Python

Course Description

This course is organized to help you prepare for the Python Certification Exam as explained below.  

This course studies structured and object-oriented programming using the Python language. It covers algorithms, simple data structures, and object-oriented concepts are used in student projects. Students will design, implement, test, debug, and document Python programs, using appropriate development tools. Topics include object-oriented design, event-driven programming, exceptions, recursion, arrays, unit tests, and data structures.  The course prepares students for the Certified Associate in Python Programming certification (PCAP).

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  1. Design, implement, test, debug, and document programs that use basic data types and computation, simple I/O, conditional and iterative structures, and functions.
  2. Write clear and comprehensive program documentation and PyDoc.
  3. Write programs that use data structures and databases.
  4. Design, implement, test, debug, and document recursive, GUI, and event-driven and object-oriented programs.
  5. Understand Unit Tests, networking, and popular Python libraries.

Python Programming Certification (PCAP)

Certified Associate in Python Programming Certification (PCAP)

Course Introduction

Python programming has many reasons for usage.  Some of the top reasons include: readable and maintainable code, support for multiple programming paradigms, compatible with major platforms and systems, robust standard library, support for many open source frameworks and tools, simplify complex software development, and adopt test driven development.

In this course, we will introduce you to the design and implementation of programs using Python. We cover topics around control flow, data structures, inheritance, network requests, exceptions, unit tests, GUIs, databases, PyDoc API Generator, and popular data visualization and machine learning libraries.

Course Materials

  1. Y. Liang Introduction to Python Programming and Data Structures, by Prentice Hall
  2. 2. Pocket Edition of Python Related Topic:

Ten Week Schedule

Date

Assignments

Week 1

Prior to the first class:

Discuss and Do: Intro to Programming 

  • Liang, Topics from Chapters 1 and 2
  • Work on In-Class Assignment

Week 2

Discuss and Do: Selections, Loops & Methods

  • Liang, Topics from Chapters 3, 5 and 6
  • Work on In-Class Assignment

Week 3

Discuss and Do: Lists 1D, 2D, and PyDoc API Generator

  • Liang, Topics from Chapters 7 and 8
  • Build a Git Repository to manage Final Project
  • Work on In-Class Assignment

Week 4

Discuss and Do: Objects and Unit Tests

  • Liang, Topics from Chapters 9
  • Work on In-Class Assignment

Week 5

Discuss and Do: Inheritance, Polymorphism, & GUIs

  • Liang, Topics from Chapters 10, 11, 12
  • Work In-Class Assignment

Week 6

Discuss and Do: Files and Exception Handling 

  • Liang, Topics from Chapters 13
  • Work In-Class Assignment

Week 7

Discuss and Do: Tuples, Sets, Dictionaries, and Hashing

  • Liang, Topics from Chapters 14, 21
  • Work on In-Class Assignment

Week 8

Discuss and Do: Data Structures & Efficiency

  • Liang, Topics from Chapters 16, 17, & 18
  • Work on In-Class Assignment

Week 9

Discuss and Do: HTTP(S)/Web APIs and Databases

  • Work on In-Class Assignment

Week 10

Discuss and Do: Need to know python libraries: Pandas, TensorFlow, Scikit-Learn, Numpy, Keras, PyTorch, LightGBM, Eli5, SciPy, Theano, etc.

Faculty Contact Information

Dr. Suzanna Schmeelk

Cooper Union School of Engineering

suzanna.schmeelk@cooper.edu

 

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.