This is a really great course. It really pushed me and I gained quite a bit from it. The professors are very well versed in the topic and they do a very nice job in presenting the subject matter.

However, be warned that you will need to do some outside research and reading on the subjects covered. Especially when the topic of classes is covered. The subject can get confusing quickly and some backup books or websites will be very useful in understanding them.

The coding is done in python 2.5 or 2.6 (I believe). As of now, the current iteration is 3.6. This is not a problem. The logic and code structure that they are teaching is the same regardless of which version you end up using and it is really not an issue to transition from 2.5/2.6 to 3.6. So, please don't let this prevent you from signing up. You'll gain a real sense of accomplishment when you finish.

I have completed both IIPP1 and IIPP2 You would be hard-pressed to find an Introduction to the python programming as lucid and as fun as this course. Personally , I took this course to practice python programming as I had a bit of programming experience in my first sem of college. But , I must say I wish I had taken this course earlier ie. as a complete beginner. The approach followed by the professors is "Just in Time" and not flooding the lectures with as much info as they can.

The highlight of the course are ofcourse the Games that you get to make using SimpleGui. ( My personal favourite is the Black Jack - taught me a great deal of things about OOPS). After completing both IIPP-1 and IIPP-2 I now feel a lot more comfortable while reading other people's code. So, all in all even though you will be making games here, the skills you learn will be applicable everywhere.

One thing I was worried about before taking this class was that it is in Python 2. I can assure you this won't be a problem as-

The only difference you will notice in Python 3 is that print is a function now and / is used a little differently that's all.

For advanced and semi-advanced people this course may be a bit dull just like any Introduction Course. But for beginners and those who are not yet comfortable in writing long lines of code this course is simply one of the best.

At last, I would like to Thank all the 4 professors to create this gem.

I loved this course, it's doing for me exactly what I hoped it would by forcing me to think computationally. The projects we've built are great, but the way I see problems and find ways of breaking them apart into smaller, more manageable components has been an invaluable skill that is even manifesting itself in little ways in my daily life. Thank you Coursera and thank you Rice University Computer Science Department! Now on to the remaining courses in the specialization. :-)

The best course I have taken. It has changed my thinking about everything related in computer from a simple program to games, It has given me a deep understanding of how things work, and has given an enormous amount of confidence. The content is awesome and so do the instructors.

If you are having any doubt, just go for it. I promise, you won't regret later!

Moves at a faster pace than part 1 (which is a prerequisite unless you are already familiar with programming. But the final projects each week are even more rewarding and it maintains the sense of fun by the instructors as part 1.

I am a 53 year-old physician with no previous programming experience who took this course purely to fulfill an intellectual curiosity. I was rewarded beyond my expectations. I have been through many educational experiences in my life, both as a student and as a teacher. I recognize good teaching when I see it. These Rice professors are the cream of the crop. They are brilliant, articulate, and amicable. Also, they have created a web-based Python coding environment called CodeSkulptor (complete with its own graphical user interface and detailed documentation) that makes it a snap to get it started with Python. You can keep using CodeSkulptor forever after you have finished this class. I finished parts 1 and 2 of this course in a few short weeks and got hooked on the experience. I plan to keep taking additional courses by these professors in this specialization on Coursera. I give this course my highest recommendation.

Oufff there's no enough words to describe this Class. It was such a wonderful experience! The Content is fantastic, CodeSkulptor is fantastic. Omg... The Instructors are more than fantastic. They really enjoyed teaching the class and they really seem to like each other which makes the class more beautiful.

And finally I have to thank Coursera platform so much. It's literally the best online platform to learn on.

All in all, I'm glad to be taking this course, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn Python, specially for who want to build games.

And of course I recommend Coursera as well to anyone who want to learn online.

This was an amazing course! I loved everything from the well-thought-out structure of each assignment down to the personalities of the professors. While I have been programming (on-and-off) for quite a while, I learned DEEPLY. Rather than focusing on blasting students with excessive amounts of information, the professors insert the right knowledge at exactly the right time, making the learning process organic and intriguing. They motivate concepts by application, making it readily apparent why a new tool is necessary for each next step. I look forward to completing the specialization this course is a part of. Thank you!

Great course. New concepts are introduced in a undestandable manner. The miniprojects and quizzes are fun and interesting. They can all be solved by paying attention to the class videos and materials, however, they still leave some room for students to figure out stuff on their own. The teachers are great and have a very friendly, fun approach. You can see they put a lot of thought into how to explain complex topics like object oriented programming so that students do not only learn the syntax, but really understand the idea behind those concepts. Some basic highschool math is needed but the teachers explain all of it.

Hey guys

I learned a lot from this course.

To be honest, I thought I wasn't qualified to finish the project that were ask on this course, but thanks to extraordinary good professor, and a lot of patience, I finished it.

I had no background on programming, and they were able to teach me thing that were beyond my reach. Theses persons are incredible, and extraordinary for the work they offer to the world.

Thank you guys for made this course available, I love you.

Everything was already said as the course is going for quite a long time. It really is great. Having absolutely zero programming experience before the first course of the specialization, some assignments and quizzes were tough yet solvable in the end. I definitely recommend the course to anyone willing to make their first steps into programming.

lectures were pretty clear, and the game projects were a very smart way to keep learning fun and challenging. Code clinics were very useful and gave me the push I needed to do everything on myown.

Fantastic course, pleasantly surprised at top quality lessons and you can really see that the instructors love to teach the course also. Would recommend to anyone interested in learning coding.

I've finished my specialization in "Python for Everyone" and thought this specialization would be a nice follow on. The instructors are funny and try to keep it light, but it certainly is NOT an intro level course. It took me nearly 8 months to finish the final 3 projects. I won't be continuing this specialization. It might have been OK if they had an intro to OOP that was a prereq for both of these courses

The course uses Python 2. The quality of instruction is poor. Most of the content is creating useless games and interactive programs. This is not what python programming is about. If you want to learn the basics of Python - try the various other courses available on Coursera such as those offered by UMich or U Toronto.

I really liked learning Python in this course and applying it in a variety of interesting games/applications. First of all, I truly appreciate an effort of the professors who led it and their genuine charisma, that can only be present whenever someone is doing what he/she enjoys. They kept it funny, entertaining and motivating to go until the end of the course. Also I think that CodeSkulptor and an emphasis on interactivity is what made this course very beginner-friendly and facilitating in getting hands on the fundamentals of programming without freaking out over some ugly console - UI and an unfamiliar environment. I know what I am talking about from my own experience: I tried to take my very first programming course in C++, when I was 15 y.o. And that experience traumatized me so badly that only 10 years later had I found a will to try it again.

As an extension to Part 1, this course flows very well.

I believe they tackled OOP in a very logical way. Not having OOP experience, I found this fairly easy to pick up (although it took me about a week to really wrap my head around it since I am use to a different coding style).

Final project is super fun! Although if I had one complaint it is that they shouldn't have given so much in the template. I found myself eager (and a solid challenge) to code RiceRocks from scratch.

All-in-all, this was a great course and I really enjoyed this class!

I am a python beginner and "An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python (part 1 & 2)' are my first python courses. I am very glad I chose them as my introduction courses. There are more than usage of lists, tuples, dictionaries, etc., in these courses. I also enjoyed the processs of constructing and playing my own game projects. It is unbelievable that I can make a star war game after just one-month learning. But, it did happen to me. I hope more beginners can get benefits from this well-organized and interesting course.

Excellent course. You can tell that the profs worked hard to put this course together. Everything about it works: the lectures introduce new Python concepts; practice problems allow you to, well, practice using those new concepts; the quizzes reinforce those concepts; and the mini-project challenge you to put the concepts to use in an interactive game. The games are actually games that someone might enjoy playing - Memory, Blackjack, and esp. RiceRocks. Highly recommend this course. The profs are funny and entertaining, too!

I had only self-study knowledge of Python prior to this course, and appreciated having a structured approach to it. The instructors are funny and engaging and I believe explain things well for the most part. The projects are fun and the games-based focus provides motivation to get things working. One caveat, however, is that even though most of my programming knowledge is informal, I have prior programming experience so I don't know how it would have been to enter this course with a completely blank slate.

I had completed the Python for Everybody course on Coursera, from Michigan Uni. and this 2-part IIPP course was a great follow-up to that. I enjoyed the assignments very much and the instructors were really enjoying themselves which made the class very fun to follow. This is a great course which will teach you the basics of Pyhton and also how to implement GUIs and how to code simple games. Now I'm continuing with the rest of the specialization...

A perfect course to learn Python,without facing any trouble.The content is perfect combo of lecture & enough practice.All respected instructors(especially Joe and Scott)are so much energetic and enthusiastic.Their energy has kept me energized and connected throughout the course.The instructors have covered every smallest concept.Content is well structured to guide step by step.And Coursera is always a great platform to learn any subject.

Maybe the best Python course ever. The experience I've gained here is not only valuable but also interesting.

I've learnt a lot in this class and finishing Asteroids makes me proud. Furthermore, moving on is easy based on the knowledge here and the short and sweet post-class videos help as well.

Thanks to the nice instructors and TAs. Joe Warren, Scott Rixner, John Greiner, Stephen Wong and Michael Cimino, thank you very much!

Dear Professors,

You are amazing!!! All I had to say about all course it same then I said in the first video, and I am continuing the courses from this specialization only because I really loved this one, and I learnt a lot.

We have an ocean between us, but you all Joe, Scott, John and Stephen (I am sure he contributes to this be real) made diference on my life, and I think, in the life of many others.

Thank you all very much!

I was looking for a beginners Python course and this one had great reviews so I took it. I was skeptical that it could be as good as people said but it is. It's challenging but the fact that you're making games all the way through makes it fun and easier to push through the tough bits. The lecturers are very good too. I really enjoyed the banter between Scott and Joe, they kept this from being boring. Highly recommended.