Coding Foundations Certification

The ability to code is one of the most sought after skills in today’s competitive job markets. Whether you have team members who are already in the field and are looking to advance their position or outsiders who would like to get their foot in the door, understanding the basics of coding is a must.

This interesting 10 module course will teach your team members everything that they need to know, in order to get started writing simple code. Over the course of 12 hours, they’ll learn the history of coding, the importance of mathematics in the field and how to code in some of the most well-known and commonly used languages.

What’s Covered in the Course?

In this course, learners will learn about:

  • The roles that ciphers and cryptography played in the development of modern day coding;
  • The concepts and terminology that are essential, in order to write proper code;
  • The role that mathematics plays in coding and the basics of binary;
  • In the context of coding, your team member will learn what the basics of variables are, why they’re so important and how to use them;
  • The different types of data that exist and the various ways in which they’re used;
  • How to limit the time spent on and increase the quality of your code, by using built-in functions;
  • The proper way to organise your programme and why it’s important to do so;
  • The basics of Object-orientated Programming and the 4 principles that define it;
  • Why it is so important to use code.

What are the Benefits of the Course?

While studying on this course, there are a range of benefits that your team member will acquire, and some of these include:

  • A course that is entirely online, so staff can study anywhere and at any time they choose - all that they need is a stable internet connection;
  • Tests and activities at the end of each module that will help to check their knowledge and commit concepts to memory;
  • Gaining basic knowledge, in order to help them become proficient in coding, helping to propel their career in the rapidly growing IT industry;
  • Study course material on any device that they choose.
  • A verifiable certificate upon successful completion of the course – this can prove to be a real morale booster for your employees.


Course Modules/Lessons

Module 1: Evolution of Computers and Coding

  • How codes and ciphers were used throughout history to hide sensitive information
  • How cryptography played an important role in the evolution of coding
  • Who the British pioneers were that had the most influence on the development of modern computers
  • What role World War II played in the advancement of technology and computing

Module 2: Getting ready to code

  • The difference between data, information and knowledge in the context of writing proper code
  • How to differentiate between a high-level and low-level programming language
  • What syntax and semantics have got to do with coding languages
  • How to install and do interactive coding using Python’s built-in interpreter program

Module 3: Mathematics Basics

  • The reasons why mathematics is so important for coders
  • What are numbers, and the difference in number systems
  • How to convert numbers from binary to decimal and the other way round
  • What fundamental components does every computer have under the hood

Module 4: Variables & Data Types

  • What variables are in coding and how they are used to store values in computer programs
  • What data types are and how they are used to give instructions to machines
  • How to assign primitive data types to real life values, use them in your code and their role as fundamental building blocks
  • What the various complex types of data are and what they are useful for

Module 5: Working with variables using operators and data type conversion

  • What operators and operands are and how to use them to conduct computational operations
  • The difference between the major type of operators and the proper code syntax you should use when working with them
  • What boolean algebra is and how to perform logical operations using truth tables
  • How to convert data types using special methods that are part of the way operators work

Module 6: Controlling the flow of code using conditional statements and loops

  • What flow control is and the multiple mechanisms by which you can direct the execution of your code
  • What branching and conditionals are and how to use IF, ELSE and ELIF statements as testing conditions
  • What loops are and how to create a loop using FOR and WHILE statements
  • Which keywords you should use inside conditional statements and loops to maintain the flow of code

Module 7: Working with Built-in and User-defined Functions

  • What built-in functions are and how to use them in order to save time and write better code
  • How to print the results from your code on the computer screen using built-in print function
  • What user-defined functions are and how to define and call your own functions in Python
  • What arguments and scopes are as well as the difference between local and global scopes

Module 8: Organising code into modules and packages

  • Why code organisation is important for the quality of your code and how to organise your program
  • What nested functions are and how functions can be used to create other functions
  • What Lambda calculus is and how to implement Lambda expressions using anonymous functions
  • What a module is, how to import modules and reference their specific functions across a program and what the Standard Library Modules are

Module 9: Creating Object Oriented programs using classes and instances

  • What Object Oriented Programming is and why it is such an important coding paradigm
  • The four fundamental principles of object orientation and how are they implemented in coding languages
  • The difference between what a class, instance and object are, as well as how to define them in your code
  • How to use methods to modify an object and its data and how methods allow us to reference objects in object oriented coding

Module 10: Reusing code by inheritance, external files and third-party packages

  • How to implement inheritance in your programs, and what are its advantages over traditional ways of coding
  • What multiple inheritance is as well as its practical implementation in a real-life example
  • How to read data from external files such as text files and how to make your program write the data from the program to a text file
  • How to utilise third-party packages written by other people and the importance of reusing code

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FAQ's

  • Who can take the Coding Foundations Certification course?

    There are no entry requirements to take the course.

  • What is the structure of the course?

    The course is broken down into 10 individual modules. Each module takes between 20 and 90 minutes on average to study. Although students are free to spend as much or as little time as they feel necessary on each module.

  • Where / when can the course be studied?

    The course can be studied study at any time and from any internet connected device

  • Is there a test at the end of the course?

    Once you have completed all 10 modules there is a multiple choice test. The questions will be on a range of topics found within the 10 modules. The test, like the course, is online and can be taken a time and location of your choosing.

  • What is the pass mark for the final test?

    The pass mark for the test is 70%.

  • What happens if a user fails the test?

    If the user doesn’t pass the test first time they will get further opportunities to take the test again after extra study. There are no limits to the number of times a test can be taken.

  • How long does it take to complete the Coding Foundations Certification course?

    We estimate that the course will take about 12 hours to complete in total, plus an additional 30 minutes for the end of course test.