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FYI: An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python on Coursera (April, 2013)


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For anyone interested.

 

"This course is designed to help students with very little or no computing background learn the basics of building simple interactive applications. Our language of choice, Python, is an easy-to learn, high-level computer language that is used in many of the computational courses offered on Coursera. To make learning Python easy, we have developed a new browser-based programming environment that makes developing interactive applications in Python simple. These applications will involve windows whose contents are graphical and respond to buttons, the keyboard and the mouse.

 

The primary method for learning the course material will be to work through multiple "mini-projects" in Python.

...

Our course syllabus can be seen at www.codeskulptor.org/coursera/syllabus.html." (Link)

 

ETA:

Course website https://www.coursera.org/course/interactivepython

 

ETA:

Web based Python document link http://www.codeskulptor.org/docs.html

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What the requirements? Does one have to complete every activity? Must one finish course by a certain date? Is it synchronous classes are can you watch at any time?

I wonder if my son could do this. He's only in 7th grade, it may be too hard right now. Any idea?

 

Complete whatever you can, own time own target. If you finished the assignments by deadline you can ask for a certificate of participation. Lectures and assignments/quiz are uploaded every week, so watch and do when free.

 

No penalty for not completing or dropping out :)

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Complete whatever you can, own time own target. If you finished the assignments by deadline you can ask for a certificate of participation. Lectures and assignments/quiz are uploaded every week, so watch and do when free.

 

No penalty for not completing or dropping out :)

 

 

 

Thanks! My son really wants to do the course. He's excited.

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  • 1 month later...

Shucks. Ds needs 2.7. He knows whichever version AoPS uses which is not 2.7. (he's not here, so I can't ask him.)

 

 

The book "Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 3rd Edition " recommended as a supplement by the AoPS course is published January 2010. That would be Python 2.6.4 probably.

 

The current version of Python is 3.3.1 http://www.python.org/doc/versions/

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Oops - this course started over our spring break. I had been thinking of signing dd12 up - she's already had some Python experience. Is it too late to start the course? It looks like she'd only be one week behind - would they let her just catch up? The Coursera website still appears to have the "sign up" button active.

 

if anyone's kids are already taking this - do they like it so far?

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Is it too late to start the course? It looks like she'd only be one week behind - would they let her just catch up?

 

Not too late to sign up. She'll be late for the 1st week homework but you can always email the course lecturer and ask if she can still get the credit for 1st week assignments.

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Not too late to sign up. She'll be late for the 1st week homework but you can always email the course lecturer and ask if she can still get the credit for 1st week assignments.

 

 

Cool, thanks. I'll have her sign up in the morning (unless it doesn't matter where I sign her up from? Can I sign her up from my computer tonight? Or is there stuff she'll have to download onto her computer?).

 

Will it be obvious once I sign her up how to contact the lecturer?

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Cool, thanks. I'll have her sign up in the morning (unless it doesn't matter where I sign her up from? Can I sign her up from my computer tonight? Or is there stuff she'll have to download onto her computer?).

 

Will it be obvious once I sign her up how to contact the lecturer?

 

 

You can sign up for your daughter from any computer and just download the course materials later. Contact info of the lecturer is obvious after you sign in.

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On the last run of the course, you didn't submit late material (projects) to the lecturer to be graded for credit on the course. You were more than welcome to post your projects on a thread in their forums to be peer-graded to see how your project measured up to the rubric. I don't imagine the guys running the course have the time (or ability?) to change scoring values for the course projects for everyone who starts late, but they were incredible about making themselves available for troubleshooting if you were having trouble with your code.

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On the last run of the course, you didn't submit late material (projects) to the lecturer to be graded for credit on the course. You were more than welcome to post your projects on a thread in their forums to be peer-graded to see how your project measured up to the rubric. I don't imagine the guys running the course have the time (or ability?) to change scoring values for the course projects for everyone who starts late, but they were incredible about making themselves available for troubleshooting if you were having trouble with your code.

 

My dd is now happily watching the videos and writing some sample code - yay! It looks like they've now added a "Week 0" to the course, and all the Week 0 stuff to be turned in is either optional or not due until the end of Week 1 (this Sat night) to accommodate late starters and give people really new to programming a more gentle start, so it looks like we just squeaked in under the wire!

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  • 3 months later...

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