About this course: Have you ever wished you knew how to program, but had no idea where to start from? This course will teach you how to program in Scratch, an easy to use visual programming language. More importantly, it will introduce you to the fundamental principles of computing and it will help you think like a software engineer.

Created by: The University of Edinburgh, Universidad ORT Uruguay

Taught by: Areti Manataki, Researcher
School of Informatics
Taught by: Inés Friss de Kereki, PhD
Engineering School, Universidad ORT Uruguay

Commitment	15-20 hours
Language	English
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Your First Computer Program

In this unit you’ll create your very first computer program! You’ll be introduced to basic programming concepts and you’ll familiarise yourself with Scratch.

19 videos, 6 readings

Video: Welcome to Code Yourself!
Video: About the Course
Reading: Syllabus
Reading: Course Logistics
Reading: How to use the Discussion Forums
Reading: Course Team
Reading: Copyright
Reading: Resources for Unit 1
Video: Algorithms and Sequence
Video: Representation of Algorithms
Video: Precision and Assumptions
Video: Introduction to Scratch
Video: Options for Using Scratch
Video: Programming in Scratch
Video: Selection
Video: Selection in Scratch
Video: Conditions within Selection
Video: Iteration: Infinite Loops
Video: Balloon Party! Changing the Looks of our Sprites
Video: Modifying Programs in Scratch
Video: Blow the Clouds Away!
Video: A Movie with Two Characters
Video: Summary
Video: Interview with an Informatics Researcher
Video: Interview with an Audiovisual Producer (Spanish with English subtitles)

Graded: Quiz 1

WEEK 2

Code Gone Loopy!

In this unit you’ll keep working with control structures, you’ll find out how to use events in your programs and how to incorporate visual and sound effects in Scratch. You’ll also start thinking about the requirements and the design of your program.

19 videos, 1 reading

Video: Introduction
Reading: Resources for Unit 2
Video: Count-controlled Loops
Video: Condition-controlled Loops
Video: Recreating a Tune
Video: Music Video
Video: Drawing Squares
Video: Birthday Card - Butterfly Behaviour
Video: Birthday Card - Cake Behaviour
Video: Birthday Card - Extend with If-then-else
Video: Birthday Card - Extend with Sounds
Video: Face Effects with Event-driven Programming
Video: Software Design
Video: Cut the Fruit!
Video: Software Requirements
Video: Helicopter Game Design
Video: Helicopter Game Implementation
Video: Summary
Video: Interview with a Software Engineer (Spanish with English subtitles)
Video: Interview with an Architect

Graded: Quiz 2

WEEK 3

Remixing Games

In this unit you’ll have a go at modifying and extending existing games to create new versions. You’ll also learn about software engineering practices for testing and documenting your programs.

11 videos, 2 readings

Video: Introduction
Reading: Resources for Unit 3
Video: Helicopter Game Extension with Variables
Video: Analysing the Pong Game
Video: Modifying Pong with Complex Conditions
Video: Modifying Pong into Pizza Pong
Video: Modifying Pong into a Penalty Shootout Game
Video: Guess the Number!
Video: A Flower Garden with Nested Loops
Video: Summary
Reading: How-to guide for peer-reviewed projects
Video: Interview on Football-playing Robots
Video: Interview with a Biotechnologist (Spanish with English subtitles)

Graded: Quiz 3

Graded: Project 1

WEEK 4

Reusing Your Code

In this unit you’ll be introduced to procedures and cloning in Scratch, and you’ll apply these ideas to reuse your code.

11 videos, 1 reading

Video: Introduction
Reading: Resources for Unit 4
Video: Catch the Mouse with Procedures
Video: Generalising a Program for Drawing Squares
Video: Staircase
Video: Hunting Ghosts with Cloning
Video: Fireworks
Video: A Modular Program for Bursting Bubbles
Video: Wave
Video: Summary
Video: Interview on Entrepreneurship and Programming (Spanish with English subtitles)
Video: Interview with a Jewelry Designer

Graded: Quiz 4

WEEK 5

Think Like a Software Engineer

In this unit you’ll follow all the steps of software development to create a fun computer game. You’ll also learn about message broadcasting and concurrency.

11 videos, 1 reading

Video: Introduction
Reading: Resources for Unit 5
Video: Zombie Game: Requirements and Interface Design
Video: Zombie Game: Code Design
Video: Zombie Game: Implementation of the Interface, Broom and Zombie
Video: Zombie Game: Implementation of the Zombie Clones & Message Broadcasting
Video: Zombie Game: Implementation of the Backdrop and Flower
Video: Zombie Game: Implementation of Invasion and Extensions
Video: Sharing your Projects in Scratch & Links with Python
Video: Summary
Video: Interview with a Computer Science Student
Video: Interview with a Game Developer (Spanish with English subtitles)

Graded: Quiz 5

Graded: Project 2

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Coursework

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The University of Edinburgh

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Universidad ORT Uruguay

Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.7 out of 5 of 580 ratings