Basic Coding Course

Lesson 1 • Setting Up Your Development Environment

Guides learners through installing a code editor, runtime, and terminal tools. A working environment is required for all hands-on exercises in subsequent chapters.

Lesson 2 • Reading and Writing Basic Code

Introduces syntax, indentation, and code readability conventions. Learners practise writing and executing simple statements to build confidence before formal concepts.

Lesson 3 • How Computers Work

Covers hardware, software, and the CPU-memory-storage relationship. Establishes the mental model needed to understand how code becomes executable action.

Lesson 1 • Arithmetic and Assignment Operators

Teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, modulus, and compound assignment. Learners apply operators to build simple calculation programmes.

Lesson 2 • Type Conversion and Input Handling

Covers casting between types and reading user input from the console. Learners build interactive programmes that accept and process typed data.

Lesson 3 • Variables and Memory Storage

Explains how variables name memory locations and hold values. Directly enables all subsequent data manipulation and logic-building exercises.

Lesson 4 • Core Data Types

Covers integers, floats, strings, and booleans as the fundamental data categories. Understanding types prevents common runtime errors in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Switch and Multi-Way Selection

Presents switch-case as an alternative to long else-if chains for discrete values. Learners choose the appropriate structure for a given problem.

Lesson 2 • Loops: For and For-Each

Teaches counter-based and collection-iterating loops for structured repetition. Prepares learners for array and list traversal in chapter five.

Lesson 3 • Loops: While and Do-While

Covers condition-driven repetition using while and do-while constructs. Learners automate repetitive tasks and understand infinite-loop risks.

Lesson 4 • If Statements and Branching

Introduces if, else-if, and else blocks as the primary decision structure. Builds directly on comparison operators from chapter two.

Lesson 1 • Parameters and Arguments

Explains how data is passed into functions through parameters and arguments. Learners write flexible functions that operate on varying inputs.

Lesson 2 • Scope and Variable Lifetime

Distinguishes local, enclosing, and global scope and explains variable lifetime. Prevents common bugs caused by unintended variable sharing between functions.

Lesson 3 • Return Values and Output

Teaches how functions produce output via return statements. Learners chain function calls and use return values in expressions.

Lesson 4 • Recursion Fundamentals

Introduces self-calling functions with base cases and recursive steps. Learners solve classic problems like factorial and Fibonacci to internalise recursive thinking.

Lesson 1 • Dynamic Lists and Common Operations

Introduces dynamic list types that resize automatically and their core methods. Learners add, remove, and search elements programmatically.

Lesson 2 • Searching and Sorting Algorithms

Implements linear search, binary search, and basic sorting algorithms. Learners analyse time complexity at an introductory level.

Lesson 3 • Arrays and Indexed Access

Covers array declaration, zero-based indexing, and element access. Provides the foundational collection type used in all data-structure exercises.

Lesson 4 • Multi-Dimensional Arrays

Extends single-dimension arrays to grids and matrices for tabular data. Learners build a simple grid-based programme as a practical exercise.

Lesson 1 • Dictionaries and Key-Value Pairs

Introduces dictionary creation, key access, and value updates. Contrasts with list indexing to clarify when key-based lookup is preferable.

Lesson 2 • Choosing the Right Data Structure

Compares arrays, lists, dictionaries, and sets by access pattern and performance. Learners apply decision criteria to select optimal structures for given problems.

Lesson 3 • Sets and Unique Collections

Explains set semantics, automatic deduplication, and membership testing. Learners use sets to solve duplicate-removal and intersection problems.

Lesson 4 • Iterating Over Dictionaries

Covers iteration over keys, values, and key-value pairs simultaneously. Learners build frequency-counting and grouping programmes.

Lesson 1 • Classes and Objects

Defines classes as blueprints and objects as instances with state and behaviour. Connects to function and variable concepts learners already know.

Lesson 2 • Inheritance and Code Reuse

Introduces parent-child class relationships and method inheritance. Learners extend base classes to avoid code duplication across related types.

Lesson 3 • Encapsulation and Access Control

Teaches public, private, and protected access modifiers to protect internal state. Learners implement getters and setters to enforce data integrity.

Lesson 4 • Constructors and Initialisation

Covers constructor methods that set initial object state at creation time. Learners build classes with required and optional initialisation parameters.

Lesson 1 • Code Organisation and Modules

Explains splitting code into modules and importing functionality across files. Learners restructure a monolithic programme into a clean multi-file layout.

Lesson 2 • Reading and Writing Files

Covers opening, reading, writing, and closing text and structured data files. Enables programmes to persist and load data beyond a single session.

Lesson 3 • Debugging Techniques and Tools

Teaches systematic debugging using print statements, breakpoints, and a debugger. Learners diagnose and fix bugs in provided faulty programmes.

Lesson 4 • Exception Handling and Error Management

Introduces try-catch-finally blocks and custom exception types. Learners write robust programmes that recover from predictable runtime failures.