Beginner · 6h 9m · 21 lessons
Programming Fundamentals
Learn to think like a programmer — one clear idea at a time.
What you'll learn
- ✦Explain what a program is, and walk through how a computer runs your code one instruction at a time
- ✦Store and reuse information with
variables, and pick the right data type for each value - ✦Combine values into new ones with arithmetic, comparison and logical operators in
expressions - ✦Make a program decide what to do next with
if/elseconditionals - ✦Repeat work automatically with
forandwhileloops, without writing an infinite loop - ✦Package reusable logic into
functionsthat take arguments and return a result - ✦Work with lists of data using
arrays, and join, measure and slice text with strings - ✦Break a real problem into small steps with decomposition and pseudocode, and read an error message calmly
- ✦Organize related data with
objects, and explain why a variable isn't visible everywhere (scope) - ✦Read a gentle introduction to
recursion, and apply clean-code habits so others can read your work
Part of these career paths
- Absolute Beginner path · course 4 of 6
- Backend Developer path · course 1 of 14
- CS Foundations path · course 2 of 5
Certification projects
Build 3 projects to earn your certificate
Hands-on work that proves you can apply what you learned — part of the certificate requirements.
Syllabus
Module 1 · 49m
How code works Free
What you'll be able to do
- Can explain what a program is, in your own words, using the recipe analogy.
- Can describe the difference between an interpreter and a compiler.
- Can spot a syntax error, like a missing bracket or quote, and explain why the program stopped.
Module 2 · 1h 17m
Data & decisions Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Can create a variable, assign it a value, and reassign it later.
- Can pick the right data type (number, string, boolean) for a value and explain why mixing them up causes bugs.
- Can write an expression using arithmetic, comparison and logical operators, and predict its result.
- Can write an if / else if / else chain that runs the correct branch for a given condition.
Module 3 · 1h 10m
Repetition & reuse Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Can write a while loop that repeats correctly and stops, with no infinite loop.
- Can write a for loop and say exactly how many times its body will run.
- Can define a function and explain the difference between defining it and calling it.
- Can write a function that takes arguments, returns a value, and use that returned value.
Module 4 · 1h 18m
Collections & problem-solving Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Can read and write values in an array using zero-based indexes, and loop over every item.
- Can join, measure and read characters in a string.
- Can break a problem into smaller steps and sketch the logic as pseudocode before coding.
- Can read an error message, find the line it points to, and tell a syntax error from a logic error.
Module 5 · 48m
Organizing data & code Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Can build an object with key: value pairs and read a value by its key.
- Can explain why a variable declared inside a function isn't visible outside it.
- Can write a nested loop and calculate how many times its inner body runs in total.
Module 6 · 47m
Levelling up Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Can trace a simple recursive function and identify its base case.
- Can rename a vague variable and split an over-long function to make code easier to read.
- Can pick a sensible next step, a language and a first project, to keep learning after this course.
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