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BeginnerFoundations

IT Fundamentals for Digital Teams

A detailed, beginner-friendly foundation for QA professionals, business analysts, product owners, project managers, Scrum Masters, and anyone starting work in a digital product team. Every technical term is introduced in simple language and connected to realistic workplace decisions.

Technical literacySystems thinkingWeb and API fundamentalsData fundamentalsSoftware deliveryCloud and security awarenessCross-functional communication
Learning outcomes

What you’ll be able to do.

01

Explain common IT concepts in clear, simple language

02

Follow a user action across a browser, API, application, and database

03

Participate confidently in technical planning and delivery conversations

04

Recognize environments, builds, deployments, logs, and common operational risks

05

Ask useful questions about requirements, quality, data, integrations, and security

06

Read simple code, JSON, SQL, Git diffs, and technical evidence without needing to be a developer

Curriculum

16 focused modules.

64 lessons total
01Why IT fundamentals matter and what this course will teach youUnderstand why IT fundamentals matter in QA work. Preview the knowledge, practical skills, and outcomes that you will build.
  1. ↳Hardware, software, firmware, and dataLesson
  2. ↳How a computer receives input and produces outputLesson
  3. ↳Files, formats, file sizes, and character encodingLesson
  4. ↳Following one action through a digital systemLesson
02Operating systems and everyday computer conceptsUnderstand the software that manages a computer and the resources used by applications.
  1. ↳What Windows, macOS, and Linux doLesson
  2. ↳Files, folders, paths, extensions, and permissionsLesson
  3. ↳Applications, processes, memory, and resource usageLesson
  4. ↳What a terminal is and how commands workLesson
03Programming without assuming coding experienceLearn how people express instructions that computers can execute.
  1. ↳What a programming language isLesson
  2. ↳Variables, values, types, lists, and objectsLesson
  3. ↳Conditions, repetition, functions, and algorithmsLesson
  4. ↳How code is organized, executed, and debuggedLesson
04How applications are builtLearn the main pieces and communication patterns used inside modern applications.
  1. ↳Source code, libraries, frameworks, and dependenciesLesson
  2. ↳Frontend, backend, client, and serverLesson
  3. ↳Layers, monoliths, modules, and microservicesLesson
  4. ↳State, caching, queues, and eventsLesson
05Networks and the internetFollow information between devices and recognize common connection problems.
  1. ↳What a network isLesson
  2. ↳Routers, firewalls, proxies, VPNs, and load balancersLesson
  3. ↳DNS, TCP, and TLS as one journeyLesson
  4. ↳Speed, delay, and connection troubleshootingLesson
06Websites and web applicationsUnderstand what browsers request, receive, store, and display.
  1. ↳What happens after entering a website addressLesson
  2. ↳HTTP requests, responses, methods, and status codesLesson
  3. ↳HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the DOMLesson
  4. ↳Cookies, sessions, storage, caching, and CORSLesson
07APIs and integrationsLearn how software parts exchange requests and structured data.
  1. ↳What an API is and why applications use APIsLesson
  2. ↳REST, JSON, parameters, headers, and responsesLesson
  3. ↳API keys, tokens, authentication, and permissionsLesson
  4. ↳SOAP, GraphQL, webhooks, versions, and limitsLesson
08Databases and stored informationUnderstand how applications organize, protect, and change lasting data.
  1. ↳Why databases existLesson
  2. ↳Tables, rows, columns, keys, and relationshipsLesson
  3. ↳Schemas, constraints, indexes, and data typesLesson
  4. ↳CRUD, queries, transactions, and data qualityLesson
09Environments, builds, and configurationUnderstand why the same application can behave differently in different places.
  1. ↳Local, development, test, staging, and productionLesson
  2. ↳Configuration, secrets, and feature flagsLesson
  3. ↳Builds, packages, artifacts, and versionsLesson
  4. ↳Why software differs between environmentsLesson
10Git and teamwork around source codeLearn how teams record, review, and combine changes.
  1. ↳Why version control existsLesson
  2. ↳Repositories, commits, branches, and tagsLesson
  3. ↳Merges, conflicts, pull requests, and reviewsLesson
  4. ↳Reading a code change without being a developerLesson
11How software teams organize workConnect product ideas, technical delivery, feedback, and operation.
  1. ↳From an idea to an operating productLesson
  2. ↳Predictive, iterative, and incremental deliveryLesson
  3. ↳Scrum responsibilities, events, and artifactsLesson
  4. ↳Kanban, estimates, dependencies, and trade-offsLesson
12Requirements and product decisionsTurn real needs into clear, testable, and technically informed work.
  1. ↳Problems, goals, users, stakeholders, and scopeLesson
  2. ↳Functional requirements, rules, and constraintsLesson
  3. ↳Non-functional requirements with real examplesLesson
  4. ↳Stories, use cases, acceptance criteria, and traceabilityLesson
13Quality and software testingUnderstand how teams gather evidence and manage product risk.
  1. ↳Quality, risk, verification, and validationLesson
  2. ↳Test levels and common types of testingLesson
  3. ↳Manual testing, automation, and their strengthsLesson
  4. ↳Defects, triage, release decisions, and metricsLesson
14DevOps, CI/CD, and releasesLearn how changes are checked, packaged, and delivered safely.
  1. ↳Build, test, package, and deployment pipelinesLesson
  2. ↳Automated checks and quality gatesLesson
  3. ↳Feature flags, rollback, and deployment strategiesLesson
  4. ↳Infrastructure as code, containers, and orchestrationLesson
15Cloud systems and keeping services healthyUnderstand hosted computing, service health, and recovery.
  1. ↳On-premises systems and cloud computingLesson
  2. ↳SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, virtual machines, and serverlessLesson
  3. ↳Regions, scaling, availability, and costLesson
  4. ↳Logs, metrics, traces, alerts, incidents, and recoveryLesson
16Security and putting everything togetherBuild safe habits and connect every course concept in one capstone.
  1. ↳Threats, risk, and the goals of securityLesson
  2. ↳Authentication, authorization, and least privilegeLesson
  3. ↳Encryption, hashing, secrets, privacy, and common attacksLesson
  4. ↳Capstone: follow one feature from idea to productionLesson
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