Basic Phyton / R Course
A.Y. 2026/2027
Learning objectives
The course aims to deliver the fundamentals of computer programming in the R and Python languages through basic and real life research problems.
Expected learning outcomes
Students will acquire the ability to write, read, test, and debug simple programs; use fundamental programming constructs such as conditionals, loops, functions, and data structures; manage code through basic Git workflows; and apply programming techniques to solve practical problems (e.g. involving geolocalized data).
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Giudizio di approvazione
Assessment result: superato/non superato
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
1. The why and how of computer programming 2. Computer programming in the big data era 3. The fundamental constructs of any computer programming language 4. The Python and R computer programming languages 5. When using one language or another 6. Advanced tools for computer programming (debugging, version control - git) 7. Toward high performance computing (HPC)
Prerequisites for admission
No prior programming experience is required. Basic computer literacy and familiarity with elementary mathematical concepts are recommended.
Teaching methods
Lectures, hands-on laboratory sessions, individual exercises, and project work.
Teaching Resources
The material of the course is mostly available online, all the rest will made available on Ariel. Standard references are: 1. www.python.org 2. https://cran.r-project.org
Assessment methods and Criteria
Students will be asked to complete programming exercises during the lessons, which will be assessed. Students who obtain a passing grade in more than half of these exercises may be exempted from the final assessment.
The final assessment consists of a programming project to be completed independently and submitted to the instructor. After submission, students will be invited to present their work to the instructor and answer questions about their project and the programming choices they made.
The final assessment consists of a programming project to be completed independently and submitted to the instructor. After submission, students will be invited to present their work to the instructor and answer questions about their project and the programming choices they made.
- University credits: 3
Lessons: 24 hours