Featured Programs
Experiential Learning Opportunities
Claim up to $1,000 in flight credits!
Get up to $1,000 in flight credits or grants toward study or internship programs abroad when you apply by January 01, 2025. See our Official Rules for full details.
Introduction to Programming
Interdisciplinary Studies Program
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dates: 7/1/23 - 7/30/23
Introduction to Programming
OVERVIEW
CEA CAPA Partner Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Primary Subject Area: Computer Sciences
Instruction in: English
Transcript Source: Partner Institution
Course Details: Level 300
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 48
Prerequisites: The only necessary requirement is a functioning laptop (Windows/Mac/Linux).
DESCRIPTION
This course is structured to guide students without any programming experience through the basics of programming. All you need to bring is the motivation to actively engage in the course and a laptop.
During the first week, we will cover the basic concepts of programming that are applicable across all programming languages. While we use the Python language, we will not go into depth in Python specifics. In the second week, we will focus on one of several small projects to create a usable stand-alone program. We will offer several projects matched to several different interests or hobbies with the goal of offering something interesting for everyone while keeping the scope of the assignment constrained.
The core topics we will cover in the first week include:
- Background information on programming languages
- Algorithms
- Data types
- Operators and built-in functions
- Variables
- Keyboard Input and Output
- If-statements and logic
- While- and for-loops
- User-defined function and variable scope
- File Input and Output
In the second week we will also look at Python's package system and imports.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Set up an integrated development environment.
- Write computer programs in the Python language.
- Understand inter-language programming concepts.
The course will be taught through online lectures and practical sessions that students are required to attend in order to pass the course.
Additionally, students will be required to dedicate about 10 hours to self-study and to individual programming assignments which will be graded and will contribute to the final grade.
The final mark of the course will be based on attendance and participation as well as a practical assignment.
Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course. CEA's recommended credits are based on the contact hours assigned by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam): 15 contact hours equals 1 U.S. credit
During the first week, we will cover the basic concepts of programming that are applicable across all programming languages. While we use the Python language, we will not go into depth in Python specifics. In the second week, we will focus on one of several small projects to create a usable stand-alone program. We will offer several projects matched to several different interests or hobbies with the goal of offering something interesting for everyone while keeping the scope of the assignment constrained.
The core topics we will cover in the first week include:
- Background information on programming languages
- Algorithms
- Data types
- Operators and built-in functions
- Variables
- Keyboard Input and Output
- If-statements and logic
- While- and for-loops
- User-defined function and variable scope
- File Input and Output
In the second week we will also look at Python's package system and imports.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Set up an integrated development environment.
- Write computer programs in the Python language.
- Understand inter-language programming concepts.
The course will be taught through online lectures and practical sessions that students are required to attend in order to pass the course.
Additionally, students will be required to dedicate about 10 hours to self-study and to individual programming assignments which will be graded and will contribute to the final grade.
The final mark of the course will be based on attendance and participation as well as a practical assignment.
Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course. CEA's recommended credits are based on the contact hours assigned by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam): 15 contact hours equals 1 U.S. credit