The spring offering of 6.00.1x Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python, the first course in the Foundations of Computer Science XSeries, is now open for registration on the edX site.

About this Course

This course is the first of a two-course sequence: Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python, and Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science. Together, they are designed to help people with no prior exposure to computer science or programming learn to think computationally and write programs to tackle useful problems. Some of the people taking the two courses will use them as a stepping stone to more advanced computer science courses, but for many it will be their first and last computer science courses.

Since these courses may be the only formal computer science courses many of the students take, we have chosen to focus on breadth rather than depth. The goal is to provide students with a brief introduction to many topics so they will have an idea of what is possible when they need to think about how to use computation to accomplish some goal later in their career. That said, they are not “computation appreciation” courses. They are challenging and rigorous courses in which the students spend a lot of time and effort learning to bend the computer to their will.

Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python covers the notion of computation, the Python programming language, some simple algorithms, testing and debugging, and informal introduction to algorithmic complexity, and some simple algorithms and data structures.

The Foundations of Computer Science XSeries

The Foundations of Computer Science XSeries, offered by the M.I.T. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, is a sequence of courses that introduce key concepts of computer science and computational thinking. Students apply these concepts and build their engineering skills by completing software and hardware design problems. Additionally, students test their understanding by taking a series of exams.

This XSeries consists of 7 courses:

  • 6.00.1x Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python | Q4 2013, Q2 2014 ($50)
  • 6.00.2x Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science | Q2 2014 ($50)
  • 6.00.3x Software Construction in Java 1 | Q4 2014 ($50)
  • 6.00.4x Software Construction in Java 2 | Q2 2015 ($50)
  • 6.00.5x Computation Structures: Digital Circuits | Q4 2014 ($50)
  • 6.00.6x Computation Structures: Programmable Architectures | Q2 2015 ($50)
  • 6.00.7x Computation Structures: Computer Systems Organization | Q4 2015 ($50)

Cost for this program also includes a $75 program fee, due at issuance of the final XSeries certificate. Total cost for the complete program is $425.00. Please note that component courses for this XSeries may be taken individually. Students who have successfully completed 6.00x prior to Fall 2013 may use the course to replace 6.00.1x and 6.00.2x without cost.