Introduction to C# Programming

Learn the fundamentals of computer programming with the C# programming language. This course uses hands-on practice, examples and assignments to develop your knowledge of C# programming by using a state-of-the-art language to build impressive applications on your very own computer.

6 Weeks / 24 Course Hrs

Starting May 14, 2025

Offered in partnership with your preferred school

University of Central Florida

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Learning method

Self-Guided

$129

No instructor. Study on your own schedule

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Instructor-Moderated

$129

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Starting May 14 | June 11

Details + Objectives

Course code: cpb

This course starts with programming fundamentals: input/output operations, decision making, and looping. Then, you will explore the many benefits of object-oriented programming, with plenty of vivid, real-life examples.

Then, you will gain hands-on experience with sequential data files, and you will be able to build a professional-looking and intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) application on your very own computer.

Because there is no better way to learn programming than hands-on practice, almost every lesson includes practical examples and assignments you can use to develop your knowledge of programming.

Learn to program the right way: by using a state-of-the-art language to build impressive applications on your schedule and on your very own computer.

What you will learn

Develop your understanding of programming fundamentals: input/output operations, decision making, and looping
Explore the many benefits of object oriented programming
Gain hands-on experience with sequential data files
Learn to build a professional-looking and intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) application on your very own computer

How you will benefit

Learn a programming language that will open the door to new career opportunities
Advance your programming skills regardless if you're new to the industry or a seasoned programmer
Master C# programming and list your new skills on your résumé

How the course is taught

Instructor-Moderated or Self-Guided online course
6 Weeks or 3 Months access
24 course hours

Outline

C# is a fantastic programming language that combines the best parts of C++, Java, and Visual Basic all into one language. This first lesson briefly explains the history of programming languages and then showcases the .NET framework.

Armed with some background, you will now proceed to installing the C# compiler, and then you will write, compile, and run your first C# program. Although you will start with a small program, it will be clear even small C# programs can be a bit tricky. This lesson gives you a great opportunity to practice working with the compiler, something that you will be using for the remainder of the course.

Now that you're comfortable with compiling and running simple programs, you will shift to math. But you will be learning about the basic math operators that C# provides. And because you will need a place to save the results of your calculations, you will also learn about variables and their data types.

This lesson is your first step into modular programming with methods. Methods are a helpful tool because they allow you to break up big programs into smaller, more manageable parts. First, you will start learning a few built-in methods that are available. Then you will learn how to write your own methods and call them in your program. Hopefully you will agree that this way of programming makes it easier to tackle large problems.

This lesson continues building on the concept of methods. You will learn about methods that don't return any value, which help make your program modular. This lesson also covers method overloading, which can help improve the readability of your programs by reusing method names within the same code file.

By this point in the course, you will be comfortable doing the basics of C#: working with variables, math, and methods. In this lesson, you will learn about the if statement and how you can use it to let the computer choose which set of statements to execute based on some condition.

This lesson continues your investigation of the decision structure by taking a look at more complex if statements. You will also learn how to use the switch statement to make decisions in your programs as well. This ability to have multiple programming structures is sort of like having another tool in your tool belt. Sometimes a job is far easier to do if you just use the right tool. You may not always need to use every tool, but it's good to know what tools are there and how to use them. You will find the same is true in programming.

Keeping with the theme of programming structures, you will now look at the repetition structure. Just as there were different ways to implement the decision structure, there are a couple of ways to work with loops. This lesson focuses on the while loop, the for loop, and the do loop. Each structure works the same in that they allow you to repeat statements, but each one is a little different. Here you will learn their differences and add to the tools in your tool belt.

One of the most useful applications of loops is arrays, so it makes sense for you to build on your knowledge of loops and explore array variables in this lesson. You will learn how to create and access array variables.

Object-oriented programming is a big topic, and C# is an object-oriented language. You will write a class that will store the data necessary to keep track of the time. Since you're writing this class, you will have the ability to take this code and add it to any program that needs to store information about the time, such as appointment books and scheduling programs.

Obviously, computer programs are big time savers and really help you to automate things. But in order for a program to be really useful, it needs to be able to save data for use later. In this lesson, you will learn how to read from and write to external data files, so you can store your user data forever.

In your final lesson, you will learn programs with a Graphical User Interface (GUI). While C# has an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that gives you the ability to easily create GUI applications, the code that's generated is buried deep in the file structure. You will also learn how to build your own GUI without an IDE. By doing this, you will be far better prepared for working with IDEs in the future because you will know exactly what's going on behind the scenes.

Instructors & Support

Mike Orsega

Mike Orsega has a Bachelor's Degree in Physics from Pennsylvania State University and a Master's Degree in Applied Math from the University of Georgia. He is currently working on a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Tennessee. Mike teaches programming both online and in the classroom and has more than five years of online teaching experience in subjects ranging from basic computer literacy to C# and Alice programming.

Instructor Interaction: The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

Requirements

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

This course must be taken on a PC.

Software Requirements:

PC: Windows 8 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge is also compatible.
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

FAQ

Instructor-Moderated: A new session of each course begins each month. Please refer to the session start dates for scheduling.

Self-Guided: Your course begins immediately after you enroll.

Instructor-Moderated: Once a course session starts, two lessons will be released each week for the 6 week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends. You will interact with the instructor through the online discussion area. There are no live sessions or online meetings with the instructor.

Self-Guided: You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

Instructor-Moderated: The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes two weeks after each lesson is released, so you're encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. However, you will have access to all lessons from the time they are released until the course ends.

Self-Guided: There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Instructor-Moderated: Students enrolled in a six-week online class benefit from a one-time, 10-day extension for each course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.

Self-Guided: Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.

Reviews

Being a COBOL programmer, I got the impression that C# is a complicated, intimidating programming language. But when I took this course, my impression has totally changed.

From 0 to programming in 12 fantastic chapters. WOW!

Good writing style, professional but not stiff -- invites communication.

It was a well-written course and will be helpful to those who will work with C# everyday.

The course was well written and useful for the true beginner.

The labs were fun, challenging, and reinforced the material. The text was terrific; it explained the concepts in great detail, provided a challenge and had me craving the next lesson. The text was written as if he were speaking directly to me.

While I was not an absolute beginner to programming, I was to C#. I found this course to be not only helpful in learning the C# language but in learning the .net structure as well (I found it enhancing my VB skills too). The instructor had the lessons well planned and was more interactive and helpful with the students than some traditional classes I've taken.