Python - Introduction to Programming

This course will be held in English

"Theo is a fantastic instructor for this level of programming. Very friendly, breaks down complex/abstract concepts in a clear and beginner-friendly way, and keeps the presentations interesting through humour and relatable metaphors. 10/10”

Introduction to Programming

Worldwide Python is the most popular language for doing datascience, but at its core it is also a widely used general programming language.

In this introductory course we'll use python to show the most important tools in programming; conditions, loops, functions, and datatypes like integers, floats, strings, lists, tuples, dictionaries and eventually classes.

Who Should Attend?

This introduction course is for everyone who wants to learn the basics of programming, or more specifically, how to do that in Python. This is useful for those new to programming and/or Python, but also for those who already use Python but never got the chance to learn the basics themselves.

No prior knowledge needed.

What do you learn?

✅ Introduction
✅ Python and Spyder (NB using another IDE’s are fine, but the teacher will use Spyder)
✅ Basics (variables and datatypes)
✅ Functions
✅ Conditions and recursion
✅ Iteration: for and while loops
✅ Error handling and debugging
✅ Sequences: strings, lists and tuples
✅ Dictionaries
✅ Text files
✅ Object oriented programming
✅ Algorithms (self-study)

Result

At the end of the course you'll not only be able to work with Python, but you will also be able to expand your knowledge in your own specific work field.

Interactive Learning Experience

This course relies heavily on highly interactive (online or hybrid) sessions where we review what you’ve done in the reader. During a review the teacher will share his screen and go through the code asking you by voting and chatting to find the error or complete the code. These reviews are used to rehearse material, show tips and tricks, warn for common mistakes, explain error messages, show how to use the helpfiles and the program (IDE) in general, and overall to motivate you to keep up the pace. Participants report they are highly involved during these sessions and the course is consistently highly evaluated. On average this course is rated with an 8.2 (10% gives a 10!) by students and employees alike.

Date, time and location

Below are the dates and times of the next known Introduction to Programming using Python course(s). The content of these courses is the same each time. If these dates don’t suit you and you want to be notified on future courses please contactTheo van Mourik (t.j.van.mourik rug.nl).

April 2025 – 3 week course

All sessions take 4 hours and take 3-4 hours of preparation each.
All presentations will be given via the Kaltura classroom (no account needed) and can be followed online.
Even if sessions would be onsite, you can always choose to join online. All presentations will be recorded and recordings will be available for about 6 months after the course.
You’ll receive a certificate of attendance for attending 5 of 6 sessions or (if you prefer) after completing a final assignment.

Session	Date (9:00-13:00)	Preparation
1	Tue 1 April	Install Python and Spyder or start in UWP/VRW
2	Fri 4 April	Ch 3-4, Basics and Functions
3	Tue 8 April	Ch 5, 6, 7: Conditions, Iterations, Error handling
4	Fri 11 April	Ch 8: Sequences
5	Tue 15 April	Ch 9, 10: Dictionaries and Text files
6	Thu 17 April*	Ch 11 Object oriented programming

*Note the final day is on Thursday instead of on Good Friday

June 2025 – 3 week course

All sessions take 4 hours and take 3-4 hours of preparation each.
All presentations will be given via the Kaltura classroom (no account needed) and can be followed online. Even if sessions would be onsite, you can always choose to join online.
All presentations will be recorded and recordings will be available for about 6 months after the course.
You’ll receive a certificate of attendance for attending 5 of 6 sessions or (if you prefer) after completing a final assignment.

Session	Date (9:00-13:00)	Preparation
1	Tue June 10	Install Python and Spyder or start in UWP/VRW
2	Fri June 13	Ch 3-4, Basics and Functions
3	Tue June 17	Ch 5, 6, 7: Conditions, Iterations, Error handling
4	Fri June 20	Ch 8: Sequences
5	Tue June 24	Ch 9, 10: Dictionaries and Text files
6	Thu June 27	Ch 11 Object oriented programming

Enrollment and course fee

Fill out this form to enroll

Late enrollments are fine, but please also contact the teacher to not risk being overlooked. You can unenroll until 8 days prior to the first session. The participants will be mailed the course material a few days prior to the course. For more info, you can mail Theo van Mourik
(t.j.van.mourik rug.nl ).

Prices for individuals:

€100 BSc/MSc student at UG, other Dutch University or Hanze Hogeschool
€300 PHD-student at UG or other Dutch University
€650 Employee UG or other Dutch university/UMCG/Hanze Hogeschool
€650 UG Alumni
€1250 Other participants

Prices for groups joining the course:

20 or more PHD’s €200pp (minimum price of €4.000)

10 or more Employees €400 pp (minimum price of €4.000)

20 or more Employees €250 pp (minimum price of €5.000)

5 or more others €1.000 pp (minimum price of €5.000, we’ll also need to send a separate contract for this)

When enrolling a group of participants, you need to report a single financial contact person/kostenplaatsnummer and the mailing addresses of all participants. You can enroll a group with the normal enrollment link.

You can also order a custom course and discuss dates, audience, and content. For more information mail Theo van Mourik (t.j.van.mourik@rug.nl). This is also possible within the curriculum.

More information

Each Thursday from 13:00-17:00 you can also join the Research Support Hub for guided working. Check rug.nl/rshub for the location and available support those weeks.
For more information on this or similar courses, please mail the coordinator, Theo van Mourik (t.j.van.mourik rug.nl).

Last modified:

12 February 2025 08.51 a.m.