The Begin Programming course is a free MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) created by the University of Reading and hosted by FutureLearn, a UK-based social learning platform.
This hands-on course involved the use of:
Over 7 weeks, the course introduced the basic constructs used in the majority of programming languages and helped learners put this knowledge into practice by making modifications to the Java game code provided.
Having successfully completed the course, I subsequently decided to create this online record of my learning.
My FutureLearn profile can be found here: Jez Phipps
In the first week, we learned how to:
After learning about the options for setting up Android Studio, students were required to choose the best methods. I found the emulation method very slow, resource-hungry and unreliable and hence opted for a direct device connection (USB). Note: The APK method is useful for sharing the code but does not provide direct control from inside Android Studio.
In Week 2, learners were introduced to some of the basic constructs used in programming, including:
After being introduced to the Android Studio debugging functions, students were encouraged to make some changes to the game code, including:
In Week 3, students learned the basics of conditional statements and Boolean expressions and how these can be used to improve the game.
The hands-on activities involved making several important changes to the game, including:
In Week 4, learners explored how arrays and loops are useful in programming.
The practical work involved making some key changes to the game, including:
In Week 5, the concepts that underpin algorithms were introduced, including:
The practical work involved considering how the game could be improved. I came up with a number of ideas and began implementing the following in Android Studio:
In Week 6, the use of functions for reusable code was explored. In particular, we covered:
The practical work involved continuing to make improvements to the game, including:
In the final week, learners were required to:
In the final week I decided to make the following improvements to the game:
My public repository for the code worked on during this MOOC is available as open source on GitHub here.
My overall (averaged) assessment score was 98% - Eligibility for a Certificate of Achievement confirmed.
Note: This record does not imply the conferment of a University qualification; nor does it verify the identity of the learner. For more information about the effort required to become eligible, visit FutureLearn's Certificates and Statements FAQ.