Programming Fundamentals
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Programming Fundamentals
This course is part of Introductory C Programming Specialization
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7,021 reviews
What you'll learn
Apply the Seven Steps problem-solving process to develop effective algorithms.
Analyze code with functions, conditional statements, iteration, and other fundamental techniques.
Identify data types beyond integers and some important caveats for avoiding programming mistakes.
Skills you'll gain
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
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There are 4 modules in this course
Embark on your programming journey! This introductory course teaches you the fundamental principles of programming in C that are applicable to any language you might want to learn. Master a powerful seven-step problem-solving process for developing effective algorithms. Learn to read and understand code, transforming complex challenges into manageable solutions. No prior experience needed. Develop core skills for software development and enhance your career prospects in diverse fields. By the end of this course, you will be able to develop algorithms that are specific and correct.
This module introduces a powerful process for solving any programming problem—the Seven Steps. You will learn how to approach a programming problem methodically, so you can formulate an algorithm that is specific and correct. You will work through examples with sequences of numbers and graphical patterns to develop the skill of algorithm development.
What's included
8 videos10 readings4 assignments
8 videos•Total 33 minutes
- Why You Should Learn to Program•4 minutes
- Stepping Through An Algorithm•4 minutes
- Testing an Algorithm for a Numerical Sequence•3 minutes
- A Pattern of Squares•5 minutes
- Testing a Pattern of Squares•2 minutes
- Drawing a Rectangle•4 minutes
- Closest Point•5 minutes
- Generalizing Closest Point•5 minutes
10 readings•Total 66 minutes
- Programming: Plan First, Then Code•3 minutes
- Overview of the Seven Steps•5 minutes
- Algorithms•10 minutes
- Report a problem with the course•10 minutes
- Step 1: Work an Example Yourself•5 minutes
- Step 2: Write Down What You Just Did•4 minutes
- Step 3: Generalize Your Steps•10 minutes
- Step 4: Test Your Algorithm•9 minutes
- A Pattern of Squares•6 minutes
- Next Steps•4 minutes
4 assignments•Total 120 minutes
- Algorithms•30 minutes
- How to Write a Program with the Seven Steps•30 minutes
- Steps 1–4•30 minutes
- Algorithm Practice•30 minutes
In this module, you will learn to read code—this means you will be able to execute a piece of code by hand, and clearly illustrate what each statement does and what the state of the program is. Understanding how to read code is the only way to be sure you can write correct code. By the end of this module, you will be able to read and understand code with functions, conditional statements, iteration, and other fundamental techniques.
What's included
12 videos17 readings8 assignments
12 videos•Total 38 minutes
- Why You Should Learn to Read Code•3 minutes
- Declaring and Assigning a Variable•2 minutes
- Examples of Expressions•2 minutes
- Using Functions for Abstraction•4 minutes
- Execution of Function Calls•5 minutes
- Printing Example•3 minutes
- Execution of If/Else•3 minutes
- Execution of Switch/Case•3 minutes
- While Loops•3 minutes
- Equivalent For and While Loops•2 minutes
- Execution of Nested Loops•4 minutes
- Execution of Continue•3 minutes
17 readings•Total 170 minutes
- Declaring a Variable•10 minutes
- Assigning a Variable•10 minutes
- Expressions with Common Operators•10 minutes
- Anatomy of a Function•10 minutes
- How to Evaluate a Function•10 minutes
- Scope•10 minutes
- Printing•10 minutes
- Conditional Statements•10 minutes
- If/Else•10 minutes
- Switch/Case•10 minutes
- Shorthand•10 minutes
- Loops for Repetition•10 minutes
- While Loops•10 minutes
- Do/While Loops•10 minutes
- For Loops•10 minutes
- Continue and Break•10 minutes
- Higher-level Meaning•10 minutes
8 assignments•Total 240 minutes
- Reading Code•30 minutes
- Variables and Expressions•30 minutes
- Functions •30 minutes
- Printing •30 minutes
- Logical Operators •30 minutes
- Conditional Statements•30 minutes
- While Loops •30 minutes
- Loops •30 minutes
Everything is a number to a computer, but types determine the size and interpretation of numbers. In this module you will learn about types beyond integers, both their conceptual representations, and their hardware representations in binary. You will learn basic data types, "non-number" types, and complex, custom types, as well as some important caveats, so you will avoid type-related programming mistakes.
What's included
8 videos18 readings6 assignments
8 videos•Total 23 minutes
- Introduction to Types•1 minute
- Types and Formatted Output•4 minutes
- Type Conversion•2 minutes
- Everything Is a Number•3 minutes
- Struct for a Rectangle•2 minutes
- Uses of Typedef•3 minutes
- Enumerated Types•3 minutes
- A Duke Software Engineering Student on the Importance of Planning•4 minutes
18 readings•Total 180 minutes
- Binary Numbers•10 minutes
- Looking under the Hood•10 minutes
- Basic Data Types•10 minutes
- char•10 minutes
- int•10 minutes
- float and double•10 minutes
- Printing redux•10 minutes
- Expressions Have Types•10 minutes
- Type Conversion•10 minutes
- Casting•10 minutes
- Overflow and Underflow•10 minutes
- "Non-numbers"•10 minutes
- Strings•10 minutes
- Images•10 minutes
- Sound and Video•10 minutes
- Structs•10 minutes
- Typedef•10 minutes
- Enumerated Types•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 180 minutes
- Types•30 minutes
- Decimal, Hex, and Binary•30 minutes
- Basic Data Types•30 minutes
- Expressions Have Types •30 minutes
- "Non-numbers"•30 minutes
- Complex, Custom Data Types•30 minutes
You have learned a lot about designing algorithms and the programming concepts that will help you implement them. For this project, you will develop and test your own algorithm for sorting data. This module will reinforce the importance of being specific when you write an algorithm and provide an opportunity for you to do so yourself, for a very common computational task: sorting.
What's included
2 videos2 readings1 assignment
2 videos•Total 4 minutes
- Importance of Writing a Specific Algorithm•2 minutes
- Introduction to Sorting•2 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Sample PB&J Algorithm with Feedback•10 minutes
- Share your learning experience•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 60 minutes
- Writing a Sorting Algorithm•60 minutes
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University of California, Santa Cruz
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Reviewed on Nov 25, 2025
compared to other courses each module felt a bit long, to many lessons for one module, there was also a lot of reading, i would have liked more videos and excercises. The content was very good
Reviewed on Aug 13, 2020
The instruction provided in this course are very clear and anyone who can learn coding by this course. But the course has more readable content for you to take notes and reading it may take more time.
Reviewed on Jan 27, 2021
It's a very good as a beginning with programing language. It helped me to think like a compiler and how it exactly works. I've finally understood the saying "Everything in computer works in logic".♥
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When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
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