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Back to Programming Languages, Part A

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Programming Languages, Part A by University of Washington

4.9
stars
1,883 ratings

About the Course

This course is an introduction to the basic concepts of programming languages, with a strong emphasis on functional programming. The course uses the languages ML, Racket, and Ruby as vehicles for teaching the concepts, but the real intent is to teach enough about how any language “fits together” to make you more effective programming in any language -- and in learning new ones. This course is neither particularly theoretical nor just about programming specifics -- it will give you a framework for understanding how to use language constructs effectively and how to design correct and elegant programs. By using different languages, you will learn to think more deeply than in terms of the particular syntax of one language. The emphasis on functional programming is essential for learning how to write robust, reusable, composable, and elegant programs. Indeed, many of the most important ideas in modern languages have their roots in functional programming. Get ready to learn a fresh and beautiful way to look at software and how to have fun building it. The course assumes some prior experience with programming, as described in more detail in the first module. The course is divided into three Coursera courses: Part A, Part B, and Part C. As explained in more detail in the first module of Part A, the overall course is a substantial amount of challenging material, so the three-part format provides two intermediate milestones and opportunities for a pause before continuing. The three parts are designed to be completed in order and set up to motivate you to continue through to the end of Part C. The three parts are not quite equal in length: Part A is almost as substantial as Part B and Part C combined. Week 1 of Part A has a more detailed list of topics for all three parts of the course, but it is expected that most course participants will not (yet!) know what all these topics mean....

Top reviews

YZ

Dec 3, 2016

I'm just a beginner for CS or SE classes, and find this course really concise and challenging. It opens a door for me to get deeper into programming language. No wonder it got so high average score.

JF

Mar 15, 2023

Excellent course and teacher. I love that all of it was 100% accessible for free, and that it was both fun and challenging, yet very doable for most people who do their work and had prior experience.

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276 - 300 of 549 Reviews for Programming Languages, Part A

By Liao T

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Jun 26, 2018

Great content for programming language, but too many videos seem to be overwhelming.

By Marcelo d S

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Sep 17, 2016

Excellent course on programming language: functions, recursion, currying, closure...

By Mariia R

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Dec 12, 2017

Amazing course! It opened my eyes for what all this things in code are really mean.

By Michael S

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Oct 22, 2023

challenging and rewarding programming assignments along with an amazing instructor

By Gabriel D

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Nov 17, 2019

I've enjoyed it a lot. Dan explanations and examples are very clear and intuitive.

By Sergei I

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Mar 23, 2017

Awesome course! The thing you need if you want to know the functional programming!

By Wang Y

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Oct 25, 2020

Loving the course. Dan's passion is a main driving force to study the material :)

By Yanek K

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Apr 2, 2022

Great Course. A little more difficult towards the end but that's to be expected.

By Gao P

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Jul 26, 2017

函数式编程语言非常好的入门课程，project难度适中，老师的讲解清晰。推荐先把课程Notes看一遍，尝试敲一遍Notes中的代码，然后看课程视频，会收获颇丰。

By Kevin Z

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Aug 16, 2018

amazing course and excellent lecture! Very impressive about explanation on SML.

By Li D

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Aug 25, 2016

This is the first time I'm exposed to functional programming and it is amazing.

By Renato P

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Apr 11, 2021

Dan Grossman is a great teacher, and his passion for the subject really shows.

By Eduardo M

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Jul 31, 2017

Lots of fun involved. The professor is great and the homework was challenging.

By Hayden S

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Dec 8, 2023

Wonderfully-structured class, the assignments and exams are well-thought-out.

By Nick

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Sep 10, 2020

Dan Grossman is a phenomenal instructor. I wish he could teach me everything

By ِAhmed M

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May 30, 2023

Fantastic course

It's a worthy course with many good concepts in programming

By Xavier

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May 4, 2020

Great explanation and material. The professor is dynamic and clear. Thanks!

By Pavel I

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Sep 3, 2016

Excellent instructor and course material. One of the best Coursera classes.

By Shreck Y

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Jan 8, 2021

Excellent course that introduced me to the field of programming languages.

By Rafi R

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Jan 31, 2023

Incredible course, deepened my understanding of programming considerably!

By Jorge M H

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Mar 8, 2021

Rigorous explanations and interesting content. Dan is a great instructor!

By Morton L

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Mar 16, 2020

Great course to learn general concepts and idiom in programming language.

By StrengthJ

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May 17, 2018

for me , its really useful and helpful both in programming and in English

By Alex O

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Nov 30, 2020

Easily one of the best courses available on coursera. Highly recommend

By Ralf H

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Nov 10, 2020

Awesome don (called Dan), great material and contents, very good plus!