Python Foundations, Data, and Devices

This unit expands foundational Python skills to include control flow, core data structures, functions, classes, error handling, file I/O, and package use while introducing serialization and debugging practices. It also introduces applied data science, basic machine learning concepts, and Raspberry Pi hardware integration to prepare students for project-based development and deployment in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Apply control flow (if, for), looping, and Python data structures (tuples, sets, dictionaries) to construct, format, and debug programs that process and transform data for application use
• Demonstrate how to encapsulate behavior and state by writing reusable functions and classes, including parameter passing, instantiation, and use of comments/docstrings to improve maintainability
• Analyze runtime and I/O failures and implement graceful error handling, file operations, and serialization techniques to persist and exchange structured data securely
• Create simple AI/ML prototypes and hardware-integrated projects by assembling Raspberry Pi components, using sensor and motor APIs, and preparing/evaluating data with cloud tools (e.g., BigQuery) for downstream model training