JavaScript Basics for Beginners
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JavaScript Basics for Beginners
This course is part of Foundations of Web and Cloud Development Specialization
Instructor: Madecraft
Included with
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Recommended experience
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What you'll learn
Write JavaScript programs using variables, operators, conditionals, and loops to store data and control program flow.
Build and test algorithms using JavaScript functions, scope, and structured test functions that verify your code produces the right output.
Combine JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to render a styled, interactive web page, and install open-source packages from NPM to extend your projects.
Skills you'll gain
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
June 2026
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There are 7 modules in this course
JavaScript is the language behind nearly every interactive experience on the web, and the gap between knowing it exists and being able to use it confidently is smaller than most people think. This course closes that gap, giving you a practical, hands-on foundation so you can stop watching others build and start building yourself.
You'll set up a live coding environment, write variables, operators, conditionals, loops, and functions from scratch, and apply each concept through exercises in Replit. You'll then create and test algorithms, pull in open-source packages from NPM and GitHub, and combine JavaScript with HTML and CSS to render a real, styled web page complete with an interactive game you built yourself. By the end of this course, you'll be able to write functional JavaScript programs, use external libraries to extend your code, and build and deploy a complete interactive web page.
Every piece of dynamic behaviour on the web starts with data: naming it, storing it, and computing relationships between values. In this module, you'll define and assign the six core JavaScript data types using variables, then use mathematical and comparative operators to perform calculations and comparisons on that data.
What's included
4 videos1 assignment
4 videosβ’Total 13 minutes
- Why JavaScript Powers the Modern Webβ’1 minute
- Setting Up Your JavaScript Development Environmentβ’3 minutes
- Identify and Apply Variablesβ’4 minutes
- Complete Actions with Operatorsβ’4 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 10 minutes
- Storing Data and Computing Resultsβ’10 minutes
Code that only runs in a straight line can't make decisions or handle changing inputs. In this module, you'll write IF and switch conditional blocks to route your program based on specific conditions, then build FOR and WHILE loops to automate repetitive actions so your code can do more with less.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videosβ’Total 7 minutes
- Render with Comparative Blocksβ’4 minutes
- Repeat Actions with Loopsβ’3 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 6 minutes
- Controlling What Runs and Whenβ’6 minutes
Functions are how programmers package logic so it can be named, reused, and reasoned about in isolation. In this module, you'll define and call functions, control where variables can be accessed using scope and closure, and build recursive functions that solve problems by calling themselves, so your code can handle complexity without becoming unmanageable.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
3 videosβ’Total 14 minutes
- Create Functionsβ’5 minutes
- Understanding Closure and Scopeβ’4 minutes
- Integrate Recursionβ’4 minutes
1 readingβ’Total 10 minutes
- Stopping the Function That Calls Itself: Why the Base Case Is the Only Line That Mattersβ’10 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 10 minutes
- Writing Functions That Remember Their Placeβ’10 minutes
Writing code without a plan is how bugs get written instead of solutions. In this module, you'll apply a structured framework to deconstruct algorithm prompts into inputs, outputs, goals, conditions, and exceptions, then build test functions to verify that your algorithms produce the results you intended.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videosβ’Total 10 minutes
- Create Algorithmsβ’6 minutes
- Build Testingβ’5 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 10 minutes
- Planning the Algorithm Before the Codeβ’10 minutes
One of the most powerful habits a developer can build is reaching for existing, well-maintained code before writing their own. In this module, you'll navigate the NPM registry to find, install, and use third-party packages in a JavaScript project, then explore GitHub repositories to evaluate open-source libraries and find code you can use and build on.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videosβ’Total 9 minutes
- Navigate NPM Librariesβ’5 minutes
- Unlock GitHub Resourcesβ’4 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 30 minutes
- Finding and Evaluating Open-Source Toolsβ’30 minutes
JavaScript alone can tell a computer what to do, but HTML and CSS are what make it visible and usable on screen. In this module, you'll combine all three languages to render a styled, interactive web page from scratch, then apply everything you've built in the course to create a fully playable browser game.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videosβ’Total 8 minutes
- Render Web Pagesβ’6 minutes
- Create Your Own Gameβ’3 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 10 minutes
- Bringing a Web Page to Lifeβ’10 minutes
Finishing a course is a beginning, not an end. Now, you'll consolidate what you've built across this course, identify the resources and communities that will carry your JavaScript skills further, and commit to a concrete next step in your development practice.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videosβ’Total 3 minutes
- Helpful Resourcesβ’2 minutes
- Kickstart Your Programming Journeyβ’1 minute
1 assignmentβ’Total 30 minutes
- Putting JavaScript to Workβ’30 minutes
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