MIT is one of many institutions offering free online lectures to help those with little to no knowledge of programming. Picture this, but in the comfort of your bedroom (Photo via MIT)
Summer is officially here, ambition is high! This is the perfect time to learn a new skill. You can get free classes right here at element14, for example. Accredited colleges are jumping on the free train too.
If you’ve been meaning to learn a new programming language, but don’t find the plethora of websites and apps dedicated to novices enticing, maybe a traditional course is what you need. MIT recently posted online video lectures that cover programming basics. The first course offered is Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python. The second course is Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science. There’s an entire playlist of them on Youtube so you can start leaning anywhere you get an Internet connection.
With Professor Eric Grimson, Professor John Guttag, and Dr. Ana Bell as your teachers, these courses are meant for those with “little or no programming experience.” MIT’s goals with these videos are to help you understand how computation plays a role in solving problems. They also want to make you more confident in your programming, even if you know absolutely nothing. This course, in particular, uses Python 3.5 programming language. And if you really want to feel like you’re back in school, MIT provides the course materials and syllabus. MIT isn’t the only institution to offer free online courses. Harvard and Google did something similar just last year.
The company created their own free Python class aimed at those vaguely familiar with programming, who are interested in learning more about Python. The courses include lecture videos, written materials, and code exercise for coding practice. Students learn about strings and lists, eventually working their way up to full programs with more complex components, like Internet connectivity.
Other places are getting in on this trend offer their own free programs in Python, which is always in demand these days. These include Codeacademy, Coursera, and Udacity.
Having the material needed to pick up coding at no cost is a great advantage, but how effective is it? For those of you who have taken online courses, think back to that time. How easy was it to stay focused and actually keep up with assignments? While some people will be able to thrive and use these free instructions to their advantage, others won’t find it so easy.
Some people need the classroom setting and an actual professor in front of them to pay attention. Plus, it’s easy to get distracted or zone out when watching a computer screen for a long period of time. Since it’s free, it doesn’t hurt to give it a shot, but there are other alternatives like textbook learning or teaming up with peers also interested in learning programming. With other people around, you may find it easier to stick with the course. Still, it’s great to know institutions like MIT are willing to offer tools like these for free for anyone who wants it.
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