Overview

This course features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. Master the fundamentals of C# through a hands-on, application-driven approach that accelerates your learning and solidifies your understanding. By building real-world tools like calculators, word games, web scrapers, and even a Sudoku solver, you'll gain both practical experience and foundational programming skills. The course begins with setting up your development environment using Visual Studio and introduces core programming concepts such as variables, conditionals, classes, methods, and exception handling by building a fully functional calculator. You’ll then progress to more complex logic and data structures while creating a word unscrambler, where loops, arrays, file handling, and key design principles are emphasized. Next, you’ll explore object-oriented programming by developing a web scraper, diving deep into encapsulation, builder patterns, and unit testing. Finally, you'll tackle advanced programming paradigms through a comprehensive Sudoku solver, using interfaces, polymorphism, LINQ, and strategy design patterns. This course is ideal for aspiring developers, hobbyists, or students looking to learn C# from scratch through project-based learning. No prior experience in C# is required, but familiarity with basic computing concepts is recommended. The course is designed at a Beginner level. By the end of the course, you will be able to confidently build and test multiple C# applications, apply core object-oriented principles, write clean reusable code, and understand new language features introduced in C# 7.

Syllabus

Setup

In this module, we will kick off the course with a welcome message and guide you through setting up your development environment using Visual Studio 2022. You’ll learn how to install the IDE, manage recent updates, and understand the evolution of Visual Studio across its 2015, 2019, and 2022 versions. This foundational setup ensures you're fully prepared to dive into coding in later modules.

Simple Calculator

In this module, we will build a simple calculator application from scratch, starting with the acceptance criteria and design elements like algorithms and flowcharts. You'll explore key programming concepts including variables, expressions, string manipulation, conditional statements, and object-oriented programming. Finally, we'll implement the calculator, handle exceptions, and write unit tests to ensure the application performs as expected.

Word Unscrambler

In this module, we will design and build a word unscrambler application by first analyzing its acceptance criteria and developing the logic through flowcharts and algorithms. You’ll learn to use loops, arrays, lists, file I/O, and core object-oriented concepts to structure your code effectively. We’ll wrap up by building the full application, implementing reusable components, and writing unit tests to validate its functionality.

Simple Web Scraper

In this module, we will create a simple web scraper by first outlining the application's logic through acceptance criteria, algorithms, and flowcharts. You'll dive into object-oriented concepts, including fields, properties, encapsulation, and the Single Responsibility Principle, while also learning foundational HTML and regular expressions. The module concludes with the hands-on development of the scraper and accompanying unit tests to ensure it works as expected.

Sudoku Solver

In this module, we will build a complete Sudoku solver, beginning with the planning phase through acceptance criteria, algorithms, and flowcharts. You’ll explore a range of advanced topics including jagged vs. multidimensional arrays, interfaces, abstract classes, and design strategies like simple markup and naked pairs. The module wraps up with program implementation, debugging, and a comprehensive suite of unit tests to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Updates in C# 7

In this module, we will explore the new features introduced in C# 7, starting with an overview before diving into specific updates like out variables, throw expressions, and pattern matching. You’ll learn how to implement enhancements such as local functions, deconstruction, expression bodies, and tuples to write cleaner, more concise code. Each concept is broken down with practical examples, equipping you to leverage C# 7 effectively in real-world development.