will receive a honor code certificate.

Other useful information

For those with hearing difficulties, subtitles are available for all videos included in the course.

This course is an English translation of the "Podstawy programowania w języku Python 3" course in Polish. We are sorry for any inaccuracies introduced during translation.