Foundations of Computer Programming

This unit introduces core programming concepts, tools, and problem‑solving strategies that establish a practical foundation for further study. Students learn program structure, control flow, basic data representations and algorithms, modular design, simple file I/O, and an overview of language and platform choices, while also touching on basic security and database ideas to prepare for subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze program structure and control flow by tracing code that uses variables, assignment, IF‑THEN conditionals, and FOR‑NEXT loops to predict outputs and identify logic errors
• Apply modular and structured programming techniques by creating and invoking subprograms, adding meaningful comments, and refactoring simple ‘spaghetti’ code into clearer, maintainable routines
• Demonstrate fundamental data handling and algorithm skills by implementing basic data constructs (structures, sets, collections, stacks), performing sequential and bubble sort/search operations, and reading/writing text files
• Evaluate programming language and tool choices and basic system concerns by comparing language program structures (HTML/CSS/JavaScript/PHP/C/C++/Java/C#), selecting appropriate compilers/editors, and summarizing introductory concepts in encryption, malware mitigation, and databases