Dart Programming for Beginners in Uganda & East 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 this beginner Dart programming course, the learner will be able to:
• Install the Dart SDK, configure a code editor and run Dart programs from the terminal.
• Explain how a Dart program is structured and use variables, built-in data types, constants and operators correctly.
• Write null-safe Dart code and recognise common type errors.
• Control program behaviour with conditions, loops and switch statements.
• Create reusable functions with positional, optional and named parameters.
• Store, search, filter and transform data with lists, sets and maps.
• Model simple real-life information with classes, objects, constructors and methods.
• Handle basic errors, debug programs and improve code with Dart formatting and analysis tools.
• Build a complete command-line project that solves a practical Ugandan or East African problem.

Modules

1. 1

   Introduction to Dart programming

   What Dart is and where the language is usedDart source files and the `main()` entry pointRunning code in DartPad, an editor and the terminalReading compiler and runtime messagesFirst project: a local business welcome and receipt program
2. 2

   Variables, data types and null safety

   `var`, explicit types, `final` and `const`Numbers, strings, booleans and type inferenceString interpolation and common string operationsNullable and non-nullable typesSafe conversions and user input validation
3. 3

   Operators and decision-making

   Arithmetic, assignment, comparison and logical operators`if`, `else if` and `else`Conditional expressions`switch` statements and simple pattern-based decisionsPractice project: mobile-money fee or produce-price calculator using supplied sample rules
4. 4

   Loops and problem-solving

   `for`, `while` and `do-while` loopsIterating over collections`break` and `continue`Counters, totals, averages and basic algorithmsPractice project: school marks and grade summary
5. 5

   Functions and reusable code

   Declaring, calling and returning values from functionsRequired, optional and named parametersArrow functionsVariable scopeBreaking a large problem into small functions
6. 6

   Dart collections

   Lists, sets and mapsAdding, updating, removing and searching valuesCollection properties and methodsSpread, `if` and `for` elements in collection literalsPractice project: small-shop stock and sales tracker
7. 7

   Object-oriented programming foundations

   Classes, objects, fields and methodsConstructors and named constructorsGetters, setters and encapsulationSimple inheritance and method overridingModelling students, customers, products and transactions
8. 8

   Errors, files, packages and capstone

   Syntax, compile-time and runtime errors`try`, `catch`, `on` and `finally`Debugging with editor tools and print tracingCreating a Dart project and understanding `pubspec.yaml`Introduction to `dart format` and `dart analyze`Capstone: a command-line stock, school-record or personal-budget system