Chevron Left
Back to Computer Science: Programming with a Purpose

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Computer Science: Programming with a Purpose by Princeton University

4.7
stars
1,221 ratings

About the Course

The basis for education in the last millennium was “reading, writing, and arithmetic;” now it is reading, writing, and computing. Learning to program is an essential part of the education of every student, not just in the sciences and engineering, but in the arts, social sciences, and humanities, as well. Beyond direct applications, it is the first step in understanding the nature of computer science’s undeniable impact on the modern world. This course covers the first half of our book Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach (the second half is covered in our Coursera course Computer Science: Algorithms, Theory, and Machines). Our intent is to teach programming to those who need or want to learn it, in a scientific context. We begin by introducing basic programming elements such as variables, conditionals, loops, arrays, and I/O. Next, we turn to functions, introducing key concepts such as recursion, modular programming, and code reuse. Then, we present a modern introduction to object-oriented programming. We use the Java programming language and teach basic skills for computational problem solving that are applicable in many modern computing environments. Proficiency in Java is a goal, but we focus on fundamental concepts in programming, not Java per se. All the features of this course are available for free. People who are interested in digging deeper into the content may wish to obtain the textbook Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach (upon which the course is based) or to visit the website introcs.cs.princeton.edu for a wealth of additional material. This course does not offer a certificate upon completion....

Top reviews

VS

May 13, 2019

Beautiful course. I am a software developer with 10+ years of experience in programming and have never realized depth of actual MATH behind all that I do. Thank you Robert Sedgewick, you are the BEST.

PK

Aug 6, 2023

This was a very great course to learn a powerful programming language, techniques used. This has changed my life for better and am looking forward to a career change into the programming world.

Filter by:

301 - 325 of 347 Reviews for Computer Science: Programming with a Purpose

By Santiago M

Oct 11, 2020

I got what I needed and way more... This course is really heavy on maths and it does not stay with just "learn java"... I admit that I got frustrated at some point since Im not good at math and struggle a lot!.. but with the help of peers I was able to get the end goal and I would recommend this class to anyone that want to understand how programming works.

By Ashvith S

Mar 11, 2022

I like that this course covers the important aspects in detail, and divides the chapters into smaller subsections. I would go far as to argue that these questions are Ivy-League tier problems, and requires a lot of research and patience, which aren't appreciated by beginner students. Maybe it would be better to tone down the difficulty.

By 20-047 F F R

Jun 15, 2022

the material is delivered by great and experienced speakers, the material presented is clear and easy to understand, the quiz given is also not immediately difficult, but gradually from easy to difficult, the reading given is also clear and the core material can be understood, unfortunately there is no translation for Indonesian

By Valon Y

Nov 24, 2022

Some of the assignments are a little too hard and it is really difficult to know how to proceed when you hit a roadblock, other than excessive browsing through the forums or the web. But the info you gain from the course itself is really helpful in teaching you various ways of programming and program solving.

By Jonathan T

Oct 21, 2022

This course is a good introduction to computer science. Since not all aspects of the code are explained thoroughly, students may have to do a small amount of research on their own. The focus is understandably more on theory than on the Java language.

By Do H M

Sep 14, 2024

The lectures and extra resources were great, but the most worthwhile thing from this course has gotta be the exercises they give. Super fun, extremely challenging, and helped immensely in making sure the contents of the lectures and the book stuck.

By Julen C

Jan 30, 2023

I think it's a good course overall, however, I feel like it's not a course for someone who has no previous programming knowledge since there are many concepts that are not explained clearly enough for a beginner.

By Shreyan M

Aug 16, 2020

This course was great for learning Java, but I believe it could have been better if it had covered the actual "computer science" aspect (like the anatomy of a computer, history of computing, etc.)

By Martin J

Sep 28, 2022

Great course, there were many useful applications, very often more interesting than programming itself. It would be great if there would be more OO concepts involved

By Prasetyo D

Jun 1, 2023

The courses very good to learn, the presenters are also very good at explaining, it's just that there are no Indonesian subtitles in each explanation video.

By József K

Jun 15, 2022

Excellent course. Little hard for beginners, especially the software testing enviroment is very strict. But it is very straightforward course.

By Snehal P

Sep 2, 2023

It was an amazing experience provided by the course. It would be a solid 5 if it was a bit small like one less module . Otherwise works fine.

By Uriel G

Oct 5, 2023

It's a course that reliably covers the necessary fundamental topics for anyone who begins in earnest a computer science career.

By HATEM A R A A K

Jun 14, 2022

Course is good but need to be more interactive and the content sometimes doesn't help in completing exams or assignments.

By AHMED M F

Nov 21, 2023

A bit complex considering it has beginner difficulty. I believe it should be intermediate at least.

By Aman V

Mar 30, 2022

I have completed the course it is very help ful but i have not received the certificate.

By psychic h

Mar 22, 2020

its a good basic course.

its only for those who had'nt learnt a programming language yet

By Giray K

Oct 14, 2024

Assignment compiler is a bit too strict. It may be a bit more chill

By alex i

Sep 22, 2024

nice topics, bit dated, not very contemporary content

By Atalay K

Jun 27, 2020

Lectures are very good, exercises could be better

By ANIKET S

Apr 10, 2023

this course is very helpfull for me thanks

By Abdelrahman I A A

Dec 14, 2023

that was really helpful thank you so much

By Vaijinath B

Feb 16, 2023

It's good learning platform

By SURAJ y

Jan 6, 2024

this is good course

By יהודה ו ל

Feb 6, 2023

basic course.