Basic Programming
Basic Programming is a beginner course that lays the foundations of programming, from thinking in steps with flowcharts and writing C with variables, conditions, loops and functions, to designing databases in Excel and Access and using SQL with MySQL. It suits school pupils, university students and anyone with an interest who has never written a program before.
- Duration12 hours · 2 days
- FormatOnsite / live online
- Next roundOn request
- CertificateIncluded
Course overview
Programming underpins almost every area of IT, from websites and mobile apps to desktop software and systems that work with data. Even with AI now helping to write code, people who understand how programs and data are structured are still needed, because someone has to give the instructions, check the results and solve problems.
This course lays the foundations of programming for beginners. Learners see how programs work, set up their tools and practise thinking in steps with flowcharts and pseudocode. They then write C, covering data types, variables, conditions, loops, functions and arrays, with a workshop and debugging practice. The second half covers database basics: designing tables in Excel, building a database with relationships in Access and managing data in MySQL with SQL commands, closing with a workshop that designs and uses a shop database. (2 days, 6 hours per day, 12 hours in total, Beginner level.)
What you’ll gain
- Understand programming concepts and break problems into steps with flowcharts and pseudocode
- Write basic C programs with variables, conditions, loops, functions and arrays
- Find and fix errors in a program with a debugger
- Design data tables with primary keys and relationships
- Build databases in Access and MySQL and manage data with basic SQL
- Move on to the languages and tools used to build websites or applications
Who this course is for
- Anyone who wants a grounding in programming from the very start
- School pupils and university students who want to learn basic programming
- Staff who work with data in Excel and want to understand databases and SQL
- People who use AI to help write code and want to understand the code they get
Prerequisites
- Able to use Windows or macOS and the internet
- Able to install and remove basic software
- Basic use of Excel
- No programming experience required
Curriculum
Course Details
This course is the 2026 edition of Basic Programming. It runs for 2 days, 6 hours per day (12 hours in total, 09:00-16:00), as lectures with labs. Beginner level. It still teaches programming principles in C and uses Excel, Access and MySQL for databases. This edition uses VS Code with GCC and the C23 standard, and adds flowcharts and pseudocode, arrays, debugging and using an AI assistant sensibly to explain errors. SQL practice uses the MySQL LTS release through MySQL Workbench, including simple JOIN and GROUP BY queries. Excel and Access use the learner's or organisation's Microsoft 365 licence, and Access runs on Windows only. Learners take home a lab guide, sample files, solution code and a sample shop database to keep practising.
Day 1 Programming Basics with C
Section 1: Lab: Getting Started with Programming and Setting Up Tools
- What a program is, with examples on the web, the desktop and mobile
- Compilers and interpreters, and the programming languages popular today
- Install VS Code and GCC on Windows or macOS
- Configure the tools to compile and run with a single command
- Lab: a first Hello World program
Section 2: Thinking Like a Programmer
- What an algorithm is, and breaking a large problem into small steps
- Writing flowcharts and pseudocode
- Sequence, selection and repetition, the three main program structures
- Checking steps by tracing values line by line
- Lab: a flowchart for a grade calculator
Section 3: C: Data Types and Variables
- The structure of a C program and writing comments
- Data types such as int, double, char and bool
- Declaring variables and constants, and naming rules
- Reading and displaying data with scanf and printf
- Arithmetic, comparison and logical operators
Section 4: Lab: Conditions and Loops
- if, else if and else
- switch for menus with several choices
- How for, while and do while loops differ
- break, continue and avoiding infinite loops
- Lab: a grading program and multiplication tables
Section 5: Lab: Functions and Arrays
- Create functions, pass values in and return values
- Variable scope inside and outside functions
- Arrays for storing many values, and looping over arrays
- Simple strings in C
- Lab: find the average, highest and lowest scores
Day 2 C Workshop and Database Basics
Section 6: Workshop: A Basic Program in C
- Design a menu-driven expense calculator from a flowchart
- Split the program into functions by responsibility
- Find and fix errors with the VS Code debugger
- Use an AI assistant to explain errors, then check the answer yourself
- Next steps towards Python, JavaScript or C#
Section 7: Understanding Databases and Designing Tables in Excel
- What a database is and how it differs from keeping data in Excel
- Tables, records, fields and data types
- Primary keys and splitting data into several tables to reduce duplication
- Use Excel tables to prepare data for importing into a database
- Lab: design customer, product and order tables
Section 8: Lab: Databases in Microsoft Access
- Create a new database and tables in Access
- Add, edit and delete data in tables
- Link tables with relationships
- Create a query and a simple data entry form
- Lab: a shop database in Access
Section 9: Lab: MySQL and SQL Commands
- Install MySQL and connect with MySQL Workbench
- Create a database and tables with CREATE TABLE
- Add, read, update and delete data with INSERT, SELECT, UPDATE and DELETE
- Search and sort data with WHERE and ORDER BY
- Lab: manage product data with SQL
Section 10: Workshop: Designing and Using a Shop Database
- Create tables linked by primary and foreign keys
- Import data from Excel through a CSV file
- Query several tables with JOIN and summarise totals with GROUP BY
- Back up the database and how databases connect to programs
- Present the work and plan further study
Schedule & training options
For individuals — public rounds
No public rounds are open right now. Join the waiting list and we will contact you first when the next round opens, or ask us on LINE. Or call 02-570-8449 or 088-807-9770
For organisations — in-house / private
- Tailor the content to your team’s tools and projects
- Your dates, at your office or live online
- Quotation with tax ID for procurement
Instructors
Frequently asked questions
What are variables and data types in programming?
A variable is a name that refers to a place in memory where a program stores a value, and that value can change while the program runs. A data type says what kind of value the variable holds; in C, for example, int is for whole numbers, double for decimals, char for characters and bool for true or false. Choosing the right type keeps calculations correct and memory use sensible.
How do if conditions and for and while loops differ?
An if statement makes a decision by checking a condition once, for example showing a pass if the score is 50 or more. Loops repeat the same instructions: for suits a known number of repetitions, such as printing 1 to 10, while while suits repeating until a condition becomes false, such as reading input until the user types 0. Drawing a flowchart before writing code helps you choose the right one.
Where do you start when designing a simple database?
Start by listing what the system needs to record, such as customers, products and orders, and give each subject its own table. Define the columns and data types, give every table a unique primary key, then link tables with foreign keys according to their relationships, for example one customer having many orders. This course practises table design in Excel and relationships in Access before moving on to MySQL and SQL.
Who is the Basic Programming course for, and what should I know beforehand?
It suits anyone who wants a grounding in programming from the very start, school pupils and university students who want to begin writing programs, staff who work with data in Excel, and people who use AI to write code and want to understand it. You do not need any programming experience: you just need to use Windows or macOS and the internet, install basic software and use Excel at a basic level.
What will I be able to do after the Basic Programming course?
You will be able to break problems into steps with flowcharts and pseudocode, write basic C programs with variables, conditions, loops, functions and arrays, find and fix errors with a debugger, design and build databases in Excel, Access and MySQL, use SQL to add, edit, delete and search data, and build on this for web and app development. Participants who complete the training receive a Certificate of Completion with its own number, which can be verified online.
Which language and software does the Basic Programming course use?
Programming principles are taught in C, written and run with VS Code and GCC, covering data types, variables, conditions, loops, functions and arrays. For data, you practise database design in Microsoft Excel and Access before moving on to MySQL and SQL through MySQL Workbench; note that Access runs on Windows only. The tools are prepared and configured together at the start of the training.