Code Yourself! An Introduction to Programming
- Free
- Paid certificate
- Beginner
- 1 week
Code Yourself! is a joint course from the University of Edinburgh and Universidad ORT Uruguay that teaches programming through Scratch, a visual, block-based language, while introducing the ideas of computing more generally. Five modules build on each other: writing a first program, using loops, remixing games, reusing code, and thinking like a software engineer. Each module is estimated at two to three hours, and Coursera schedules the whole course at one week of ten hours a week on a flexible timetable.
It is listed at beginner level with no prior experience required. The course carries Coursera's free flag, so all five modules and their assessments are open without payment; a shareable certificate is offered as a paid option with no price stated on the page, and financial aid is listed. The page notes that captioned versions exist in Arabic and Spanish as separate courses.
What you’ll learn
- Build a first program in Scratch using blocks rather than typed code
- Use loops and events to make programs repeat and react
- Remix an existing game and reuse code in new projects
- Approach a problem the way a software engineer does, by planning and testing
Who it’s for
People with no programming experience at all, including younger learners and teachers; if you already write code in a text language you will find it very basic.
Syllabus
5 sections as listed on coursera.org, 11 h 59 min in total.
- Your First Computer Program 2 h 35 min
- Code Gone Loopy! 1 h 59 min
- Remixing Games 2 h 53 min
- Reusing Your Code 1 h 41 min
- Think Like a Software Engineer 2 h 51 min
Instructors
- Dr Areti Manataki Teaching and Research Fellow, Centre for Medical Informatics, The University of Edinburgh
- Inés Friss de Kereki PhD, Engineering School, Universidad ORT Uruguay, The University of Edinburgh
Course details
- Skills covered
- Programming Principles
- Computer Programming
- Software Development
- Code Reusability
- Event-Driven Programming
- Software Engineering
- Video Game Development
- Algorithms
- Includes
- 5 modules · 5 assignments
- Prerequisites
- No prior experience required
- Subtitles
- 23 languages
On coursera.org
Rated 4.7 out of 5 by 3,998 learners; 490,295 enrolled, as shown on the course page on 20 Oct 2026. These are coursera.org’s own figures, not ours.
Source: Coursera (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
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