The course starts from the ground up and provides a true introduction to programming for anyone, regardless of past computer experience. It provides an overview of the fundamental components of all computer languages and discusses languages varying in complexity from simple scripting to object-oriented programming with examples you can use. The course also covers areas such as database query and markup languages that are important to understanding how computers manipulate data and function in the interconnected world of the Internet.

Prerequisites

  • A desire to learn and a willingness to explore new ideas

Lessons

The Parts of a Program

A review of the different elements that make up a computer program, starting with control statements, and an introduction to pseudocode.

Subprograms and Input/Output

More of what's in a program, and an introduction to scripting languages.

The C Family of Programming Languages

An introduction to the popular full-featured programming languages C/C++ and Java with a discussion of program structure, and some examples.

Markup Languages

In this lesson, you get a glimpse into markup languages, including HTML and XML.

Read and Store Data

This lesson covers the important programming concepts of data storage, file manipulation, and memory management. Understanding these concepts is essential for solving real-world programming problems. This lesson also offers a number of important terms and buzzwords you may encounter when dealing with data storage technology.

Programming for the Connected World

This lesson discusses how programs deal with the new programming environment in which everything is connected. Because one of the most common connection activities is connecting to databases, this lesson gives you a short overview of how programs talk to databases using query languages such as SQL.

Your Future as a Professional Programmer

This lesson is an introduction to the world of professional programming, starting with a survey of various kinds of digital systems. It continues with a discussion of the environments and tools you work with as a professional programmer.

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