Python Foundations

How it is taught

1. Step 1

   Start where you are

   A short placement task, graded by the tutor, starts you past the modules you can already do.

2. Step 2

   Learn in conversation

   Each concept is one session: the tutor explains, asks you to write code, and reviews it until you have shown you understand.

3. Step 3

   Keep it

   Every concept comes back on day 3, 7 and 18. A memory model tracks how well each one is holding, and reviews can go straight into your Google Calendar.

What you will learn

Each concept has its own page: what a session covers, an example and the mistake to watch for.

1. Module 1Values, variables and types

   • Numbers and strings
   • Variables and assignment
   • Type conversion

2. Module 2Control flow

   • Conditionals
   • while loops
   • for loops and range

3. Module 3Functions

   • Parameters and return values
   • Default and keyword arguments
   • Scope

4. Module 4Lists and tuples

   • Indexing and slicing
   • List methods
   • Tuples and unpacking

5. Module 5Dictionaries and sets

   • Dictionary lookups
   • Iterating over dictionaries
   • Sets and uniqueness

6. Module 6Strings and formatting

   • String methods
   • f-strings
   • Splitting and joining

7. Module 7Files and exceptions

   • Reading and writing files
   • try and except
   • Context managers

8. Module 8Modules and packages

   • Imports
   • Virtual environments
   • The standard library

9. Module 9Classes and objects

   • Classes and instances
   • Methods and self
   • Inheritance

10. Module 10Working with APIs

    • HTTP requests
    • JSON data
    • Handling API errors

11. Module 11Testing

    • Assertions
    • Writing tests with pytest
    • Test fixtures