Announcing Code in Place:
Free coding education in the time of Covid-19
STANFORD, USA
The time of COVID-19 has been difficult for many people around the world, in many different ways. As an act of community service, a group of computer science instructors is coming together to offer our teaching services free of charge for people who want to learn introductory coding, subject to availability. This is a one time offering for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Course Dates: April 13th until May 22nd.
Where: Anywhere with internet.
Who: Learners, with no programming experience, and time to dedicate to learning.
Student application deadline: April 8th, Anywhere on Earth.
Teacher application deadline: April 3rd, Anywhere on Earth.
The learning experience, which we call CS106A - Code in Place, will be an introductory programming course using the Python language, using material from the first half of Stanford University's established intro course, CS106A. It assumes no prior programming experience. You should expect to be working 15 to 20 hours a week and you will need an internet connection strong enough to stream video.
This experience is different from typical free online courses in that, in addition to using online resources, you will meet (via videoconferencing) in a small group, once a week, with someone on the teaching team. The course is centered around engaging assignments and includes an optional final project. You won't receive a grade in the course, and completing the experience doesn't earn university credit. Instead, the main outcome is that you will have acquired a new and wonderful skill: how to program.
Enrollment is subject to availability, although we have space for hundreds (or even thousands) of students. To apply, you complete a short, fun, learning exercise before April 8th, estimated to be 1 to 2 hours of work. Finishing the exercise will give you an idea of whether this course is good for you.
If you are an educator who knows Python, apply to be a volunteer instructor. Every volunteer teacher means more students can join.
As a disclaimer, this is a first-of-its-kind offer from Stanford. We are seeking students who are up for being part of an experimental education experience. If you have any questions please email codeinplace@cs.stanford.edu. We are limiting the course to students and teaching team who are at least 18 years old.
All the best,
The Code in Place teaching team
Organized by professors at:
What is CS106A - Code in Place?
CS106A is one of most popular courses at Stanford University, taken by almost 1,600 students every year. It has been developed over the last 30 years by an amazing team, including Nick Parlante, Eric Roberts and more. The course teaches the fundamentals of computer programming using the widely-used Python programming language. This course is for everyone from humanists, social scientists, to hardcore engineers. CS106A - Code in Place is built off the first half of CS106A.
Code in Place require no previous background in programming---just a willingness to work hard and a love for learning. It requires considerable dedication and hard work, over a course of 5 weeks.
Course Structure
Lecture videos every week
In lectures, you will learn the skills and techniques necessary to become an amazing programmer from our Stanford professors Mehran Sahamiand Chris Piech.
One 40min section every week
Section is a weekly meeting in small groups of around 10 students where you get to have a more personalised learning experience. Sections are lead by our team of world-class section leaders who will help solidify the concepts learned in lecture and help you become a better problem solver.
4 assignments
The ultimate joy of programming is to build things that you are proud of. The assignments are a chance to do exactly that while solidifying the knowledge learned in lecture and section in a real world setting.
Ways to get involved
Join as a Student
Serious about wanting to learn to program? Get more details about the course. If you are interested, apply to join. Subject to availibility.
Teach a Section
If you know how to program and love to teach, join our team. Teaching requires a minimum of one hour a week. Be part of a team of engaged teachers, dedicated to a cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the "live class" about?
You are part of the group of students following along the course as it progresses. Following along means you get to join in on live conversations, ask questions about lecture and section.
Is this class right for me?
Yes! Unless you already know how to code. We have taught similar material all around the world, to people of all backgrounds.
Why are you doing this?
It seemed like the right thing to do in this difficult time. We also love to teach.
Why learn to code?
It's fun and helps you get a job that you can do from home. It makes you think deeply and is perhaps the closest thing we have in this world to magic.
Is it truly free?
Yes.
I have a disability, can I take the class?
We are seriously into disability accommodations. We are going to commit to closed captioning our videos and working diligently to support students with disabilities.
Why does Mehran use a lightsaber?
Lightsabers are fun. We like to have a wholesome good time while teaching.
Who is Karel?
Karel is a robot that we use to teach the first two weeks of our Stanford class. Karel was created in the 80s as a gentle introduction to computer science. Karel has been taught to thousands of students and has influenced curricula at code.org and beyond
Is this class hard?
Most things worth doing are hard. We teach you a lot of computer science, but we do what we can do make it as straightforward as possible.
What are the prerequisites?
There are none! Well actually, you need to be able to turn on a computer. Or, honestly you probably only need to be able to recognize if a computer is on.
Is the material going to be open to the world?
Only some of it. Students who are accepted into Code in Place will get access to all the course materials (lecture videos, assignments, etc). We are slowly growing the set of resources we make open to the public.
Is this a MOOC?
No. The main difference is that we are not massive, and our space is limited by availibility. We believe it will be a relatively different experience, involving live interactive teaching in small groups.
Comments
Post a Comment