The “Introduction to Computer Science using Python” course from MITx has reached 1.2 million enrollments since its launch in 2012. It has become the most popular MOOC in MIT history.
“This course is about teaching students to use computation, in this case described by Python, to build models and explore broader questions of what can be done with computation to understand the world,” explained John Guttag, MIT’s professor who co-developed this class along with Eric Grimson.
The course, derived from a campus-based and OpenCourseWare subject at MIT and now offered on the edX platform, was initially developed as a 13-week course, but in 2014 it was separated into two courses, 6.00.1x and 6.00.2x.
In 2017, MITx partnered with Silicon Valley-based San Jose City College to offer the course as part of a program for students who have not had access to a Computer Science curriculum.
“This course is designed to help students begin to think like a computer scientist,” said Grimson. “By the end of it, the student should feel very confident that given a problem, whether it’s something from work or their personal life, they could use computation to solve that problem.”
The following video with testimonials reflects the achievements from learners.
