Summer program · Free

CS1 — Introduction to Programming

Twelve weeks to write your first programs in Python. No experience required — just the will to learn and a computer, which the Centre provides.

Duration
12 weeks
Schedule
Mon–Thu, 8–11 am
Open to
Première & Terminale
Cost
Free
How to apply → See WEB1
The course

Solving problems, not reciting code.

CS1 is an introductory course for students interested in using computing to sharpen their problem-solving skills. No prior programming experience is necessary — students use their problem-solving skills to build working programs in Python.

The course is adapted from CSCE 110 — Programming I, taught at Texas A&M University, with materials written by Dr. David Kebo Houngninou. Each week alternates lecture and hands-on practice; since 2026, Fridays are set aside for "solo application" — a day where each student works through their own project.

The 2026 syllabus's stated goal: understand that more than one correct solution exists for a problem — and learn to use generative AI in a computing project.
Students in the middle of a programming session, at the Teamup Centre
The curriculum

Nineteen modules.

00Getting comfortable with a computer
01Introduction to programming
02Variables and expressions
03Input and output functions
04Strings
05Conditionals
06Loops
07Lists and sets
08Dictionaries and tuples
09Data structures
10Data structures (continued)
11Randomness
12Functions
13Simulation
14Files
15Number systems and binary
16Plotting with matplotlib
17Object-oriented programming
18Algorithms and recursion
19Hands-on with Claude Code
Past cohorts

Four cohorts since 2023.

Year Dates Certificates Notes
2023 Jul 24 – Sep 15 15 First cohort, 8 weeks
2024 Jul 22 – Sep 13 13 Projects: report-card generator, quiz game
2025 Jul 1 – Sep 12 16 Added a post-BAC guidance guide
2026 Jun 29 – Sep 18 ongoing 12 weeks · generative-AI modules

2026 instructor: Giovanni Marc. Coordination: Pierre Okambawa.