Introduction to Programming Concepts (P010)

This is a course for students who wish to learn the basics of computer programming; no prior programming experience is required.

The course will introduce basic programming terminology, concepts, and best practices. Students will learn to write programs using such constructs as loops, statements, variables, and functions. Good programming habits will be covered, as well as program design, flow charting and architecture, and debugging techniques.

The class examples and assignments will use JavaScript, as it requires nothing more than a text editor and browser to execute; however, the focus of the class will be on learning the syntax and logic of programming, and not on writing browser-centric JavaScript. Consequently, the principles learned in this course will be easily applied to any programming language, whether it is a compiled language like C, or an interpreted language like PHP.

Outline

Week 1

What is Computer Programming?
Introductory Programming Terminology
What is JavaScript and Why is it Being Used Here?
Creating a Program Plan
Designing a Solution - Flowcharting
Implementing a Solution - Programming
My first program: 'Hello World'

Week 2

Syntax
Statements
Variables
Comments
Operators and how they work

Week 3

Conditional Statements: 'if'
Repeated Statements
Debugging

Week 4

Nesting Conditionals
Functions
User Input

Week 5

Logical Operators: Boolean values
Arrays

Week 6

Objects
Functions (continued): 'return' and functions with multiple parameters
Debugging review

Prerequisites

A basic understanding of browsers and rudimentary HTML knowledge.

Requirements

Any text editing software application: Notepad or Wordpad for Windows and BBEdit for Macintosh are a few good examples.
An Internet browser: Firefox 3.0 or higher, Internet Explorer 7 or higher, Safari 3.0 or higher, Opera 6.0 or higher, or Google Chrome 1.0 or higher.
A webspace to post assignments, preferably without banner ads.

Additional information:

Your place in the course is confirmed by your payment. Introductory courses are intended for students with no experience in the subject matter and are seeking beginner level training.

Refund Policy: Please read our Terms and Refund Policy before registering for this course.

Additional Cost: Book and software might be required for the course. Read the Requirements and Book section for more information. Course fee does not include the book and software cost .

How eClasses Work:Instructors post lectures (text-based, no video or audio), reading selections, and hands-on assignments once a week in the online classroom. Students can discuss the assignments with the instructor and amongst themselves in the classroom area. This format has no set meeting time, which allows students to attend class at a time most convenient to them, yet still provides logically organized communication between class participants. Students can apply for the completion certificate after finishing the class.

Price:

$180.00

Item No.:

P010

Instructor:

Peggi Rodgers

CEUs:

Duration:

6 weeks

Open Courses:

Start Date: Mar 19, 2012

(Register by: Mar 22, 2012 )

Start Date: May 29, 2012

(Register by: Jun 1, 2012 )

Start Date: Aug 6, 2012

(Register by: Aug 9, 2012 )

Start Date: Oct 15, 2012

(Register by: Oct 18, 2012 )

Testimonials

Instructor's Profile

Peggi has owned and operated Misty Canyon Designs since 1999. As a graphic designer, Peggi offers print publication layout and illustration and, as webmaster, is contracted with two national forests in America with responsibility for their web presence. She is currently teaching programming for University of Florida and holds a joint honours Bachelors Degree in Welsh and Medieval History. She is continuing to follow her passion, Medieval Welsh history, as she pursues a Masters Degree in that field.

Before you register for this class, please read the Outline, Prerequisites, Requirements, Books, and Refund Policy sections carefully.

Send to friend

We would like to recommend these

Completion Certificate - Introduction to Programming Concepts (C.P010)

Testimonials

Rating

"Very good class to understand the structure of programming. I would recommend this class to anyone that needs to take programming courses. The instructor was quick to post answer to question and is very understandable in the assignments and lectures. I'd give this class an A+ for my first course." - Vent Lynch
"Class was great! I would definitely recommend this class to anyone starting in programming. Instructor did a great job putting lectures and examples in terms that were easily understood by visual designers and non-programmers. It has definitely prepared me for Intro to Javascript." - Jennifer Wilson
"The instructor for this class, Peggi Rodgers, encouraged questions and was approachable and helpful. Each new programming term or concept was fully explained in her lectures. I was taking this class as a refresher as I have taken programming classes before and it exceeded my expectations for organization of material and explanation of concepts. I highly recommend this class if you are a beginning programmer." - Amy Call
"Peggi Rodgers is a great teacher. Course materials are excellent. It was a great experience! I learned a lot!" - Alexandra Martins
"Kevin Howard Goldberg did an excellent job with helping and grading assignments. I did feel that the grading criteria was a bit too strict considering many of us hold one or more jobs. I felt that there should have been more flexibility with the deadlines for assignments. In spite of that though, I felt the material was helpful as was the teacher Kevin Howard Goldberg" - Barbara Brust
"I recommend this class to anyone that has an interest in learning the basics of programming. The course is not too hard but is sufficiently difficult to afford a challenge and an education to beginners or to those struggling to understand programming concepts. I learned enough about Javascript with this class to begin using it on my own website." - Leon Hostetler
"Although I will probably never have to write a full program from scratch, this course gave me the background I need for terminology and concepts so that when I need to modify a script I can at least interpret what is happening before making changes." - Karen Perone
"The lectures for this class were golden. The teacher had a very good, way of explaining concepts in a simple manner that helped me not only gain a better understanding of the language, but the theory behind how the language functions. The only con was that I did not use the book at all - in fact I found it difficult to navigate." - Brittany Workman
"HI, your classes have made me hopeful of really being able to understand programming and webdesigning via the internet, I never really thought that to be possible before. Thanks a lot!" - Luisa Castro
"I learned alot in a short time. Will be able to use the concepts in my work. Thanks!" - Molly Tomblin
"The Intro to Programming Concepts class was a great learning experience with an instructor who is thorough and knows how to challenge students to achieve their potential." - Gayle Sobieniak
"This class was definitely challenging! The instructor was very helpful and gave great instruction and assistance. I enjoyed the class very much..." - Debra Harp
"I would have liked for this to have been a longer class- maybe 8 weeks - as with many classes, the most complex concepts were added at the end and having another two weeks to nail down those concepts would have been very helpful. However, I took the Intro to PHP class immediately afterwards and felt very prepared due to having taken this class." - karen gehrman
"Excellent course. Materials were presented clearly and organized. Help was available promptly and clearly. I am not a programmer and this course took me through step by step in a clear progression. I learned everything that I need, plus! I look forward to taking more classes with this instructor." - Sharon Wood
"The instructor was very helpful, and didn't mind how simple my questions were about the assignment. I got a lot out of this class." - Benny Brinkman