Introduction to Python and Programming
The main purpose of this course is to make the student familiar with basic concepts of programming in Python, one of the most important languages used at the moment.
This prepares the student for further courses, for example, in Data Science, Machine Learning, or Web Development.
Students taking this course in the past reported that they could use what they learned in summer internships as well, in particular when they worked in start-ups.
Also, many students applied what they learned when writing their Bachelor theses.
The topics introduced are:
- basic elements of a programming language
- modularization via functions
- boolean if-else logic
- flow control via for- or while-loops
- data types (lists, tuples, dictionaries, sets, arrays, dataframes)
- object-orientation
- replacing Excel with Python
- data mining with APIs (e.g., Google Maps API)
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| Friday, 30.10.2020 | 15:30 - 18:45 |
| Saturday, 31.10.2020 | 09:45 - 13:00 |
| Friday, 13.11.2020 | 15:30 - 18:45 |
| Saturday, 14.11.2020 | 09:45 - 13:00 |
| Friday, 27.11.2020 | 15:30 - 18:45 |
| Saturday, 28.11.2020 | 09:45 - 13:00 |
Exercises and case studies show how the learned concepts can be applied in the real world.
Exam (33%): Python "Theory" & Concepts
The coding assignments are done in small and randomized groups at home. They require the students to solve real-life tasks on their own. The solutions are presented in class and the students may improve their grade with active participation.
The exam focuses on the concepts taught in class. Exam-like questions are distributed after every lecture, and if the students can answer them, they are ready for the exam. There is no memorizing bullet points for this exam. Big promise!