Python Software Development & Programming

Introduce learners to programming concepts and establish a strong Python foundation.

Module 1: Introduction to Programming

• 1.1 what is programming, programming languages, compilers vs interpreters, algorithms and problem solving, flowcharts, pseudocode, variables and data, input to processing to output, introduction to debugging

Module 2: Python Fundamentals

• 2.1 installing Python, the Python interpreter, IDEs and code editors, Python syntax, comments, variables, naming conventions, data types: str, int, float, bool, None

Module 3: Operators

• 3.1 arithmetic operators, comparison operators, logical operators, assignment operators, membership operators, identity operators, operator precedence

Module 4: Input and Output

• 4.1 print(), input(), type conversion, string formatting, f-strings, basic validation

Module 5: Conditional Programming

• 5.1 if / elif / else, nested conditions, Boolean expressions, decision-making programs

Module 6: Loops

• 6.1 for, while, range(), nested loops, break, continue, pass

Capstone: Personal Finance Calculator

• 7.1 A command-line application that records income and expenses, categorises them, and calculates total expenditure, remaining balance, and savings percentage, demonstrating syntax, variables, operators, conditions, loops, functions, and input validation.

Move from basic syntax to structured programming.

Module 1: Functions

• 1.1 defining functions, parameters and arguments, return values, default parameters, keyword arguments, variable scope, lambda functions, docstrings

Module 2: Data Structures

• 2.1 lists (creating, indexing, slicing, methods, comprehensions), tuples (creation, unpacking, operations), sets (union, intersection, difference), dictionaries (key/value structures, methods, nested dictionaries, comprehensions)

Module 3: Working With Strings

• 3.1 string methods, searching, splitting, joining, formatting, regular expressions introduction

Module 4: Files

• 4.1 reading and writing files, CSV files, JSON files, file paths, exception handling

Module 5: Error Handling

• 5.1 errors vs exceptions, try / except / else / finally, raising exceptions, custom exceptions

Module 6: Python Modules

• 6.1 importing modules, creating modules, packages, standard library, pip, virtual environments

Capstone: Student Management System

• 7.1 A Python application allowing an administrator to add, update, delete, and search students, record courses and grades, calculate averages, generate reports, and save data to JSON/CSV.

Introduce professional programming practices and persistent data storage.

Module 1: Object-Oriented Programming

• 1.1 classes, objects, attributes, methods, constructors, encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction, composition

Module 2: Advanced Python

• 2.1 iterators, generators, decorators, context managers, *args and **kwargs, type hints, dataclasses

Module 3: Software Development Practices

• 3.1 clean code, the DRY principle, separation of concerns, modular architecture, naming conventions, documentation, requirements gathering

Module 4: Git & GitHub

• 4.1 Git fundamentals, repository creation, commits, branches, merging, pull requests, .gitignore, GitHub repositories, collaboration, resolving conflicts

Module 5: Databases

• 5.1 SQL fundamentals: tables, records, primary/foreign keys, relationships, CRUD, SQL: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, aggregation, Python database integration: SQLite, connections, queries, transactions

Capstone: Business Inventory & Sales Management System

• 6.1 A CLI application managing products, categories, customers, and suppliers, with stock management, sales transactions with automatic stock updates, sales reports, and database persistence. Learners must use Git throughout development.

Teach learners how to transform Python knowledge into real web applications. This marks the beginning of the 4-month practical project phase.

Module 1: Web Fundamentals

• 1.1 how the internet works, HTTP/HTTPS, request/response, URLs and domains, web servers, client/server architecture, REST APIs

Module 2: HTML & CSS Fundamentals

• 2.1 HTML structure, forms, tables, semantic HTML, CSS selectors, layout, responsive design, basic JavaScript concepts

Module 3: Django

• 3.1 Django architecture, project creation, applications, URLs, views, templates, models, migrations, Django ORM, forms, static and media files, Django Admin

Module 4: Authentication

• 4.1 registration, login/logout, password management, user permissions, groups, role-based access

Module 5: APIs

• 5.1 API concepts, JSON, REST, HTTP methods, API authentication, Django REST Framework introduction

Capstone: Business Management Web Application

• 6.1 A complete Django application for a small business: authentication (registration/login/logout/password reset), a dashboard (sales summary, products, customers, stock, recent transactions), product management (add/edit/delete/search/categories), sales (create sales, generate totals, update stock, sales history), reporting (daily/monthly sales, product performance), and a REST API exposing selected business data. Deliverable: a functioning, documented Django application stored in GitHub.

Move from basic Django applications to production-oriented systems.

Module 1: Advanced Django

• 1.1 class-based views, custom user models, model relationships, query optimization, advanced ORM, signals, middleware, custom management commands

Module 2: Advanced Authentication

• 2.1 role-based access control, permissions, staff accounts, API authentication, token authentication, session management

Module 3: Advanced APIs

• 3.1 Django REST Framework, serializers, viewsets, routers, permissions, pagination, filtering, API documentation

Module 4: Background Processing

• 4.1 Celery, Redis, scheduled tasks, background jobs, email processing

Module 5: Testing

• 5.1 unit testing, integration testing, Django testing, test-driven development introduction, test coverage, debugging

Capstone: Healthcare Appointment & Patient Management System

• 6.1 A realistic healthcare application: patients (registration, profiles, search, records), appointments (booking, rescheduling, cancellation, history), healthcare staff (doctor/staff accounts, role-based permissions), a dashboard (appointments, patient statistics, operational summaries), and email appointment-reminder notifications, plus REST APIs for selected functionality. Advanced requirements: PostgreSQL, authentication, RBAC, automated tests, Git/GitHub, and API documentation.

Teach learners how professional software is secured, tested, deployed, and maintained.

Module 1: Secure Software Development

• 1.1 OWASP principles, authentication security, authorization, password security, input validation, SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, session security, secure file uploads, secrets management

Module 2: Application Security

• 2.1 security headers, HTTPS, environment variables, access control, logging, audit trails, rate limiting, secure APIs

Module 3: DevOps Fundamentals

• 3.1 Linux fundamentals, servers, SSH, environment configuration, Git deployment, Nginx, Gunicorn, PostgreSQL

Module 4: Docker

• 4.1 containers, images, Dockerfiles, Docker Compose, container networking, persistent volumes

Module 5: CI/CD

• 5.1 continuous integration, automated testing, GitHub Actions, deployment pipelines, environment management

Module 6: Monitoring & Maintenance

• 6.1 application logs, error monitoring, backups, database maintenance, performance monitoring

Capstone: Secure E-Commerce & Online Marketplace

• 7.1 A production-style online marketplace with customer functionality (registration, login, product browsing/search/categories, shopping basket, checkout, order history), business functionality (product management, inventory, orders, customers, sales dashboard, reports), security (secure authentication, RBAC, CSRF protection, secure uploads, input validation, rate limiting, security headers), and DevOps (Docker, PostgreSQL, Nginx, Gunicorn, CI/CD, HTTPS). Final deliverable: a deployed application with a GitHub repository, README, documentation, automated tests, deployment instructions, and a security checklist.

Bring together the entire programme through a sophisticated final project while introducing modern Python applications in AI and data. This is the final graduation project.

Module 1: Advanced Python Architecture

• 1.1 design patterns, SOLID principles, dependency management, application architecture, service layers, repository patterns, modular systems

Module 2: Data Processing

• 2.1 NumPy, Pandas, data cleaning, data transformation, data visualisation

Module 3: Machine Learning Introduction

• 3.1 machine learning concepts, supervised and unsupervised learning, feature engineering, model training, model evaluation, Scikit-learn

Module 4: AI Application Development

• 4.1 integrating AI into applications, AI APIs, prompt engineering fundamentals, AI-assisted workflows, recommendation systems, intelligent search

Module 5: Performance & Scalability

• 5.1 database optimization, caching, Redis, query optimization, asynchronous programming, application scalability

Module 6: Professional Development

• 6.1 software documentation, technical presentations, code reviews, GitHub portfolio, CV/project portfolio, interview preparation, freelancing/project estimation, requirements gathering, Agile development

Capstone: AI-Powered Business Intelligence Platform

• 7.1 The final graduation project is an intelligent platform allowing businesses to upload or connect business data and obtain useful insights: user management, data upload/validation/cleaning (CSV/Excel), analytics (KPIs, charts, reports, trend analysis), AI features (natural-language questions about business data, automated insight generation, anomaly identification, basic predictive analysis, recommendations), an interactive dashboard with filters and exportable reports, and a REST API, deployed with Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, Nginx, Gunicorn, HTTPS, and CI/CD.