This track is designed to equip students with essential JavaScript programming skills, emphasizing modern web interactivity and advanced component-based user interface (UI) development using the React library. It builds a strong foundation in the core language before diving into framework-specific applications.
Module 1: JavaScript Fundamentals
This module begins with an introduction to JavaScript and its role in computer programming, covering the basics of setting up a programming environment and writing the ubiquitous “Hello, World!” program. It delves into variables, various data types (including primitive types like Number, BigInt, String, undefined, Symbol, null, and complex types like Object and Array), and type casting (both implicit and explicit conversions).
Objective: Students will learn universal programming concepts, master JavaScript syntax and semantics, and be able to design, develop, and debug JavaScript scripts while applying algorithmic and analytical thinking.
Module 2: JavaScript and the Web (DOM & Interactivity)
This module builds on JavaScript fundamentals by focusing on its application in web contexts. It begins with a review of HTML/CSS and JavaScript basics. Students learn how to integrate JavaScript into a webpage using script tags. A central concept is the Document Object Model (DOM), including understanding its structure and debugging webpages with the browser console. The module covers various methods for accessing DOM elements, such as finding elements by ID, tag/class name, and CSS selectors.
Objective: Students will effectively use JavaScript to control the DOM, make webpages interactive, and integrate third-party JavaScript libraries.
Module 3: React Fundamentals
This module introduces the React library for building user interfaces. It begins with an explanation of what React is, its core principles, and its advantages over other frameworks. Students will learn how to set up a React project using Create React App. Key concepts include JSX (JavaScript XML), its syntax, and best practices. The module covers rendering elements, understanding the Virtual DOM, and the reconciliation process. Components are a central focus, distinguishing between functional and class components, and teaching how to create and use them.
Objective: Students will understand React’s core concepts, build basic React components, and effectively manage component state and props.
Module 4: React Advanced Topics & Ecosystem
This module delves into advanced React concepts and its broader ecosystem.
Routing & Navigation: Covers client-side routing, setting up React Router, creating dynamic routes, and using Link, NavLink, and Redirect, along with route parameters, query strings, nested routing, and protected routes.
Forms & User Input: Focuses on controlled versus uncontrolled components, handling user inputs with onChange events, implementing form validation and error handling, using the useRef Hook, and submitting forms.
Advanced State Management: Introduces Redux, its importance, understanding actions, reducers, and the store, setting up Redux in a React project, connecting components to Redux using React-Redux, and using middleware like Thunk and Saga. The Context API for centralized state management is also covered.
API Integration & Data Fetching: Teaches fetching data using Fetch API and Axios, handling API responses and errors, implementing loading and error states, using the useEffect Hook for API calls, and managing data in state for dynamic display.
Performance Optimization & Testing: Covers memoization (useMemo, React.memo), lazy loading, code splitting for faster applications, debugging React applications with DevTools, writing unit tests with Jest and React Testing Library, snapshot testing, and mocking API calls.
Styling: Explores various styling approaches including inline styles, CSS Modules, using Styled Components for dynamic styling, implementing theme switchers, and an introduction to Tailwind CSS.
Deployment & Project Building: Focuses on building and optimizing React applications for production, hosting on platforms like Netlify, Vercel, and Firebase, and integrating CI/CD pipelines for automated deployment. The module culminates in a Capstone Project involving the development of a full-stack React application.21
Objective: Students will be able to build complex, scalable, and performant React applications, integrate with APIs, manage global state, implement comprehensive testing, and deploy applications effectively.