If you’ve been looking for a programming language to learn, here’s one you may not have considered. Harvard made it. It’s called harvard. It’s not that people haven’t been introduced to it before — they just hadn’t heard of it as a programming language. But now they’re making it more publicly available and it’s getting some attention from coders on the internet. So should you learn harvard? I did and here’s what my thoughts are at this point.
This is CS50x , Harvard University’s introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming for majors and non-majors alike, with or without prior programming experience. An entry-level course taught by David J. Malan, CS50x teaches students how to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently. Topics include abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development. Languages include C, Python, SQL, and JavaScript plus CSS and HTML. Problem sets inspired by real-world domains of biology, cryptography, finance, forensics, and gaming. The on-campus version of CS50x , CS50, is Harvard’s largest course.
Students who earn a satisfactory score on 9 problem sets (i.e., programming assignments) and a final project are eligible for a certificate. This is a self-paced course–you may take CS50x on your own schedule.
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This is CS50x , Harvard University’s introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming for majors and non-majors alike, with or without prior programming experience. An entry-level course taught by David J. Malan, CS50x teaches students how to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently. Topics include abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development. Languages include C, Python, SQL, and JavaScript plus CSS and HTML. Problem sets inspired by real-world domains of biology, cryptography, finance, forensics, and gaming. The on-campus version of CS50x , CS50, is Harvard’s largest course.
Students who earn a satisfactory score on 9 problem sets (i.e., programming assignments) and a final project are eligible for a certificate. This is a self-paced course–you may take CS50x on your own schedule.
What you’ll learn
- A broad and robust understanding of computer science and programming
- How to think algorithmically and solve programming problems efficiently
- Concepts like abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development
- Familiarity in a number of languages, including C, PHP, and JavaScript plus SQL, CSS, and HTML
- How to engage with a vibrant community of like-minded learners from all levels of experience
- How to develop and present a final programming project to your peers
Harvard University has announced several new free online courses for aspiring programmers and Computer Science students. The University has been a pioneer in offering the best online courses in the computer programming domain to help students and beginners develop strong programming skills and build a successful career.
The recently opened courses can be obtained for free. Here are the details –
1. CS50’s Understanding TechnologyThe CS50’s Understanding Technology course is designed for people who are working with technology every day even without understanding how it all works. This course fills in the gaps, empowering beginners to use and troubleshoot technology more effectively. The 6-week long course includes lectures on hardware, the Internet, multimedia, security, programming, and web development.
Further details
Course duration: 6 Weeks
Instructor: David J Malan, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
2. CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Scratch
Using Scratch, this course introduces students to fundamentals of programming, found not only in Scratch itself but in traditional text-based languages (like Java and Python) as well. Scratch is a visual programming language, designed at MIT’s Media Lab, to empower students with no prior programming experience to design their own animations, games, interactive art, and stories.
The course includes important elements of a programming language, including, but not limited to, functions, events, return values, conditions, loops, variables, and more. Ultimately, this course prepares students for subsequent courses in programming.
Further details
Course duration: 3 Weeks
Instructor: David J Malan, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
3. CS50: Introduction to Computer Science
This entry-level course teaches students how to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently. The course is specifically designed for freshers and includes concepts like abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development. Languages include C, Python, SQL, and JavaScript plus CSS and HTML.
Further details
Course duration: 11 Weeks
Commitment: 10-20 hours per week
Instructors:
David J Malan, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Doug Lloyd – Senior Preceptor in Computer Science, Harvard University
Brian Yu – Senior Preceptor in Computer Science, Harvard University
4. CS50’s Introduction to Game Development
This course is more like a hands-on experience for learners as they explore the design and development of 2D and 3D interactive games such as Super Mario Bros., Pong, Flappy Bird, Breakout, Match 3, Legend of Zelda, Angry Birds, Pokémon, 3D Helicopter Game, Dreadhalls, and Portal. Via lectures and hands-on projects, the course explores principles of 2D and 3D graphics, animation, sound, and collision detection using frameworks like Unity and LÖVE 2D, as well as languages like Lua and C#.
Further details
Course duration: 12 Weeks
Commitment: 6-9 hours per week
Instructors:
David J Malan, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Colton Ogden – Technologist, Harvard University
5. CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
This special course explores the concepts and algorithms at the foundation of modern artificial intelligence, diving into the ideas that give rise to technologies like game-playing engines, handwriting recognition, and machine translation. Through hands-on projects, students gain exposure to the theory behind graph search algorithms, classification, optimization, reinforcement learning, and other topics in artificial intelligence and machine learning as they incorporate them into their own Python programs.
Further details
Course duration: 7 Weeks
Commitment: 10-30 hours per week
Instructor: David J Malan, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Interested candidates can visit the official Harvard University website and select the right course as per their interest.
Overview
What is computer programming?
Computer programming is the process of writing instructions that get executed by computers. The instructions, also known as code, are written in a programming language which the computer can understand and use to perform a task or solve a problem.
Basic computer programming involves the analysis of a problem and development of a logical sequence of instructions to solve it. There can be numerous paths to a solution and the computer programmer seeks to design and code that which is most efficient. Among the programmer’s tasks are understanding requirements, determining the right programming language to use, designing or architecting the solution, coding, testing, debugging and writing documentation so that the solution can be easily understood by other programmers.
Computer programming is at the heart of computer science. It is the implementation portion of software development, application development and software engineering efforts, transforming ideas and theories into actual, working solutions.
Learn Computer Programming Online with Online Courses and Classes
edX offers a plethora of classes targeted to new and beginning coders. These introductory classes provide a step by step tutorial on how to code using your favorite language. Harvard’s CS50’s Introduction to Computer Science, an entry level course, teaches you how to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently. Topics include basic concepts in abstraction, algorithms, operating systems, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development using languages such as C, Python, SQL, and JavaScript plus CSS and HTML. Problem sets are inspired by real-world domains of biology, cryptography, finance, forensics, and gaming.
Learn to code with online computer programming courses
Computer science is the most popular subject on edX and there are outstanding programming courses from top universities and institutions including Harvard, MIT, Microsoft and W3C available to help you get started. Start with an introductory course in computer science such as Harvard’s popular CS50 or MIT’s Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python to learn key concepts and fundamentals. IITBombay also offers self-paced beginner courses in programming including Programming Basics and Object-Oriented Programming that focus on logical thinking and programming best practices. Online certificates are available for all courses and some, such as Arizona State University’s Programming for Everyone: Introduction to Programming, offer the ability to apply for college credit.
Next, dive into different computer programming languages. Programming tutorials and courses are available to introduce you to coding in Java, JavaScript, Python, HTML, R, C++ and many more. Discover the similarities between different languages and gain an understanding of which language is the right one for a particular task.
Want to go further? Enroll in an advance MicroMasters program to build on your knowledge and experience. Online computer courses are available in software development and testing and provide advanced training designed to jumpstart a computer programming degree or master’s degree in the field.
Jobs in computer programming
A skilled and experienced computer programmer can essentially write their own ticket. There are thousands of open jobs in programming and related fields. For example, a search for available positions for Java programmers on Indeed.com at the time of this article had over ten thousand results. And that’s just in the United States. People wishing to enter the world of computer programming can choose to specialize in any number of popular programming languages and find many entry-level opportunities. Get started as a junior programmer in the language of your choice and gain the experience and skills to move up the ladder to software engineer or even Chief Technology Officer.
Explore a career as a computer programmer
Take a beginner course in computer science or any number of programming languages and see if this exciting, in-demand field is right for you. Introductory, self-paced courses are available now to help you learn to code in many different languages. Enroll and start learning today.
Whether you are looking to accelerate your career, earn a degree, or learn something for personal reasons, edX has the courses for you.
