Basics of Python Programming – ATAFOM University

Course Description:

This course is designed to introduce students to the Python programming language and its many applications. Students will learn about the basics of Python programming, advanced data types and data structures, Python libraries and frameworks, intermediate programming concepts, and data analysis and visualization techniques. The course will culminate with a project where students will apply the skills they have learned to create a real-world application.

Course Requirements

A personal computer with access to the internet and a modern web browser
Basic knowledge of computer programming concepts
Active participation in class and completion of all assignments and projects
Successful completion of all exams and quizzes
Successful completion of the final project and presentation

Assessment

Quizzes and exams (40%)
Assignments and projects (40%)
Final project and presentation (20%)

Skills you need to have before learning Python Programming?

Python is a relatively easy programming language to learn, and it is beginner-friendly. However, having some prior knowledge of programming concepts and other related skills can be helpful in getting started with Python. Here are some of the skills that can be helpful:

Basic Programming Concepts: It is important to have a basic understanding of programming concepts such as variables, data types, control structures (if-else, loops), functions, and objects.
Mathematics and Statistics: Python is a popular programming language for data analysis, so having a basic understanding of mathematics and statistics can be helpful when working with numerical data.
Problem-solving: Programming involves breaking down complex problems into smaller, more manageable parts. Being able to approach problems systematically and break them down into smaller components can be helpful when learning Python.
Logical Thinking: Programming involves logical thinking, so being able to think logically and solve problems systematically can be helpful when learning Python.
Computer Science Fundamentals: Having a basic understanding of computer science concepts such as algorithms, data structures, and computer architecture can be helpful when learning Python.
Familiarity with other programming languages: Familiarity with other programming languages such as Java, C++, or JavaScript can be helpful as many programming concepts are universal across languages.

While these skills are not required to start learning Python, they can be helpful in getting started and making the learning process smoother. However, even if you do not have any prior programming experience, Python is still a great programming language to start with.

Benefits of the Certification Program

The course training and certification benefits can include the following:

Career Advancement: Completing a Python programming course and earning a certification can help you advance in your current career or open up new career opportunities in industries such as software development, data analysis, and web development.
Skill Development: The course provides an opportunity to develop your programming skills, which are in high demand in the current job market. You will learn how to write efficient code, build scalable applications, and analyze data using Python.
Better Salary: According to PayScale, individuals with Python programming skills can earn a higher salary than those without this skillset. By completing the course and earning a certification, you can increase your chances of getting a higher salary.
Industry Recognition: Certification from a reputable training provider is recognized by many employers as a validation of your programming skills. This recognition can increase your chances of being hired for a job or being offered a promotion at work.
Professional Network: Joining a Python programming course provides an opportunity to connect with other professionals in the industry. You can learn from their experiences, share ideas, and build a professional network that can benefit you throughout your career.
Confidence: Completing the course and earning a certification can increase your confidence in your programming skills. This confidence can help you tackle complex projects and take on more challenging roles in your career.

Overall, completing a Python programming course and earning a certification can provide you with numerous benefits that can help you advance in your career and increase your earning potential.

How will your training work?

Here are the key aspects of how the training will work:

Live sessions: You will attend live online sessions with an experienced instructor, where you will learn the core concepts of web programming using Python. The instructor will provide live demonstrations, answer your questions, and provide feedback on your work.
Self-paced learning: In addition to live sessions, you will have access to self-paced learning materials, including video tutorials, readings, and practice exercises. These materials will allow you to review concepts at your own pace and reinforce your understanding.
Hands-on projects: Throughout the course, you will work on hands-on projects to apply your knowledge and build practical skills. These projects will allow you to gain real-world experience building applications using Python.
Collaboration: You will have the opportunity to collaborate with your peers on projects and assignments, which will allow you to learn from others and share your knowledge and skills.
Feedback and assessment: Throughout the course, you will receive feedback and assessments on your work from the instructor and your peers. This feedback will help you identify areas for improvement and reinforce your understanding of key concepts.
Final project: The final month of the course will be dedicated to a project-based approach, where you will work on a complete application from start to finish. This project will allow you to apply your knowledge and skills and demonstrate your ability to build and deploy an application using Python.

By the end of the course, you will have a strong understanding of Programming using Python and the ability to build and deploy your own applications.

Course Curriculum

Month 1: Python Fundamentals Week 1: Introduction to Python

Why Python? (introduction to the language and its features)
Installing and setting up Python (installation process and required software)
Basic Python syntax and data types (variables, literals, comments, indentation)
Variables and operators (assignment, arithmetic, comparison, logical)
Print function and input function (displaying output and taking user input)

Week 2: Conditional statements and loops

If statements (syntax, nested if statements, comparison operators)
Else statements (syntax, chained if-else statements)
Elif statements (syntax, multiple condition checking)
While loops (syntax, break and continue statements, infinite loops)
For loops (syntax, range function, loop control statements)

Week 3: Functions and modules

Functions and their syntax (definition, parameters, return statement)
Parameters and arguments (default parameters, positional and keyword arguments)
Return statements (returning multiple values, return None)
Built-in Python functions (range, enumerate, zip, etc.)
Importing modules (import statement, namespace, aliasing, from-import)

Week 4: Lists and dictionaries

Creating and manipulating lists (creating, indexing, slicing, appending, inserting, deleting)
Indexing and slicing lists (positive and negative indexing, slicing syntax)
Looping through lists (for loop, list comprehension)
Creating and manipulating dictionaries (creating, accessing, updating, deleting)
Accessing and changing dictionary values (keys, values, items, dictionary comprehension)

Month 2: Intermediate Python Week 5: File handling

Reading and writing to files (opening, closing, reading, writing, appending)
Opening and closing files (with statement, error handling)
Reading and writing modes (text mode, binary mode, encoding)
Using with statements (context manager, cleanup actions)

Week 6: Object-oriented programming

Introduction to OOP (class, object, attribute, method)
Classes and objects (defining classes, creating objects, constructor)
Constructors and instance variables (self keyword, instance variables)
Inheritance and polymorphism (inheritance, super keyword, method overriding)
Overriding methods (dunder methods, str method, operator overloading)

Week 7: Exception handling

What are exceptions? (definition, types of exceptions)
Handling exceptions with try/except blocks (syntax, handling specific exceptions)
Catching specific exceptions (using multiple except blocks, using else and finally blocks)
Raising exceptions (raising built-in and custom exceptions, assert statement)

Week 8: Regular expressions

Introduction to regular expressions (definition, use cases)
Matching and searching patterns (search function, match function)
Quantifiers and groups (repetition, grouping, alternatives)
Special characters (anchors, character classes, escape characters)

Month 3: Python Projects Week 9: Web scraping

What is web scraping? (definition, use cases)
Retrieving web pages with Python (urllib, requests, headers, cookies)
Parsing HTML with Beautiful Soup (parsing tags, attributes, navigation, searching)
Storing data in a CSV file (writing CSV files, handling exceptions, error messages)

Week 10: Data visualization

Introduction to data visualization (definition, use cases)
Creating graphs and charts with Python (matplotlib, seaborn)
Using Matplotlib and Seaborn libraries (scatter plot, line plot, bar plot, pie chart, histogram)
Customizing graphs and charts (title, axis labels, legend, colors

Week 11: API integration

What is an API?
Retrieving data from APIs with Python
Parsing JSON data
Storing data in a database

Week 12: Final Project

In this final project, students will use the skills they have learned in the previous weeks to build a Python program of their choice. They will submit a proposal for approval, work on their project independently, and present their final project to the class in the last week. The goal is to encourage creativity and independent thinking while applying the concepts learned throughout the course.

Overall, this curriculum covers the fundamentals and intermediate-level concepts of Python programming, as well as practical projects that will give students the opportunity to apply what they have learned.