Android App Development for Beginners

DEVELOP ANDROID APPLICATIONS

Learning basics skills and all you need to know
to make successful Android Apps.

Description
This course is designed for students who want to learn how to develop Android apps.
You’ll learn how to create an Android project with Android Studio and run a
debuggable version of the app. You'll also learn some android architecture and the
key principles underlying its design, you will have a good understanding of the
processes that are involved in an android developed application and you will become
familiar with android development tools and user interface. By the end of the course,
you’ll build four simple apps that you can share with your friends.

Our Android course is taught by a group of google developers experts who are
working full time, developing innovation mobile apps.

What you’ll learn:

● Android Application Structure
● Life-Cycle of Application
● Create a custom view class
● Implement a custom application theme
● Define a RecyclerView item list
● Implement menu-based or drawer navigation
● Integrate code from an external support library
● Schedule a time-sensitive task using alarms
● Schedule a background task using Job Scheduler
● Designing and building a functional Android application
● Debugging Android applications using different tools and plugins
● Setting up and understanding your Android Development Environment
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 ● Create four applications in order to practice the concepts learned
● Design and develop your own Android app as part of your final project.

Audience
This course is for people who have some programming experience and have curiosity
and passion about the world of Android development.

To this course you need to be fluent in Java, notice that we said fluent, no expert. This
course is not for people who have never programmed on Java before. It is also not for
expert on Android development, if you already have developing applications you can
find the next courses of MicroMasters program on Android more challenging . Check
this

Course Length
8 weeks

Estimated Effort
8-10 hours per week

Syllabus

TABLE OF CONTENTS SKILLS AND ABILITIES CHECKLIST

MEET ANDROID STUDIO The student will demonstrate understanding

1. Introduction of Integrated Development Environment
a. Introduction (IDE) by:
2. Android Studio Installation
● Installing and utilizing the Android
a. Install JDK (Windows) Studio IDE, Android emulator (or
b. Install Android Studio external emulator as Genymotion) and
(Windows) Android Plug-In tools necessary to
3. Android Studio Tour create new project
4. Android Emulator ● Creating application projects using
Android Studio's Project Wizard. (Hello
a. AVD in Android Studio
world)
b. Hardware Device

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 5. Hello World Tutorial

LESSON 1: BASIC CONCEPTS AND UI The student will demonstrate

1. Introduction understanding of the Android framework
a. Introduction by:
b. Learning Path Lesson 1
● Listing the services involved with the
c. About the App Lesson 1
Android Application Architecture (ex.
2. Android Overview
Activity Manager, Views, Content
a. Android Overview Providers, Resource Manager)
b. Android Architecture
c. What is an App? The student will demonstrate how to
create applications and activities by:
d. Basics kinds of Apps
e. App Components ● Thoroughly understand the life-cycle of
f. Additional elements of an an Android application and its main
App components.
3. Android Basics Blocks ● Navigating between activities using
a. Developing for mobile intents
● Creating activity hierarchies (i.e. back
b. Activities
vs. up navigation)
c. Activity Life Cycle
● Creating activities that displays a
d. Intents layout resource
4. Basic UI elements ● Describing the Android application life
a. Layouts cycle
b. Input controls ● Modifying the Android application
5. Strings.xml & message localization manifest.

6. Resources and asset files The student will demonstrate knowledge of

7. Android Broadcast Intent and intents by:
Broadcast Receiver ● Starting new activities and sub-
8. Debugging activities using implicit and explicit
9. Working with my App intents.
● Using intent filters and intent resolution
a. Tip Calculator App
to register activities
b. Introduction and Project
Creation The student will demonstrate knowledge of

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 c. Identifying the Views Testing and Debugging by:
d. Choose colors, Strings and ● Using the system log output (and
Dimensions logcat tools) to trace code
execution
e. Creating the Layout
● Setting breakpoints and stepping
f. Making our App Functional
through code in the Android Studio
10. Persisting Application State debugger
11. Debug Logcat Errors ● Locating an error from the stack
12. Recap Lesson 1 trace of an uncaught exception

LESSON 2: WORKING WITH DATA AND The student will apply knowledge of user
MATERIAL DESIGN interface and material design by:
1. Introduction
● Creating a graphical user interface
a. Introduction
(GUI)
b. Learning Path Lesson 2 ● Building layouts using XML and
c. About the App Lesson 2 using Java code
2. Recyclerview, Adapter & ● Using various views (ex. buttons,
ViewHolder text boxes, check boxes) and
a. Adding Support Library implement menu-based, drawer
navigation or interface layouts
3. Fragments
● Implement menu-based or drawer
4. Material design elements
navigation. Constructing options
a. Text Input Layout, Floating menus for action bar navigation
Action Button and Snackbar ● Displaying layouts in an activity
b. App bar y Toolbar and accessing views from Java
c. Coordinator Layout code
5. Navigation ● Providing alternative resources for
device configuration changes
a. ViewPager
● Grouping common UI design
b. Drawer
elements with styles
c. Action Bar Elements ● Customizing the application theme
6. Testing with Espresso ● Using RecyclerView to display a
7. Working with my App large data collection in a list or grid
a. About the App Lesson ● Handling item touch interactions in
b. Create Project with a a RecyclerView

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 Navigation Drawer
c. Understand and Customize
the Navigation Drawer
d. Create Fragments for now
playing and upcoming
Movies
e. Creating movies lists using a
RecyclerView
f. Movie Detail Screen
g. UI Testing with Espresso
8. Adding views dynamically
9. Building Layouts for screen
configuration changes
10. Working with Custom Styles &
Themes
11. Recap Lesson 2

LESSON 3: ASYNCHRONOUS LOADING The student will demonstrate knowledge of

AND BACKGROUND TASKS background tasks and threading by:
0. Introduction
● Async task, threading and handlers
a. Introduction ● Background services (Alarm,
b. Learning Path Lesson 3 JobScheduler)
c. About the App Lesson 3 ● Loader
1. Android Hierarchical Navigation
a. Enabling Deep Links
b. Navigation with Back and Up
2. Webview
3. Custom views
4. Permission system
5. Async task, threading and handlers
6. Using AsyncTask vs. Java Threads
(with Handlers)
a. AsyncTask

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 b. HandlerThread
7. Loader
8. AsyncTaskLoader & CursorLoader
9. Background Services
a. Alarm Manager
b. JobScheduler
c. Sync Adapter
10. Android Scheduling task
11. Working with my App
a. Android App Launched
b. Create the basic app
structure
c. Create the Layouts, Strings
and Dimensions
d. Add contacts permissions
e. Load the contacts using
LoaderManager
f. Send email to wish Happy
BirthDay
g. Adding an About me using
webViews
12. Recap Lesson 3

LESSON 4: PERSISTENT DATA The student will demonstrate knowledge of

STORAGE save data persistently by:
1. Introduction
● Determining appropriate use cases
a. Introduction
for local persisted data, and
b. Learning Path Lesson 4 designing solutions to implement
c. About the App Lesson 4 data storage using files,
2. Access Files in Assets preferences, and databases.
● Creating an application private

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 a. Using Context SQLite database
3. Access Resources ● Implementing database queries
a. Using Drawable that return single and multiple
results
4. Save data and files
● Preventing disk access on the
a. Shared preferences
main thread
b. Files
c. Prevent Block Main Thread The student will demonstrate knowledge
d. Project Setup (Working with about how to connect your app to the
my App) web by:
5. SQLite databases
a. SQLite Databases ● Sharing Preferences and Files,
b. SQLite (Working with my SQLite databases, Content
App) providers,
6. Content Providers
a. Content Providers
b. Content Provider (Working
with my App)
7. Loaders
a. Using Loaders (Working with
my App)
8. Background services
a. Intentservice
b. Intentservice (Working with
my App)
9. Recap Lesson 4

LESSON 5: PERSISTENT DATA

STORAGE The student will demonstrate knowledge to
get ready for deployment app by:
1. Introduction
a. Introduction ● Registering and publishing on Play
2. Widgets Store
a. The Basics

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 b. Widgets - (Extensions)
3. Notifications
a. Notifications
b. Notifications - (Extensions)
4. Getting ready for deployment
a. Getting Ready for
Deployment: Working with
Flavors
b. Playstore Deploy (APK)
5. Publish on Play Store
a. Create an Application in the
Google Store
6. Recap Lesson 5

Final project (Verified Learners Only)

The Final Project is the culminating assignment of a series of activities and lessons that
the learners have been doing along this course. It was designed to allow learners to
take the knowledge they have gained through the course and put that knowledge into
practice.

Final Exam
The aim of the final exam is to put into practice everything you learned over this
course´s six lessons.

How to Succeed in this Course?

To be successful in this course the participant is expected to:
● Study all the lecture videos that conform each lesson, in them, the expert
develops all the topics that were described on syllabus.
● Review the complementary readings or external references related to the
topic.
● Perform all the activities in each lesson (Questionnaires, activities, final project).

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 ● You will learn by doing “the more you practice, the more you can, the more you
want to, the more you enjoy it” Practice means to perform over and over again.
Each lesson comes with its sample code files, and concise instructions for how
to build that code by yourself.
● Think! Reflect! Do! and Practice! about what you are learning.
● Participate in forums, your participation creates an active and dynamic learning
community, in which you will find support and at the same time you will have
the opportunity to contribute with your knowledge, experience and help your
classmates.
Making your own planning and setting intermediate
deadlines in advance of the deadline will allow you
to achieve your goals.

This Course is Instructor-Paced

It follows a schedule that the instructor sets, with assignments and exams that have
specific due dates. In contrast, self-paced courses contain assignments without due
dates. You can progress through the course at your own speed.

Course materials become available at specific times as the course progresses.

Assignments have due dates, and exams have start and end dates. On the Course
page, indicators show when you have a graded assignment, as well as the due date for
the assignment.

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Grading Policy and Certification

Type of Contribution to Total Points Number of Assignments

Assignment Final Grade Possible

Course Content 0% 0 Videos, screencasts, and

text based materials are for
Review
learning purposes only.

Questionnaires 50% Varies per Sets of practice problems

lesson are interspersed in each
lesson of the course.

Exercises 20% Varies per 5

lesson

Final Exam 30% 100 1

Final Project (Verified Learners Only)

Verified learners have a special assignment “Final Project”

● The aim of this final project, in this second MicroMasters program course, is to
teach learners skills that will be relevant and needed in coming courses about
Android App developing.
● As part of the benefits of this final project, verified learners´s work will be
guided and reviewed by staff course and peers. Each project will have a
complete feedback from experts, reflecting his or her individual overall
accomplishments, and a list of advices on how to improve the solution´s final
project.

Earning a Certificate
If you are are interested in earning a certificate, you'll need to complete the formal

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quizzes that are housed at the end of each lesson, exercises, the final project and final
proctored exam. Students who complete the formal quizzes, exercises, project and
final exam with a cumulative 70% average will earn a verified certificate from edX,
signifying successful completion of the course.

If you're seeking a verified certificate the Verified Upgrade Deadline: July 30, 2017

Once you got your verified certificate you have until the end of the MOOC (August 27,
2017, 23:30 UTC) to complete the formal quizzes, project and final exam—there is no
weekly deadline for each one, as long as you earn a passing grade by the end date
you will be eligible for the certificate.

A 100-90

B 89-80

C 79-70

Certification earned with 70 or higher.

D 69-60

F 59-00

Communication policies
Tutors are dedicated to answer the discussion forums. However, the same is not true
with email. It is recommended to only use the forums as a single channel of
communication to write doubts or support your peers; respect the established
categories. It is important to avoid creating new forums as much as possible.

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 ● You are expected to communicate in a professional and friendly manner.
Offensive or inappropriate language is subject to the policies of edX and may
result in removal from the course.
● You are responsible for ethically contributing to the course. Your submissions in
this course must be an accurate and true representation of your own work.

Using Forums (Guidelines)

The forums that are part of this course are a unique opportunity to interact with
students from all over the world. The community is diverse in experience, knowledge,
language and culture. The forums are an excellent means of communication to post
your doubts, comments or concerns. Forums provides us with an incredible resource
with different points of view, but remember, you are the one who enriches the forums
with your participation and makes the community of the course stay active .

Respect the categories established in the course, for example, if you have doubts of
lesson 1 write your doubt in the forum created for the purpose, this way your
questions will be solved by a member of the course team or a classmate quickly.

What do we expect from you? Participate actively and support your peers, participate
at least once a week and always keep in mind the rules of netiquette.

What can you expect from the course team? A member of our team will review the
forums periodically to answer your questions and concerns.

Prerequisites
Previous experience with programming language Java is expected. You have to be
aware that we expect you know the fundamentals, at least most of them. This program
is designed for developers and technical professionals familiar with object-oriented
programming language and interested in building Android applications.
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Multimedia: A variety of multimedia files are used in this course, such as audio, video
and animation files. Check that you have the necessary software on your computer
and browser compatible with multimedia content.

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