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Courses >
Web & Computer Programming > Java for the Absolute Beginner
 If you want to learn computer programming but don't have any prior experience, you'll enjoy a tour of Java, one of the most widely used computer languages in the world. It’s a breeze to learn in a friendly and supportive environment. Start with the basics of program design and go on to write your own programs and integrate input and output, calculations, decision making, and loops. Build your knowledge and confidence with easy-to-understand examples and plenty of skill-building exercises. So whether you just want to try it out to see if you like it or plan on doing more with Java, this is a great place to start!
We’ll use the latest release of Java, from Sun Microsystems, the company that maintains and supports the language. We’ll also use BlueJ, a graphical development environment designed especially for students. Both are free open-source products, and I’ll give you the proper instructions to download them. By the time we’re done, you’ll be comfortable with Java programming and ready for more!
This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Merrill Hall.
 Merrill Hall is an Associate Professor of Computer Science, teaching Java and C++ Programming, data structures, algorithms, computer architecture, and computer graphics. Prior to teaching, he worked in software design and development for more than 20 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Pepperdine University, and a master's degree in computer science from UCLA.
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Requirements:
Microsoft Windows 98 or better, or Macintosh OS X or better, or Linux; Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader). You will also need a working copy of the most recent versions of the Java Development Kit (JDK) and BlueJ (free downloads). Download and installation instructions are available in Lesson 4.
Syllabus:
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
If you're curious about computer programming or wondering what all the fuss is about, this course is a great place to start. You'll learn the basics of programming and enough of the Java programming language to start writing your own programs. You'll also gain a foundation for further study and training in computer programming or in Java.
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
Have you ever wondered exactly what a computer program is? In this lesson, we'll go over how a program does what it does, and then we'll examine the steps involved in designing and writing a program. Since lack of preparation is the most common cause of program problems (or almost any other undertaking!), we’ll focus on the planning stages of designing a program.
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
Even if you’re familiar with computers and have done some programming, you may not be familiar with object-oriented programming, which is what Java is all about. In today's lesson, we'll discuss classes, objects, attributes, and methods, and how they all work together to form programs that are both modular and reusable.
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
Now that you’ve got some basic concepts under your belt, it's time to get down to business. Today, you’ll download and install all the software you need to write and test Java programs. You’ll also test your installations by running your very first program, and you'll learn what it means to compile a program before running it.
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
Now that you’ve installed all the software and run your first program, you’re ready to actually write a program of your own. In this lesson, you’ll start from scratch and write your first program, which will duplicate the results of the one you ran last time. Along the way, you’ll learn how to define a class, the data it needs, and the methods that make it work.
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
This lesson will be a bit like peeling an onion. We ran a program that we didn’t write (the whole onion) in Lesson 4. In Lesson 5, we took one layer off the onion when we wrote a program to do the same simple task. Today, we'll peel back another layer or two as we start the process of writing a more complicated program, one that will take us several lessons to finish. Hopefully, we'll be able to avoid the tears as we begin our development and go over basic program structure, data types, and calculations.
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
In this lesson we’re going to continue developing the program we started last time. We’ll add decision-making to our programming repertoire, and we'll see how Java compares values. Then we'll discuss how to use those comparisons to decide what course of action to take in any given situation.
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
Round, and round, and round we go. . .where we stop, nobody knows! Actually, you will know, because today's lesson is all about using loops to repeat actions as many times as you want. And if you write your loops well, you'll definitely stop where you want!
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
In today's lesson, you’re going to learn how to write applets, which are small Java programs that run in browser windows and use GUI (Graphical User Interface) tools. Just like before, we’ll start out very simply, then dive into the deep end in another lesson.
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
Ready to bring out your inner Picasso? Today, we'll use Java’s 2-D graphical tools to draw simple shapes like rectangles, ovals, arcs, and polygons. Along the way, you’ll also learn some more programming techniques related to storing groups of items in a single collection called an array.
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
In this lesson, you’ll improve your graphics capabilities by learning how to load an image and display it. If you have any digital pictures of family or friends, now is the time to get them out! You’ll also see how to enhance your text capabilities using different font faces, styles, and sizes.
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
Wow! We’re down to the last lesson already! We’re going to wrap up the course with a couple of final topics related to graphics: animation and interactivity. You’ll see how to animate simple shapes by moving them and redrawing them. Then you’ll learn how to make your programs interact with the mouse so that a user can make things happen using a simple click-and-drag interface.
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To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Student Reviews:
"I loved this course! It got me ready for another JAVA Intro course at a local college. The instructor did a fine job!"
"I thought that this course was extremely helpful. I was able to learn a little bit of Java to better understand what the developers in my company are doing."
"The class was enormously helpful to me. I leaned a lot from the course work."
"The instructor was incredibly responsive. I actually liked the course. I think it was useful. The lessons were quite good."
"The material was very well organized and the material was readable and easy to follow. I learned a lot."
"This course was just the perfect fit for me. Challenging enough yet not so challenging that it took all of the limited time I had to apply to the course. The instructor did an excellent job in providing just enough of a foundation for anyone enrolled in the class."
"This was a fabulous experience! I can't wait to take another course!"
"This was a great class. I really like that you copied and ran many, many programs giving feedback and assisting students in resolving issues. The class was much more interactive than I had thought it would be. I learned not only from my own questions, but also from reading about problems other students had and from the replies by both students and teacher. Thanks for content and instructions that were well-written and easy to follow. Everything I needed to know for the class was explained in the chapters. The suggested resource books were helpful. Fortunately the local city library system has several of them. Thank you!"
"This was truely a course for the 'absolute beginner'. Although I'm sure that programmers would find the course too easy, it was just what I was looking for to ease me into the world of Java. I'm a full time working mother so this course provided just the right amount of challenge and demanded no more than the time I can manage to squeeze out of my week. Plus - it was fun! As a tech writer, I know how difficult it is to write about complex ideas for the 'absolute beginner'. Well done!"
"Unlike past Java courses, I was able to understand and relate to the material that was taught. The way the instructor explained each word, what it meant, and what it did, helped me more than anything I have read or been taught. It was a wonderful course and I would take more classes from this instructor!!"
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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