Semester 0: Orientation & Foundation
The required expansion strand, evidence contract, assessment integration, AI-use declaration, and selective reading route are defined in World-Class Strand.
Year: Pre-Engineering | Phase 0 | 210–309 focused hours including programming, retention, strand and integration
This semester builds programming and CS foundations alongside learning, evidence evaluation, communication and sustainable study. Pre-Semester Launchpad establishes study, evidence, communication and digital/AI preparation; this semester applies them to real programming and evaluates retained understanding.
Semester 0 is populated as a complete orientation block, including the semester project, checkpoint gate, cumulative review, and exam.
Goal
Build a reliable learning process, evidence judgment and clear communication alongside algorithm intuition, a CS mental model, and basic code-readability habits so later technical semesters land on solid conceptual vocabulary. Deeper software-design judgment and the complete Clean Code reading belong to Semester 3.
Prerequisites
Requires Pre-Semester Launchpad. You should already have a working study routine, development environment, and basic Git workflow.
Programming readiness
Begin with Programming Basics. Its 38–57 focused hours are provisional and additional to the existing orientation work. Experienced learners may use its diagnostic and transfer assessment to demonstrate readiness. No paid book is required. The new module is authored and technically checked; independent review and learner calibration remain pending.
Phase Completion Contract
- Explain: basic algorithm growth intuition, a simple map of core CS areas, and foundational readability principles.
- Build: one small orientation project demonstrating algorithm visualization, clear naming, honest functions, and basic tests.
- Evidence: Feynman notes, a readable tested repo, checkpoint answers and the linked learning-support packet.
- Do not advance if: you cannot explain the basic CS map and algorithm intuition from memory, cannot write readable tested code, or have unclosed learning-support or technical-practice gates.
Modules
| # | Module | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Module 0: Programming Basics | Python execution, functions, collections, files, debugging and tests; complete before Module 1 |
| 1 | Module 1: Algorithm Intuition & Visualization | Grokking Algorithms - Big-O, search, graphs, and how to see algorithm state |
| 2 | Module 2: CS Fundamentals Overview | CS Distilled - breadth-first map of core CS ideas |
| 3 | Module 3: Code Readability Basics | Guide-first introduction to naming, functions, comments, formatting, and testing |
| 4 | Module 4: Learning, Memory and Calibration | Retrieval, transfer, confidence checks and targeted repair |
| 5 | Module 5: Data, Files and Automation | Bytes/text, CSV pipelines, grouped reports and reproducible tools |
| 6 | Module 6: The Web, HTTP and APIs | Requests/responses, JSON contracts and a real local API client |
| 7 | Module 7: AI Literacy and Assisted Engineering | Tutor/debug/review workflows, independent evaluation and controlled actions |
Module 4 runs alongside programming using the learning-support integration route; its 8–12 hours are inside the total. Reading/evidence, communication/feedback and sustainable study now belong to Launchpad. Carry their records forward without repeating their hours. See the research and selective resources; independent review and learner pilots remain pending.
Also this semester: Semester Project · Checkpoint Gate · Cumulative Review · Semester Exam Portfolio Artifact | Common Failure Modes | Bridge Review
Practical technical route
The technical integration route interleaves Modules 5–7 with programming, algorithms and CS overview. They add 42–62 hours inside the revised total and share one downloadable toolkit. Start implementation after the immediate programming gate; AI literacy includes a no-account offline route. All three modules have clustered lessons, practice, case studies and independent transfer assessments.
Core Resources
| Book | Role |
|---|---|
| Grokking Algorithms | Primary for algorithm intuition and visualization |
| CS Distilled | Primary for a compact map of computer science |
| Clean Code | Selective support only; complete critical reading is deferred to Semester 3 |
Cross-Cutting Tracks Active This Semester
| Track | Level | Focus This Semester |
|---|---|---|
| A: Testing | Level 1 | Unit tests - every exercise and project task ends with at least one assertion or test |
| B: Git | Level 1 | Small commits, readable messages, and branch-based work |
| E: Engineering Fundamentals | Level 1 | Terminal basics, editor workflow, simple debugging, and reading technical docs without avoiding them |
Suggested Sequence (After the Programming Bridge)
| Legacy sequence label | Focus | Modules / Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Algorithm intuition begins | Module 1 start, visualize arrays, search, and runtime growth |
| 5 | Visual reasoning and tracing | Finish Module 1, hand-trace algorithms and write simple explanations |
| 6 | Breadth-first CS map | Module 2 start, connect hardware, software, data, networks, and systems |
| 7 | Code-readability practices | Finish Module 2, start Module 3, naming, functions, and basic testing |
| 8 | Integration and assessment | Finish Module 3, build orientation project, checkpoint, review, and exam |
Deliverables Checklist
- Technical practice dimensions DF1–DF4, WH1–WH4 and AI1–AI4 passed, including actual local HTTP evidence
- Launchpad preparation record carried forward and L1–L3 passed, with actual observations and clear assistance/solo labels
- Programming Basics lab and independent transfer gate passed
- All module warm-up quizzes attempted
- All module lessons and key concepts completed
- All code katas completed
- All retrieval practice completed for each module
- All Feynman notes written
- All spaced repetition card tables exported or transcribed
- All module quizzes completed
- Semester project completed and self-reviewed
- Checkpoint gate passed
- Cumulative review completed
- Semester exam completed
Capstone Throughline
Every semester must leave behind evidence that can survive into the final capstone defense.
- Artifact carried forward: study system baseline and onboarding reflection.
- What to preserve: Keep the learning workflow, baseline diagnostic notes, and first clean-code habits available as the setup evidence that made the later capstone sustainable.
- Module threads: Module 1: Algorithm Intuition & Visualization, Module 2: CS Fundamentals Overview, and Module 3: Code Readability Basics.
- Defense prompt: In Semester 10, explain how this semester's artifact changed a capstone decision, reduced a risk, or made the final system easier to defend.
Mathematical readiness before Semester 01
After completing the programming and orientation work, use the mathematical-notation bridge. Allow 2–3 additional focused hours and close any Launchpad algebra repair. The initial programming bridge (38–57), retention checks (2–3), and notation bridge (2–3) add an estimated 42–63 focused hours to the original orientation arc, before any conditional Launchpad repair.
Workload and advancement contract
Use Workload and Progression for the complete hour allocation, prerequisite order, evidence reuse, score thresholds and repair rules. Its estimates do not establish learner-tested duration. All required gates apply together; conditional pass means repair remains, not permission to skip a gate.