CS202: Coding in Python 2 Course Syllabus

Course Description
This course continues the in-depth introduction to coding in Python from CS201. During
the course, students will master fundamental data structures such as lists, tuples, and
dictionaries. Students will also gain proficiency with advanced topics including for-each
loops, string operations, web APIs, and user-defined functions.

In addition, students will learn industry practices such as pair programming, code
reviews, and role-based project development. Throughout the course, students will
continuously demonstrate their knowledge through both traditional assessments and
real-world coding projects, crafting the foundations of their professional portfolio. This
course will also prepare students to complete the Python Institute's Certified Entry-Level
Python Programmer certification exam.

Course Outline
Unit 4: Lists Unit 5: Data Structures Unit 6: Functions

Lesson 4.1 Lesson 5.1 Lesson 6.1

Lists and For-Each Loops Tuples User-Defined Functions

Lesson 4.2 Lesson 5.2 Lesson 6.2

List Operations Dictionaries Scope and References

Unit 4 Quiz Unit 5 Quiz Industry Practice

Docstrings
Research Project Research Project
Data Privacy Computer Networks Unit 6 Quiz

Lesson 4.3 Lesson 5.3 Research Project

Advanced List Operations Nested Collections Preventing Cyberattacks

Lesson 4.4 Lesson 5.4 Lesson 6.3

Strings as Collections Web APIs Advanced Parameters

Lesson 4.5 Unit 5 Test Unit 6 Test

String Operations
Industry Practice Unit 6 Project
Unit 4 Test Code Review

Industry Practice Unit 5 Project

Pair Programming

Unit 4 Project

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Learning Objectives
Unit 4: Lists 4.1: Lists and For-Each Loops

Comprehension ● Define a list as a changeable collection of ordered

Objectives information
● Identify the valid and invalid indexes in a list
● Describe the properties of elements contained in a
list
● Describe how the loop variable of a for-each loop
changes when iterating over a list
● Compare and contrast different types of loops

Application ● Create a new list of one or more elements

Objectives ● Iterate over the elements in a list using a loop
● Retrieve the length of a list
● Reference an element in a list by its index

4.2: List Operations

Comprehension ● Give examples of problems that can be solved by

Objectives querying a list
● Give examples of how a list can change during the
execution of a program
● Determine the most appropriate method to add or
remove elements from a list
● Describe how a new list can be created by
analyzing the elements of an existing list
● Describe problems caused by adding or removing
an item from a list while iterating over that list

Application ● Query a list about the presence, number, or

Objectives location of an element
● Add or remove an element from a list
● Map a list to another list using a loop
● Filter a list into another list using a loop

Research Project: Private Data

Comprehension ● Describe tradeoffs between allowing information

Objectives to be public and keeping it private and secure
● Describe ways in which data can be collected that
might not be obvious to the data's subject

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 ● Give examples of malicious or controversial usage
of private data

Application ● Debate laws and regulations around data privacy

Objectives ● Gather information from a variety of sources
● Evaluate the accuracy and bias of sources
● Provide citations for sources used

4.3: Advanced List Operations

Comprehension ● Give examples of when to use a sorted list over an

Objectives unsorted list
● Describe the benefits of using randomness with
collections
● Explain the difference between equality and
identity in lists
● Compare and contrast the use of + and *
operators on lists with their use on other data
types

Application ● Change the order of elements in a list by sorting

Objectives and reversing
● Find the minimum or maximum value in a list
● Apply functions from the random library to lists
● Check whether two variables refer to the same list
or two lists with equal values
● Concatenate and repeat lists

4.4: Strings as Collections

Comprehension ● Compare and contrast strings, as a collection of

Objectives characters, to lists
● Identify which collection operations can and
cannot be used on strings
● Identify which elements of an existing collection
will be selected by a slice operation
● Identify the default values for collection slicing
when no values are given
● Recognize that slicing a collection with a negative
step value results in a new reversed collection

Application ● Use previously explored collection operations on

Objectives
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 strings and substrings
● Create a new collection by slicing an existing
collection

4.5: String Operations

Comprehension ● Identify and differentiate between spaces, tabs

Objectives and newlines
● Describe how an escape sequence makes it
easier to display certain characters
● Identify when a list of substrings is preferred over
a string of the same characters and vice versa
● Choose which string operation is most
appropriate for a given task
● Explain why an intermediate step is needed to
swap two existing values

Application ● Create a string with one or more escape

Objectives sequences
● Convert a string to a list and vice versa
● Create a new string by replacing all occurrences
of a substring with a new substring
● Convert the letters of a string to the same case
● Check whether a string contains only the same
type of characters

Industry Practice: Pair Coding

Comprehension ● Define pair coding as a process where two people

Objectives write the same lines of code together
● Describe the how professionals work together
when pair coding
● Explain the benefits and challenges of pair coding

Application ● Build a program with another student by pair

Objectives coding as both a driver and a navigator

Unit 5: Data 5.1: Tuples

Structures
Comprehension ● Define a tuple as an unchangeable collection of
Objectives ordered information
● Explain why it can be useful to use a tuple instead
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 of a list
● Identify which collection operations can and
cannot be used on tuples
● Identify which data types a collection can be
casted to or from
● Predict which values will be assigned to each
variable when unpacking a tuple

Application ● Create a new tuple of one or more elements

Objectives ● Use previously explored collection operations on
tuples
● Cast a collection from one data type to another
● Assign the elements of a collection to one or more
variables in a single unpacking statement

5.2: Dictionaries

Comprehension ● Define a dictionary as a changeable collection of

Objectives unordered key-value pairs
● Describe the properties of key-value pairs in
dictionaries
● Given a set of data, choose which collection type
would be most appropriate for storing it
● Identify which dictionary operation is most
appropriate to solve a given problem

Application ● Create a new dictionary of zero or more key-value

Objectives pairs
● Reference a value in a dictionary by a key
● Use previously explored collection operations on
dictionaries
● Update a dictionary with the contents of another
dictionary
● Iterate over a dictionary using a for-each loop
● Retrieve a list of the keys, values, or items in a
dictionary

Research Project: Computer Networks

Comprehension ● Define the properties of a computer network

Objectives ● Give real-world examples of different types of
computer networks

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 ● Give examples of protocols used in computer
networks

Application ● Diagram the topology of a computer network

Objectives ● Model how data is transmitted via a protocol
● Evaluate the reliability and scalability of a
computer network

5.3: Nested Collections

Comprehension ● Differentiate between the way lists and dictionaries

Objectives organize nested collections of data
● Identify that collections can be nested to any
depth
● Determine which nested collections would best
model a given set of data
● Describe how sequential bracket notation is used
to reference data in a nested collection
● Identify the most effective strategy to reference
data within a nested collection

Application ● Create a new heterogeneous nested collection

Objectives ● Create a new homogeneous nested collection
● Use sequential bracket notation to reference data
in a nested collection
● Use iteration to build a nested collection and to
reference its data

5.4: Web APIs

Comprehension ● Explain the essential requirements and workflow

Objectives for HTTP client-server communication
● Explain the tradeoffs between hard-coding
information into a program versus requesting it
from a server
● Compare and contrast requesting information
from a server to calling a function in a program
● Explain additional requirements and complications
that may occur with HTTP client-server
communication

Application ● Create an HTTP client that communicates with an

Objectives HTTP server

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 ● Send a complex request to an HTTP server that
includes parameters and API keys
● Check the status code of a response from an
HTTP server
● Locate, read, and understand the documentation
for a web API

Industry Practice: Code Review

Comprehension ● Describe the process of code reviews

Objectives ● List the benefits of code reviews

Application ● Review code with other students

Objectives ● Revise code based on code reviews

Unit 6: 6.1: User-Defined Functions

Functions
Comprehension ● Explain the benefits of organizing code inside a
Objectives function
● Trace the code execution from a function call to
the function’s code and back
● Identify what arguments a function requires based
on its signature
● Identify the rules for how a function finishes and
returns to the code that called it

Application ● Create and call user-defined functions

Objectives ● Use a user-defined function as or within an
expression
● Identify and refactor appropriate sections of code
by abstracting them into functions
● Validate input arguments at the start of a function

6.2: Scope and References

Comprehension ● Define scope as the area of a program where a

Objectives variable or function name is valid
● Describe how Python searches through a
program’s namespaces looking for a valid name
● Give examples of common side effects from a
function call
● Differentiate between modifying a value and

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 re-assigning a reference

Application ● Correct scope errors when accessing a variable or

Objectives parameter
● Produce function side effects related to modifying
values

Industry Skill: Docstrings

Comprehension ● Define a docstring as a string literal that provides

Objectives documentation for the code that follows
● Describe the benefits of documenting functions
● Differentiate between commenting and
documentation

Application ● Write a properly-formatted docstring for a function

Objectives ● Call an unfamiliar function by referencing its
docstring documentation

Research Project: Preventing Cyberattacks

Comprehension ● Give examples of common cyberattack methods

Objectives ● Identify common issues that may make data
vulnerable to attack
● Give examples of existing cybersecurity measures
● Discuss tradeoffs for various security measures,
such as ethics, efficiency, feasibility, etc.

Application ● Give examples of the damage that could be

Objectives caused to a system or its users based on a
description of a vulnerability or attack
● Suggest appropriate responses to given types of
cyberattacks

6.3: Advanced Parameters

Comprehension ● Predict the initial value of all function parameters

Objectives when the function is called
● Differentiate between function parameters that do
and do not have default values
● Identify function parameters that can be assigned
a collection of zero or more arguments

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 Application ● Define functions with parameters that have
Objectives default values
● Choose whether to call a function with an
argument for a parameter that has a default value
● Call functions with arguments in non-positional
order by referencing parameter names
● Define functions with a parameter that collects
variable-length arguments
● Call functions that assigns zero or more
arguments to a parameter as a collection

This course also includes an optional test prep component for students preparing to take
the Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer (PCEP) certification exam.

PCEP Optional Test Prep

Comprehension ● Describe how the global keyword changes the

Objectives scope of a variable
● Describe how the yield keyword interacts with
functions
● Describe the function of generators in Python
● Give examples of problems that might be created
by the lack of float precision in Python
● Compare bitwise operators to logical operators
● List uses of bitwise operators
● Give examples of non-decimal number systems

Application ● Use the global keyword in appropriate locations

Objectives ● Trace the execution of a recursive function call
● Fix infinite recursion problems
● Use a generator to create a list
● Use alternative print methods, including the end=
and sep= optional arguments
● Predict the result of using bitwise operators
● Give the decimal value of numbers written in
binary

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Standards and Certifications
Upon completion of CS201: Coding with Python 1 and CS202: Coding with Python 2,
students will be prepared to take the Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer (PCEP)
certification exam.

All Units

CSTA Standards ● 2-AP-11: Create clearly named variables that

represent different data types and perform
operations on their values.
● 2-AP-12: Design and iteratively develop programs
that combine control structures, including nested
loops and compound conditionals.
● 2-AP-13: Decompose problems and
subproblems into parts to facilitate the design,
implementation, and review of programs.
● 2-AP-16: Incorporate existing code, media, and
libraries into original programs, and give
attribution.
● 2-AP-17: Systematically test and refine programs
using a range of test cases.
● 2-AP-18: Distribute tasks and maintain a project
timeline when collaboratively developing
computational artifacts.
● 2-AP-19: Document programs in order to make
them easier to follow, test, and debug.
● 2-DA-09: Refine computational models based on
the data they have generated.
● 3A-AP-13: Create prototypes that use algorithms
to solve computational problems by leveraging
prior student knowledge and personal interests.
● 3A-AP-14: Use lists to simplify solutions,
generalizing computational problems instead of
repeatedly using simple variables.
● 3A-AP-15: Justify the selection of specific control
structures when tradeoffs involve
implementation, readability, and program
performance, and explain the benefits and
drawbacks of choices made.
● 3A-AP-16: Design and iteratively develop
computational artifacts for practical intent,
personal expression, or to address a societal

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 issue by using events to initiate instructions.
● 3A-AP-17: Decompose problems into smaller
components through systematic analysis, using
constructs such as procedures, modules, and/or
objects.
● 3A-DA-10: Evaluate the tradeoffs in how data
elements are organized and where data is stored.
● 3A-IC-26: Demonstrate ways a given algorithm
applies to problems across disciplines.
● 3A-IC-27: Use tools and methods for
collaboration on a project to increase
connectivity of people in different cultures and
career fields.
● 3B-AP-10: Use and adapt classic algorithms to
solve computational problems.
● 3B-AP-12: Compare and contrast fundamental
data structures and their uses.
● 3B-AP-15: Analyze a large-scale computational
problem and identify generalizable patterns that
can be applied to a solution.
● 3B-DA-07: Evaluate the ability of models and
simulations to test and support the refinement of
hypotheses.

Unit 4: Lists

CSTA Standards ● 2-IC-23: Describe tradeoffs between allowing

information to be public and keeping information
private and secure.
● 2-NI-05: Explain how physical and digital security
measures protect electronic information.
● 3A-IC-24: Evaluate the ways computing impacts
personal, ethical, social, economic, and cultural
practices.
● 3A-IC-29: Explain the privacy concerns related to
the collection and generation of data through
automated processes that may not be evident to
users.
● 3A-IC-30: Evaluate the social and economic
implications of privacy in the context of safety,
law, or ethics.

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 ● 3A-NI-05: Give examples to illustrate how
sensitive data can be affected by malware and
other attacks.
● 3B-AP-18: Explain security issues that might lead
to compromised computer programs.
● 3B-IC-25: Evaluate computational artifacts to
maximize their beneficial effects and minimize
harmful effects on society.
● 3B-IC-28: Debate laws and regulations that
impact the development and use of software.

PCEP ● simple strings: indexing, immutability

Certification ● building loops: for, in
● iterating through sequences
● expanding loops: for-else
● simple lists: indexing, the len() function
● lists in detail: slicing, basic methods (append(),
insert(), index()) and functions (sorted(), etc.),
iterating lists with the for loop, initializing, in and
not in operators, list comprehension
● strings in detail: escaping using the \ character,
quotes and apostrophes inside strings, multiline
strings, basic string functions.

Unit 5: Data Structures

CSTA Standards ● 2-AP-15: Seek and incorporate feedback from

team members and users to refine a solution that
meets user needs.
● 2-CS-02: Design projects that combine hardware
and software components to collect and
exchange data.
● 2-CS-03: Systematically identify and fix problems
with computing devices and their components.
● 2-DA-08: Collect data using computational tools
and transform the data to make it more useful
and reliable.
● 2-NI-04: Model the role of protocols in
transmitting data across networks and the
Internet.
● 3A-IC-27: Use tools and methods for

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 collaboration on a project to increase connectivity
of people in different cultures and career fields.
● 3A-NI-04: Evaluate the scalability and reliability of
networks, by describing the relationship between
routers, switches, servers, topology, and
addressing.
● 3B-AP-23: Evaluate key qualities of a program
through a process such as a code review.
● 3B-NI-03: Describe the issues that impact
network functionality (e.g., bandwidth, load, delay,
topology).

PCEP ● lists in lists: matrices and cubes

Certification ● lists in lists: matrices and cubes
● tuples: indexing, slicing, building, immutability
● tuples vs. lists: similarities and differences, lists
inside tuples and tuples inside lists
● dictionaries: building, indexing, adding and
removing keys, iterating through dictionaries as
well as their keys and values, checking key
existence, keys(), items() and values() methods

Unit 6: Functions

CSTA Standards ● 2-AP-14: Create procedures with parameters to

organize code and make it easier to reuse.
● 2-IC-20: Compare tradeoffs associated with
computing technologies that affect people's
everyday activities and career options.
● 2-IC-23: Describe tradeoffs between allowing
information to be public and keeping information
private and secure.
● 2-NI-05: Explain how physical and digital security
measures protect electronic information.
● 3A-AP-18: Create artifacts by using procedures
within a program, combinations of data and
procedures, or independent but interrelated
programs.

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 ● 3A-IC-29: Explain the privacy concerns related to
the collection and generation of data through
automated processes that may not be evident to
users.
● 3A-IC-30: Evaluate the social and economic
implications of privacy in the context of safety,
law, or ethics.
● 3A-NI-05: Give examples to illustrate how
sensitive data can be affected by malware and
other attacks.
● 3A-NI-06: Recommend security measures to
address various scenarios based on factors such
as efficiency, feasibility, and ethical impacts.
● 3A-NI-07: Compare various security measures,
considering tradeoffs between the usability and
security of a computing system.
● 3A-NI-08: Explain tradeoffs when selecting and
implementing cybersecurity recommendations.
● 3B-AP-14: Construct solutions to problems using
student-created components, such as
procedures, modules and/or objects.
● 3B-AP-18: Explain security issues that might lead
to compromised computer programs.
● 3B-IC-28: Debate laws and regulations that
impact the development and use of software.
● 3B-NI-04: Compare ways software developers
protect devices and information from
unauthorized access.

PCEP ● defining and invoking your own functions

Certification ● return keyword, returning results
● the pass instruction
● the None keyword
● parameters vs. arguments
● positional keyword and mixed argument passing,
● default parameter values
● name scopes, name hiding (shadowing), the
global keyword

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PCEP Prep

CSTA Standards ● 3B-AP-13: Illustrate the flow of execution of a

recursive algorithm.

PCEP ● numeral systems (binary, octal, decimal,

Certification hexadecimal)
● bitwise operators: ~ & ^ | << >>
● list comprehensions
● accuracy of floating-point numbers
● formatting print() output with end= and sep=
arguments
● recursion

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