PCRS-Python: Python Programming Modules

Python Programming Modules

Project Leads: Jennifer Campbell and Paul Gries

This website contains materials for use by other instructors developing a blended or online course where Python programming skills are being developed. The materials are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, so they can be modified with attribution to the authors.

The curriculum consists of twelve weeks of modules. Each module consists of video content that is available through the web via the links below. At the University of Toronto, the video content is supplemented with online, interactive exercises served through PCRS. The PCRS software is available for download, but the Python exercises used at U of T are not available for distribution.

Week 1 (20 videos)
- Prepare (11 videos)
  - Python as a Calculator (3 videos)
  - Python and Computer Memory (1 videos)
    - Python and Computer Memory (2:42)
  - Variables (3 videos)
  - Visualizing Assignment Statements (1 videos)
    - Visualizing Assignment Statements (2:45)
  - Built-in Functions (3 videos)
- Rehearse (9 videos)
  - Arithmetic Operators (3 videos)
  - Built-in Functions (3 videos)
  - Variable Assignment Memory Model (1 videos)
    - Variable Assignment Memory Model (Problem explanation, 2:02)
  - Variable Assignment Statements (2 videos)
    - Variable Swap (Problem explanation, 3:03)
    - Changing variable values (Problem explanation, 4:18)
Week 2 (21 videos)
- Prepare (14 videos)
  - Defining Functions (2 videos)
    - Defining Functions (Video 1, 2:39)
    - Defining Functions (Video 2, 4:02)
  - Type str (2 videos)
    - Type str: Strings in Python (Video 1, 2:26)
    - Type str: Strings in Python (Video 2, 2:28)
  - Input/Output and str Formatting (3 videos)
  - Docstrings and Function Help (1 videos)
    - Docstrings and Function help (0:54)
  - Function Design Recipe (2 videos)
    - Function Design Recipe (Video 1, 3:18)
    - Function Design Recipe (Video 2, 2:12)
  - Function Reuse (2 videos)
    - Function Reuse (Video 1, 3:41)
    - Function Reuse (Video 2, 1:50)
  - Visualizing Function Calls (1 videos)
    - Visualizing Function Calls (5:35)
  - Constants (1 videos)
    - Constants (2:09)
- Rehearse (7 videos)
  - Function Definitions (1 videos)
    - Function Definition (Problem explanation, 5:29)
  - Function Design Recipe (FDR) (4 videos)
  - Reusing Functions (1 videos)
    - Function Reuse (Problem explanation, 3:10)
  - Nested Function Calls (1 videos)
    - Nested Function Calls (Problem explanation)
Week 3 (26 videos)
- Prepare (15 videos)
  - Import: Using Non-Built-in Functions (1 videos)
    - Import: Using Non-Builtin Functions (5:26)
  - Type bool (4 videos)
  - Converting between int, str, and float (2 videos)
    - Converting between int, str, and float (Video 1, 2:04)
    - Converting between int, str, and float (Video 2, 1:12)
  - If statements (2 videos)
    - If statements (Video 1, 3:40)
    - If Statements (Video 2, 5:08)
  - No if required (1 videos)
    - No if required (4:15)
  - Structuring if statements (2 videos)
    - Structuring If Statements (Video 1, 2:33)
    - Structuring If Statements (Video 2, 3:32)
  - More str operators (1 videos)
    - More str Operators (2:12)
  - str: indexing and slicing (1 videos)
    - str: Indexing and Slicing (4:53)
  - PyTA Practice (Basic) (1 videos)
    - A1 Checker and PyTA
- Rehearse (11 videos)
  - if statements (3 videos)
  - No if statement required (1 videos)
    - No if required (3:04)
  - Functions and Booleans (3 videos)
  - print vs. return (1 videos)
    - print vs. return (Problem explanation, 1:55)
  - Operations on Strings (3 videos)
Week 4 (19 videos)
- Prepare (9 videos)
  - str Methods: Functions Inside of Objects (1 videos)
    - str methods: Functions inside Objects (3:41)
  - for loop over str (3 videos)
  - Functions, Variables, and the Call Stack (1 videos)
    - Functions, Variables, and the Call Stack (4:31)
  - Wing's debugger (1 videos)
    - Wing's Debugger
  - while loops (3 videos)
- Rehearse (10 videos)
  - String Methods (3 videos)
  - For Loops Over Strings (4 videos)
  - While Loops (3 videos)
Week 5 (24 videos)
- Prepare (14 videos)
  - Comments (1 videos)
    - Comments (4:56)
  - Type list (2 videos)
    - Type list (Video 1, 3:18)
    - Type list (Video 2, 1:03)
  - list methods (3 videos)
  - Module typing (1 videos)
    - Module typing
  - Mutability and Aliasing (2 videos)
    - Mutability and Aliasing (Video 1, 4:17)
    - Mutability and Aliasing (Video 2, 5:45)
  - Function range (1 videos)
    - range (3:34)
  - for loop over indices (2 videos)
    - for Loops over Indices (Video 1, 7:40)
    - for Loops over Indices (Video 2, 6:39)
  - Parallel Lists and Strings (2 videos)
    - Parallel Lists and Strings (Video 1, 3:36)
    - Parallel Lists and Strings (Video 2, 2:22)
- Rehearse (10 videos)
  - More while loops (1 videos)
    - Collatz Conjecture (Problem explanation, 1:45)
  - List Operations and Methods (3 videos)
  - range (1 videos)
    - Function range (Problem explanation, 4:47)
  - For Loops Over Lists (2 videos)
    - Collect Underperformers (Problem explanation, 2:24)
    - Scale midterm grades (Problem explanation, 3:43)
  - Parallel Strings and Lists (3 videos)
Week 6 (8 videos)
- Prepare (3 videos)
  - Nested Lists (1 videos)
    - Nested Lists (4:03)
  - Nested Loops (2 videos)
    - Nested Loops (Video 1, 2:16)
    - Nested Loops (Video 2, 11:35)
- Rehearse (5 videos)
  - Nested Lists and Loops (5 videos)
Week 7 (16 videos)
- Prepare (7 videos)
  - Reading Files (1 videos)
    - Reading Files (4:43)
  - Writing Files (1 videos)
    - Writing Files (5:18)
  - Tuples (1 videos)
    - Tuples (2:07)
  - Type dict (2 videos)
    - Type dict (Video 1, 3:21)
    - Type dict (Video 2, 6:32)
  - Inverting a Dictionary (1 videos)
    - Inverting a Dictionary (4:29)
  - Populating a Dictionary (1 videos)
    - Populating a Dictionary (7:18)
- Rehearse (9 videos)
  - Files (4 videos)
  - Dictionaries (5 videos)
Week 8 (18 videos)
- Prepare (12 videos)
  - Palindrome: Approaching the Problem (3 videos)
  - Palindrome: Algorithm 1 (1 videos)
    - Palindrome: Algorithm 1 (5:44)
  - Palindrome: Algorithm 2 (2 videos)
    - Palindrome: Algorithm 2 (Video 1, 4:12)
    - Palindrome: Algorithm 2 (Video 2, 2:03)
  - Palindrome: Algorithm 3 (1 videos)
    - Palindrome: Algorithm 3 (5:08)
  - The Restaurant Recommendations Problem (1 videos)
    - The Restaurant Recommendation Problem (2:44)
  - Restaurant Recommendations: Representing the Data (1 videos)
    - Restaurant Recommendations: Representing the Data (6:19)
  - Restaurant Recommendations: Planning the Program (3 videos)
- Rehearse (6 videos)
  - Random Story Generation: Introduction (4 videos)
  - Random Story Generation: Representing the data (1 videos)
    - Random Story Generation: representing the context and next words
  - Random Story Generation: Planning the program (1 videos)
    - Random Story Generation: Planning the program (5:48)
Week 9 (20 videos)
- Prepare (13 videos)
  - Testing Automatically Using doctest (2 videos)
    - Testing Automatically using doctest (Video 1, 6:17)
    - Testing Automatically using doctest (Video 2, 0:27)
  - Writing a '__main__' program (2 videos)
    - Writing a '__main__' Program (Video 1, 2:57))
    - Writing a '__main__' Program (Video 2, 1:45)
  - Creating Your Own Types (4 videos)
  - Testing Automatically Using unittest (2 videos)
    - Testing Automatically using unitest (Video 1, 2:07)
    - Testing Automatically using unitest (Video 2, 2:32)
  - Choosing Test Cases (2 videos)
    - Choosing Test Cases (Video 1, 3:06)
    - Choosing Test Cases (Video 2, 3:56)
  - Testing Functions that Mutate Values (1 videos)
    - Testing Functions that Mutate Values (3:26)
- Rehearse (7 videos)
  - Random Story Generation Conclusion (1 videos)
    - Random Story Generation: conclusion (Problem explanation, 11:38)
  - Choose Test Cases (3 videos)
  - unittest (3 videos)
Week 10 (24 videos)
- Prepare (18 videos)
  - Analyzing Algorithms (1 videos)
    - Analyzing Algorithms (6:36)
  - Linear Search (3 videos)
  - Binary Search (4 videos)
  - Comparing Search Algorithms (4 videos)
  - Bubble Sort (2 videos)
    - Bubble Sort (Video 1, 4:13)
    - Bubble Sort (Video 2, 1:39)
  - Selection Sort (2 videos)
    - Selection Sort (Video 1, 2:18)
    - Selection Sort (Video 2, 1:23)
  - Insertion Sort (2 videos)
    - Insertion Sort (Video 1, 2:11)
    - Insertion Sort (Video 2, 2:42)
- Rehearse (6 videos)
  - Run Time Complexity of Functions (2 videos)
    - Runtime complexity (Problem explanation, video 2, 2:05)
    - Runtime complexity (Problem explanation, video 1, 4:34)
  - Sorting Algorithms (1 videos)
    - Identify Sorting Algorithms (Problem explanation, 5:11)
  - Insertion Sort Analysis (2 videos)
    - Insertion Sort: Best case (Problem explanation, 4:07)
    - Insertion Sort: Worst case (Problem explanation, 7:58)
  - Selection Sort Analysis (1 videos)
    - Selection Sort: Analysis (Problem explanation, 4:22)
Week 11 (15 videos)
- Prepare (13 videos)
  - Creating a New Type (5 videos)
  - Plugging Into Python Syntax (2 videos)
    - Plugging Your Classes Into Python Syntax (Video 1, 2:02)
    - Plugging Your Classes Into Python Syntax (Video 2, 8:51)
  - Writing Special Method __str__ (2 videos)
    - Writing Special Method str (Video 1, 4:41)
    - Writing Special Method str (Video 2, 0:27)
  - Writing Classes that Interact (3 videos)
  - Passing Functions as Arguments (1 videos)
    - Passing Functions as Arguments (2:29)
- Rehearse (2 videos)
  - Object-Oriented Programming – Class Event (1 videos)
    - Class Event (Problem explanation, 7:32)
  - Object-Oriented Programming – Class Day (1 videos)
    - Class Day (Problem explanation, 6:03)
Week 12 (6 videos)
- Prepare (4 videos)
  - Assigning Parameters Default Values (3 videos)
  - Bonus material! Will not be tested. Topic: Dealing with Exceptional Situations (1 videos)
    - Dealing With Exceptional Situations (7:28)
- Rehearse (2 videos)
  - Improving Class Day (1 videos)
    - Class Day: Improved (Problem explanation, 4:28)
  - Another improvement to Day (1 videos)
    - Class Day: schedule_multiple_event method (Problem Explanation, 2:28)