Kotlin Learning Curriculum

A comprehensive guide to learning Kotlin programming from basics to advanced concepts

Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of programming concepts
• IDE setup (IntelliJ IDEA recommended for Kotlin development)
• Basic command line familiarity

Level 1: Kotlin Fundamentals (2-3 weeks)

Week 1: Getting Started

1. Introduction to Kotlin

   • History and purpose
   • Kotlin vs Java
   • Setting up development environment

2. Basic Syntax

   • Variables and data types
   • val vs var
   • Type inference
   • Basic operators
   • String templates

3. Control Flow

   • if/else expressions
   • when expressions
   • Loops (for, while, do-while)
     • For loops detailed explanation
     • While loops detailed explanation
     • Do-while loops detailed explanation
     • Nested loops
   • Ranges
   • Jump expressions (break, continue, return)

Week 2-3: Core Concepts

1. Functions

   • Function declarations
   • Parameters and return types
   • Single-expression functions
   • Default arguments
   • Named arguments
   • Extension functions

2. Collections

   • Lists, Sets, Maps
   • Mutable vs Immutable collections
   • Collection operations
   • Sequences

3. Null Safety

   • Nullable types
   • Safe calls
   • Elvis operator
   • Not-null assertions
   • Smart casts

Level 2: Object-Oriented Programming (3-4 weeks)

Week 4-5: Classes and Objects

1. Classes and Properties

   • Class declaration
   • Primary and secondary constructors
   • Properties and backing fields
   • Getters and setters
   • Late-initialized properties

2. Inheritance and Interfaces

   • Open classes
   • Abstract classes
   • Interfaces
   • Method overriding
   • Property overriding

3. Object-Oriented Concepts

   • Visibility modifiers
   • Data classes
   • Sealed classes
   • Enum classes
   • Object declarations
   • Companion objects

Week 6-7: Advanced OOP

1. Generics

   • Generic classes
   • Generic functions
   • Type projections
   • Variance (in/out)
   • Reified type parameters

2. Delegation

   • Class delegation
   • Property delegation
   • Observable properties
   • Lazy properties
   • Delegates.observable()

Level 3: Functional Programming (3-4 weeks)

Week 8-9: Functional Concepts

1. Lambda Expressions

   • Lambda syntax
   • Higher-order functions
   • Function types
   • Function literals
   • Closures

2. Collections Processing

   • map, filter, reduce
   • fold and reduce operations
   • zip, flatten, groupBy
   • take, drop operations
   • Sequence operations

Week 10-11: Advanced Functional Programming

1. Scope Functions

   • let, run, with
   • apply, also
   • Choosing between scope functions

2. Advanced Functions

   • Inline functions
   • Infix functions
   • Operator overloading
   • Tail recursion
   • Type aliases

Level 4: Advanced Topics (4-5 weeks)

Week 12-13: Coroutines

1. Basic Coroutines

   • Coroutine basics
   • Launching coroutines
   • Jobs and cancellation
   • Coroutine context
   • Dispatchers

2. Advanced Coroutines

   • Channels
   • Flow API
   • Exception handling
   • Testing coroutines
   • Structured concurrency

Week 14-15: Platform Integration

1. Java Interoperability

   • Calling Java from Kotlin
   • Calling Kotlin from Java
   • Platform types
   • SAM conversions
   • @JvmStatic and @JvmField

2. Modern Development

   • DSL building
   • Multiplatform development
   • Testing in Kotlin
   • Dependency injection
   • Build tools (Gradle)

Week 16: Real-world Applications

1. Project Development
   • Architecture patterns
   • Best practices
   • Code organization
   • Performance optimization
   • Documentation

Practice Projects

Beginner Level

1. Console Calculator
2. Todo List Application
3. Simple File Parser

Intermediate Level

1. Weather App with API Integration
2. Task Management System
3. Library Management System

Advanced Level

1. Chat Application with Coroutines
2. Stock Market Data Analyzer
3. Social Media Clone

Learning Resources

1. Official Documentation

   • Kotlin documentation
   • Android developers documentation
   • KotlinLang.org tutorials

2. Books

   • “Kotlin in Action”
   • “Head First Kotlin”
   • “Atomic Kotlin”

3. Online Platforms

   • Kotlin Koans
   • Coursera Kotlin courses
   • Udemy Kotlin courses

Assessment Methods

1. Regular coding exercises
2. Project implementations
3. Code reviews
4. Documentation writing
5. Peer programming sessions

Tips for Success

1. Practice consistently
2. Build projects from scratch
3. Read and analyze open-source Kotlin projects
4. Participate in Kotlin communities
5. Write clean, idiomatic Kotlin code