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Back to Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: From Nand to Tetris (Project-Centered Course)

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: From Nand to Tetris (Project-Centered Course) by Hebrew University of Jerusalem

4.9
stars
3,636 ratings

About the Course

What you’ll achieve: In this project-centered course* you will build a modern computer system, from the ground up. We’ll divide this fascinating journey into six hands-on projects that will take you from constructing elementary logic gates all the way through creating a fully functioning general purpose computer. In the process, you will learn - in the most direct and constructive way - how computers work, and how they are designed. What you’ll need: This is a self-contained course: all the knowledge necessary to succeed in the course and build the computer system will be given as part of the learning experience. Therefore, we assume no previous computer science or engineering knowledge, and all learners are welcome aboard. You will need no physical materials, since you will build the computer on your own PC, using a software-based hardware simulator, just like real computers are designed by computer engineers in the field. The hardware simulator, as well as other software tools, will be supplied freely after you enroll in the course. Course format: The course consists of six modules, each comprising a series of video lectures, and a project. You will need about 2-3 hours to watch each module's lectures, and about 5-10 hours to complete each one of the six projects. The course can be completed in six weeks, but you are welcome to take it at your own pace. You can watch a TED talk about this course by Googling "nand2tetris TED talk". *About Project-Centered Courses: Project-centered courses are designed to help you complete a personally meaningful real-world project, with your instructor and a community of learners with similar goals providing guidance and suggestions along the way. By actively applying new concepts as you learn, you’ll master the course content more efficiently; you’ll also get a head start on using the skills you gain to make positive changes in your life and career. When you complete the course, you’ll have a finished project that you’ll be proud to use and share....

Top reviews

DF

Sep 5, 2022

P​rofs Shimon Schocken and Noam Nisan are amazing instructors. This course was so fun and I have learned a huge deal about how computers work under the hood. Looking forward to taking on Part 2 now!

RD

May 23, 2021

Thanks to the instructors for bringing forth such an amazing course. The way the course is strucured makes it very interesting and easy to learn. Loved and enjoyed the course and learnt a lot from it

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276 - 300 of 1,102 Reviews for Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: From Nand to Tetris (Project-Centered Course)

By Robert S

Dec 16, 2024

This is a really exceptional course that will give the learner a great foundation for how real computers operate. If the system would allow it I'd give more than 5 stars! Thank you to the entire team that made this possible.

By Nicholas F

Aug 8, 2016

This class teaches some very important subject regarding computer hardware design and low level languages. I found it very challenging but not too challenging, except the 4th and 5th week which were very difficult to complete.

By Mariniel S G J

Aug 1, 2024

This is definitely one of the most fun courses I did online. It is challenging, but not overwhelmingly so. And it really makes you confident that you know how a computer actually works. Thank you very much for the experience!

By Casey B

May 16, 2020

Wonderful course! I'm hosting a reading group, the Los Gatos Reading Group, to go through the book chapter by chapter. I'm looking forward to the next half of the book and the planned FPGA additional material when it's ready.

By Aidan R

Jun 11, 2019

A great starting point for anyone with an interest in computer programming its easy to follow and well planned although the partner website could be a little cleaner but i found everything i needed fairly quickly. Thanks Guys

By Tudor J

Jan 21, 2022

I heard about this course from a professor at my university and it's safe to say it lived up to my expectations. I had a lot of fun doing it and it feels great to finally have at least a slight idea about how it all works.

By Tan Z

Mar 30, 2020

Rank this course five stars just after first week. Very well designed in a way that beginners can completely understand. Combined with challenging but not impossible projects. I have a great time coding HDL in this course!

By Balasubramanyam E

Jun 30, 2017

Nand2tetris is the course I was searching for, beautifully constructed and explained. The course gives an in depth knowledge of how hardware works and different layers present in it. Looking forward to the second part !!

By Jonathan w

Apr 16, 2020

I did a CS degree in 1990.

Wish I had done this course way back then. It has filled a lot of knowledge gaps.

I have enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you Noam and Shimon.

Really looking forward to the the next half of the course.

By Ramesh N

Jul 21, 2019

Something that I always wanted to do , this course allowed me to do something that I would have never been able to do otherwise . Cannot recommend it enough to the Computer science student as well as the IT professional

By Evan D

Mar 9, 2023

I was able to finish this relatively quickly. Some of the hardware design was difficult but I was able to push through. Writing the assembler ended up being the easy part (since I already am an experienced programmer).

By Avinal K

Aug 10, 2020

One of the best courses I have ever taken. They really taught what they promised. Everything is nicely designed and well versed. Since its a project-centric course, I got to make so many things. This course is awesome.

By Sai K G

May 17, 2020

I absolutely loved this course. i am indebted to Prof. Shimon Schocken and Prof. Noam Nisan for their tremendously simplistic explanation of the course that made it enjoyable. Thank you coursera for having this course.

By Shannon J

Jul 11, 2017

This is a wonderful course. It is very detailed and through. It should be required for every Computer Science major. It not only teaches computer architecture but also how a computer works in an easy to understand way.

By James H

Dec 21, 2020

So well done! Struck a good balance between keeping things simple enough that the course moves fast enough and doesn't get bogged down in details but still provides a ton of great/interesting/fun conceptual knowledge.

By Maor G

Feb 6, 2025

One of the best structured online courses I have ever taken! Everything was to the point. The web-based IDE was also great, having an entire end-to-end way to take the course without external dependencies. Thank you!

By Ecnerwal L

Nov 20, 2020

It was really hard but I had fun. I now understand how to build a computer and I think I'll stop here for the moment and learn more advanced topics about hardware.

This is one of the best introductory courses I took.

By Alexander T

Jul 30, 2016

This is a brilliant course. The information is presented in a structured and clear manner. The assignments are very interesting and really test your logical thinking.

I am looking forward to studying the second part.

By Ryan D

Jun 26, 2023

I had a great time working on the projects in this course. It's a great refresher for some things I had not thought about in awhile and some great insights into how some of the very lowest levels of a computer work.

By Eric M N

Mar 29, 2018

Amazing! All the course is completely mindblowing. You can really understand what is the computer that you use, and how it really works inside as 0s and 1s. Thank you very much, Professor Noam and Professor Shimon!

By Adam R

Nov 9, 2023

This course does an excellent job of de-mystifying the modern computer. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a bottom up approach to learning the basics of computer systems. Looking forward to beginning part 2.

By Michele R

Jul 14, 2019

Finally I have the great vision of all those courses I had to take during my bachelor and which relations between them were not always so clear. Recommended, I'm going to start the 2nd party with joy and curiosity

By Anders T

Apr 29, 2024

What an excellent course! I thoroughly enjoyed it and consumed the content and have been left hungry for more. I just started part II and from the "Cool Stuff" section on the website, found more content. Thanks!

By Vasu G

Jan 17, 2017

Really Awesome Course, loved it !!! Very thankful to the instructors for sharing their knowledge, passion, efforts and time. I learned a lot from the course and it helped clarify a lot of concepts. Thanks again.

By Diego C A

Aug 19, 2016

I have completed the course and I must say it is one of the best courses I have taken because it is very clear all the information. In addition, the development of the projects allow you to learn in a deep way.