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Module 0: Programming Basics

Start here before Algorithm Intuition. This module teaches the Python needed to write, test and explain your first small program. No prior programming is assumed. You need Launchpad's editor, terminal and file-navigation skills, plus whole-number arithmetic.

Status: authored beginner module; executable lab checked; independent review and learner pilot pending. Planning allowance: 38–57 focused hours, including lessons, practice, lab and assessment. This is a provisional estimate, not a completion deadline. It is included in the revised Semester 00 workload; the legacy five-week label is not a deadline.

If you began in Launchpad, continue the shared pilot record rather than starting a second tracker. The Beginner Pilot Guide explains this transition and the delayed checks.

Entry diagnostic​

Create a folder, save a text file and locate it from a terminal. Explain the difference between a file and a folder. Calculate the total of 25, 15 and 20. If these are difficult, use Launchpad Readiness and Repair first.

Already programming? Attempt the assessment and transfer task without the solution. Skip routine drills only when you can demonstrate every exit criterion.

Outcomes​

  • Trace how values, conditions and loops change program state.
  • Decompose a requirement into functions with inputs and return values.
  • Choose lists and dictionaries for a small data model.
  • Validate input and preserve valid data when input is rejected.
  • Read a traceback, form a hypothesis and add a regression test.
  • Save and reload JSON and explain the limits of this simple storage model.

Learning sequence​

  1. Python setup and first run, then Values, names and execution: 3–5 hours together.
  2. Decisions and repetition: 4–6 hours.
  3. Functions and contracts: 4–6 hours.
  4. Collections and data models: 3–4 hours.
  5. Files and validation: 4–6 hours.
  6. Debugging and tests: 3–5 hours.
  7. Guided lab, exercises and original assessment: 9–13 hours.
  8. Design and diagnosis clinic, including Lessons 7–8, independent tasks and one repair: 8–12 hours.

The first seven items total the original 30–45 hours; the clinic makes 38–57. Reserve a further 2–3 hours across the seven-day and four-week retention checks. School-math repair and repeated remediation are separate.

The first six lessons include line-by-line walkthroughs, keyboard input, arithmetic, loop traces, function calls, shared lists, parsing and traceback reading. Use these within the lesson allocations above. The optional focused drills add 1.5–2.5 hours only if you complete all six beyond scheduled practice; they do not add an exit gate.

Use worked examples after predicting the result. Follow reading guidance for selective reading; full-book reading is not required. The official documentation is a lookup companion, not a substitute for these beginner lessons.

Exit gate​

Complete the tracker lab, write your own boundary tests, explain a repaired defect and pass the unseen transfer task using the rubric. Keep the command transcript, code, tests and debugging note. A green supplied checker alone does not establish readiness.

Also pass every dimension of the revised rubric. Use the pilot record to record actual effort and keep delayed readiness provisional until retention checks pass.

Next: Algorithm Intuition. The tracker prepares you to separate an algorithm's state from its display and storage in the semester project.