Programming Java

Introduction to Java

Learn Java fundamentals with Professor Mark Davis, from syntax and control flow to objects, collections, and a first practical application.

Quick Course Facts

Self-paced, Online, Lessons

Videos and/or Narrated Presentations

6.0

Approximate Hours of Course Media

About the Introduction to Java Course

Introduction to Java is a practical Programming course that helps beginners build a strong foundation in one of the world’s most widely used languages. Learn Java fundamentals with Professor Mark Davis, from syntax and control flow to objects, collections, and a first practical application. By the end, you will be ready to write, understand, and organize Java code with confidence.

Build Core Java Programming Skills Step By Step

Start with a clear introduction to Java and a guided setup of your development environment
Learn how to write clean code using syntax, variables, data types, operators, and expressions
Practice decision-making and repetition with conditionals, loops, methods, and arrays
Develop object-oriented Programming skills with classes, objects, inheritance, interfaces, and exceptions

Introduction to Java gives you a complete beginner-friendly path from the first program to a small working application.

This course is designed to help new programmers build real confidence with Java through short, focused lessons and hands-on concepts. You will begin with course orientation, Java basics, and environment setup, then move into the structure of a program, the main method, and the essential building blocks of code. Each step reinforces the last so that Programming concepts feel logical and approachable.

As you progress, you will learn how to store and work with information using variables, data types, operators, and expressions. You will also practice making decisions with if, else, and switch statements, repeating tasks with loops, and creating reusable solutions with methods and parameter passing. These core skills are the foundation of effective Java Programming and will help you write code that is both readable and practical.

The course also introduces object-oriented thinking through classes, objects, constructors, encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, abstract classes, and interfaces. You will then explore error handling, packages, the Java API, collections, file I/O, and how these pieces fit into real-world development. By the end of Introduction to Java, you will be able to approach coding problems with structure, build a small Java application, and move forward with a solid Programming foundation.

Course Lessons

Full lesson breakdown

Lessons are organized by topic area and each includes descriptive copy for search visibility and student clarity.

Course Orientation and Java Overview

1 lesson

Lesson 1: Welcome to Java

18 min Preview

In this opening lesson, Professor Mark Davis welcomes you to the course and sets expectations for what you will learn in Introduction to Java . You will get a clear picture of what Java is, where it i…

JDK, IDEs, and Running Your First Program

1 lesson

Lesson 2: Setting Up Your Java Environment

20 min

This lesson gets you ready to write and run Java code by setting up the Java Development Kit (JDK) , choosing an IDE , and verifying that your environment works. You will learn the difference between …

Program Structure, Classes, and the Main Method

1 lesson

Lesson 3: Understanding Java Syntax

18 min

This lesson introduces the basic structure of a Java program so learners can read and write their first simple classes with confidence. Professor Mark Davis explains how Java source files are organize…

Storing Information in Java

1 lesson

Lesson 4: Variables and Data Types

20 min

In this lesson, Professor Mark Davis introduces the core Java tools for storing information: variables and data types. You’ll learn what a variable is, how Java uses type information to protect your c…

Working with Values and Calculations

1 lesson

Lesson 5: Operators and Expressions

18 min

This lesson introduces how Java works with values through operators and expressions . You will learn how Java performs math, compares values, combines conditions, and updates variables with assignment…

if, else, and switch Statements

1 lesson

Lesson 6: Making Decisions with Conditionals

20 min

This lesson introduces decision-making in Java using if , else , else if , and switch . Students learn how to write code that reacts to different conditions, choose the right control structure for a p…

for, while, and do-while Loops

1 lesson

Lesson 7: Repeating Tasks with Loops

22 min

This lesson introduces the three core loop types in Java: for , while , and do-while . Students learn how loops reduce repetitive code, how to choose the right loop for a task, and how loop control wo…

Writing Reusable Code

1 lesson

Lesson 8: Methods and Parameter Passing

20 min

In this lesson, Professor Mark Davis shows how Java methods help you write reusable, organized code. You will learn how to define methods, call them with arguments, and return values from computations…

Organizing Multiple Values

1 lesson

Lesson 9: Working with Arrays

18 min

In this lesson, Professor Mark Davis introduces arrays as Java’s basic tool for storing multiple values of the same type in a single variable. You will learn how to declare, create, initialize, access…

Classes, Objects, and Constructors

1 lesson

Lesson 10: Object-Oriented Thinking

22 min

This lesson introduces object-oriented thinking in Java: how to model a problem as classes , create objects , and initialize them with constructors . Students learn the difference between a class blue…

Getters, Setters, and Modifiers

1 lesson

Lesson 11: Encapsulation and Access Control

18 min

Encapsulation is one of Java’s core object-oriented ideas: keep an object’s data private and expose only the operations that make sense. In this lesson, you will learn how private fields, public metho…

Building Flexible Class Hierarchies

1 lesson

Lesson 12: Inheritance and Polymorphism

22 min

In this lesson, students learn how inheritance and polymorphism help Java code become more reusable, organized, and easier to extend. The lesson shows how a subclass inherits fields and methods from a…

Designing Contracts in Java

1 lesson

Lesson 13: Abstract Classes and Interfaces

20 min

This lesson explains how Java uses abstract classes and interfaces to define contracts and shared behavior in object-oriented design. You will learn when to choose each tool, how they differ, and how …

try, catch, and Custom Exceptions

1 lesson

Lesson 14: Handling Errors with Exceptions

20 min

This lesson shows how Java handles runtime problems with exceptions , so programs can fail safely instead of crashing without context. You will learn how to use try and catch blocks, when to add a fin…

Organizing Code and Using Built-in Tools

1 lesson

Lesson 15: Packages and Working with the Java API

18 min

This lesson shows how Java code is organized into packages and how to use the Java API to avoid reinventing common functionality. You will learn what package names mean, how imports work, and how to r…

Lists, Sets, and Maps

1 lesson

Lesson 16: Introduction to Collections

22 min

Java Collections give you standard ways to store and work with groups of objects. In this lesson, you will learn when to use a List , a Set , or a Map , how they differ in ordering and duplicates, and…

Basic Java I/O

1 lesson

Lesson 17: Reading and Writing Files

20 min

In this lesson, Professor Mark Davis shows how Java programs read from and write to files using the modern java.nio.file API. You will learn the difference between paths and files, how to create and w…

Putting Core Concepts Together

1 lesson

Lesson 18: Building a Small Java Application

25 min

In this lesson, Professor Mark Davis brings together the Java fundamentals covered so far and shows how they work in a small, practical application. You will see how to move from a simple problem stat…

About Your Instructor

Professor Mark Davis

Professor Mark Davis guides this AI-built Virversity course with a clear, practical teaching style.