Last year, Harvard launched a new free online course: CS50P, Harvard’s Introduction to Programming with Python.
This course is taught by Prof. David Malan, who also instructs Harvard’s Introduction to Computer Science, a course featured on Class Central‘s list of Best Online Courses of All Time.
The Python course shares many of the same strengths as its Computer Science counterpart: a comprehensive curriculum, numerous coding assignments, and even the opportunity to earn a free certificate of completion.
Now, let’s dive into an overview of Harvard’s Introduction to Programming with Python, and how you can earn a free certificate like the one above.
When I took CS50, I remember being impressed by how engaging it was. Most online courses simply involve an instructor talking into a camera or providing a voiceover for slides. While this can be an effective learning tool, it can be a bit dull…
CS50 was more like a show. Prof. Malan would pace the stage in front of a live audience, filmed from multiple angles, explaining concepts at a consistent yet easy-to-follow pace, live-coding his way through examples, and taking student questions.
This show-like approach led CS50, the most popular on-campus course at Harvard, to become one of the most popular online courses ever, with over 4.8 million learners. Fortunately, Harvard’s new Python course, CS50P, retains the same strengths.