This introductory programming course establishes a strong foundation in Java, enabling students to advance their skills through further education. The course begins with an introduction to Java and its comparison to other programming languages, followed by instruction on writing simple applications. Java syntax, control flow, and data types are thoroughly discussed. The curriculum emphasizes fundamental object-oriented programming principles, including class creation, inheritance, and interfaces. The latter portion of the course focuses on graphical user interface (GUI) development and database connectivity, providing practical experience with real-world application development.
Audience Profile:
This course is designed for new developers or developers transitioning to the Java programming platform who wish to build a comprehensive understanding of the language and its applications.
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Create basic Java applications from scratch
- Use the NetBeans integrated development environment effectively
- Compile and run Java applications successfully
- Write and document Java code following industry standards
- Declare and use variables appropriately
- Author and evaluate expressions
- Use classes, objects, and call methods effectively
- Read from and write to the console for user interaction
- Work with different data types and their applications
- Code conditional statements, including if/else constructs
- Code loops using while and other iteration statements
- Handle exceptions properly in Java applications
- Test and debug Java applications systematically
- Define custom reusable classes using NetBeans
- Create objects based on custom-defined classes
- Consume and utilize objects created from custom classes
Prerequisites:
Before attending this course, it is recommended that students:
- Have basic computer navigation skills and familiarity with the operating system
- Possess prior programming experience; however, this is not necessary, as foundational knowledge can help contextualize topics covered
Course Outline
Note: The course material contains extensive information that serves as a useful reference beyond the course duration. This is why the chapter and section numbers listed are not in perfect numeric order.
Section 1: Essential Skills
An Introduction to Java
- An overview of Java and its capabilities
- Types of Java applications and their uses
- An introduction to Java development environments
- How to use NetBeans to work with existing projects effectively
- How to use NetBeans to develop new projects from scratch
How to Write Your First Java Application
- Basic coding skills and fundamental programming concepts
- How to work with numeric variables and their operations
- How to work with string variables and text manipulation
- How to use classes, objects, and methods in practice
- How to use the console for input and output operations
- How to code simple control statements
- How to test and debug applications systematically
How to Work with Primitive Data Types
- Basic skills for working with data and understanding data types
- How to code arithmetic expressions and calculations
- How to use Java classes to work with numbers effectively
- How to use the BigDecimal class for precision arithmetic
How to Code Control Statements
- How to code Boolean expressions and logical operations
- How to code if/else and switch statements for branching
- How to code loops for iteration and repetition
- How to code break and continue statements for loop control
How to Code Methods, Handle Exceptions, and Validate Data
- How to code and call static methods for reusable functionality
- How to handle exceptions and manage errors gracefully
- How to validate data input and ensure program robustness
How to Test, Debug, and Deploy an Application
- Basic skills for testing and debugging Java applications
- How to use NetBeans debugging features effectively
- How to deploy applications for distribution and use
Section 2: Object-Oriented Programming
- How to define and use classes in Java
- An introduction to object-oriented class concepts and design
- How to work with a class that defines an object with properties and behavior
- How to code and use static fields and methods for shared data
- More advanced skills for working with objects and methods
