Developers of eLearning solutions are increasingly finding themselves involved in projects that cannot be completed exclusively via rapid development tools. It is becoming common for at least some aspects of eLearning projects to require custom coding. Whether the eLearning developers themselves are writing code, or if they are simply interacting with others who do, an understanding of software development and the fundamentals of coding concepts is becoming a prerequisite for many projects.

In this hands-on session, participants will learn the fundamentals of software development. You will create basic programs that teach you the core elements of writing code. You will explore common coding concepts of programming languages including variables, conditionals, loops, input, output, and data structure. You will be introduced to professional coding practices such as testing, versioning, and use of a code repository. Participants will leave this session with an understanding of the language of software development, and a working knowledge of the fundamentals of writing code.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to construct a program
• How to use a code repository and versioning system
• How to debug programs
• How to display data
• How to store data in a variable
• How to create loops and conditionals
• The jargon used by developers
• To think in terms of objects and classes

Audience:
Novice designers, developers, project managers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Python programming, web browsers, and compilers.

Participant technology needs:
Mac or PC laptop with Internet access.