Beginner C Programming Course – Uganda & Africa

Course outline and learning expectations

This is a tutor-led course. The outline shows what your tutor will cover; teaching materials and examinations are provided directly to enrolled students.

What you will learn

• By the end of the course, the learner will be able to:
• Explain how C source code is compiled, linked and executed.
• Write readable C programs using variables, data types, operators and formatted input/output.
• Solve problems with conditions, loops and well-designed functions.
• Work safely with arrays, character strings, pointers and structures at a foundational level.
• Read from and write to text files while checking for input and file errors.
• Break a small program into clear functions and source files.
• Use compiler warnings and a debugger to find common logic and runtime defects.
• Build a command-line record manager in C and explain the decisions made in the code.

Modules

1. 1

   Start programming in C

   What C is and where it is used.Source code, compiler, linker and executable.Install the editor and compiler.First program, comments, formatting and compiler warnings.Practice: build and run a personal profile program.
2. 2

   Data, calculations and safe console input

   Variables, constants and core numeric types.Arithmetic, comparison and logical operators.Type conversion and common beginner mistakes.`printf`, `fgets` and controlled parsing.Practice: mobile-data or household-budget calculator.
3. 3

   Decisions and repetition

   `if`, `else if`, `else` and `switch`.`for`, `while` and `do while`.Input validation and loop design.Practice: menu-driven savings or farm-input calculator.
4. 4

   Functions and problem decomposition

   Function declarations, definitions, parameters and return values.Variable scope and lifetime.Turning a problem into small, testable functions.Practice: reusable grading or pricing functions.
5. 5

   Arrays and strings

   One-dimensional arrays and iteration.Character arrays and null-terminated strings.Safe string input, length and comparison.Avoiding out-of-bounds access.Practice: analyse names, marks or daily sales.
6. 6

   Pointers and structures

   Addresses, pointer variables and dereferencing.Passing values and addresses to functions.Relationship between arrays and pointers.Creating records with `struct`.Practice: learner, customer or inventory records.
7. 7

   Files, errors and debugging

   Open, read, write and close text files.End-of-file and error checks.Compiler warnings, breakpoints, stepping and variable inspection.Practice: persist records between program runs.
8. 8

   Capstone project

   Plan, build, test and present a command-line record manager.Suggested contexts: small-shop stock, school results, SACCO members or farm produce.Required evidence: source code, sample data, test cases and a short README.Final code review and readiness check for the intermediate course.