Computer Science 101
- Free to audit
- Paid certificate
- Course certificate
- Beginner
- 6 weeks
Computer Science 101 is Nick Parlante's StanfordOnline course on edX for people with no prior experience of computer science. It argues that computers, which look complicated, work within a few simple patterns, and it brings those patterns to life by having participants experiment with short bits of code directly in the browser, so nothing needs to be installed. The topics cover the nature of computers and code, how hardware works (chips, CPU, memory, disk), the jargon of bits and bytes, what a program is and what running means, how digital images work, loops and logic, abstraction and bugs, structured data, how the internet works, computer security, analog versus digital, and digital media and compression.
edX lists the course as self-paced, beginner level and six weeks at four to six hours a week; the page says anyone who can use a web browser may succeed. Auditing is free with time-limited access and no graded work or certificate; the verified track with an edX certificate costs $249.
What you’ll learn
- Explain what computers and code can and cannot do
- Describe how hardware, software and the internet work in plain terms
- Write and run short pieces of code with loops and logic in the browser
- Understand digital images, media, compression and structured data
- Recognise basic computer security threats such as viruses and weak passwords
Who it’s for
Adults who use computers every day but have never studied how they work; no maths or programming background is needed.
Source: Stanford Online (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
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