Foundations — Idea to First App
You start with an idea and end the semester with a working prototype of it. Along the way you learn how the web works, the parts of a page, Python, and how to use Claude Code as you build.
Class 1Picking an idea worth building
What makes a software idea real, and how to choose yours.
Class 2How the web really works
Browser, server, request and response, in plain terms.
Class 3HTML: the structure of a page
The bones every web page is built from.
Class 4CSS: making it look right
Turning a plain page into something people want to use.
Class 5JavaScript: making a page do something
The language that makes a page react to a person.
Class 6Python basics
The language you will build the real app in.
Class 7Python functions and structure
Breaking a program into pieces that make sense.
Class 8Your tools, and using Claude Code
Setting up a real workspace and your AI pair.
Class 9Your first Python web backend
Making Python answer a web request.
Class 10Templates and rendering a page
Building pages from the backend, not by hand.
Class 11Storing data: your first database
Keeping information after the page closes.
Class 12Reading and writing data from the app
Connecting the app to the data it keeps.
Class 13Forms and handling input
Letting a person give your app real information.
Class 14Putting it together: a working prototype
Your idea, running end to end, for the first time.
Class 15Semester 1 review and demo
Showing what you built and setting up for next term.