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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Computational Thinking for Problem Solving by University of Pennsylvania

4.7
stars
1,407 ratings

About the Course

Computational thinking is the process of approaching a problem in a systematic manner and creating and expressing a solution such that it can be carried out by a computer. But you don't need to be a computer scientist to think like a computer scientist! In fact, we encourage students from any field of study to take this course. Many quantitative and data-centric problems can be solved using computational thinking and an understanding of computational thinking will give you a foundation for solving problems that have real-world, social impact. In this course, you will learn about the pillars of computational thinking, how computer scientists develop and analyze algorithms, and how solutions can be realized on a computer using the Python programming language. By the end of the course, you will be able to develop an algorithm and express it to the computer by writing a simple Python program. This course will introduce you to people from diverse professions who use computational thinking to solve problems. You will engage with a unique community of analytical thinkers and be encouraged to consider how you can make a positive social impact through computational thinking....

Top reviews

AK

Dec 14, 2022

I recommend this course to everyone who wants to learn about Computation Thinking in an effortless manner. I am delighted with this course. Thanks to UPenn and Coursera for giving me this opportunity.

AW

Feb 4, 2019

The course is very well-designed and it helped me develop understand how to apply computational thinking in solving various types of problems as well as acquire basic skills of programming in Python.

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51 - 75 of 461 Reviews for Computational Thinking for Problem Solving

By Kiet L A

•

Nov 12, 2024

I learnt a lot. Thanks

By Steven N

•

Jul 13, 2024

Excellent course

By Kevin C

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Dec 15, 2023

Very Good!

By Shaun K

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Dec 10, 2023

AMAZING!!!

By Mou B

•

Sep 3, 2024

Good

By Henry C

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Aug 31, 2019

Enjoyed the learning and the structure of the course. Felt like I got a good introduction to Python. Learned a bunch about algorithms. I marked a star off because the online grading sometimes was vague. Additionally, it took a while to get feedback. I had a bit of programming experience, so I didn't have a huge challenge, but I can imagine if you are totally new, the assignments are really hard. It would be difficult to get the help and feedback that you need on their online forum system.

By Matthew M

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Aug 9, 2019

the auto-grader for programming assignments can be a bit unforgiving at times, but the course is challenging and thorough for a month-long course. Would recommend. To improve experience with the auto grader some more hints in the assignment page could help, for example offering some explanation of the return function before, rather than after, a quiz that required its use.

By Arjun M

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Jan 22, 2023

Videos are well explained yet in certain assignments some stuff may not have been explained. Overall a great course that I would suggest for those who have dabbled in python already. But if you are new, I would suggest you to get ready cause this course will make you work!

By Patrick D G

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Feb 21, 2023

Course fundamentals were great. The Python work wasn't too hard, but I did find the final assignment frustratingly unclear (which is ironic given that it's threaded throughout the course). Problem sets need to be refined for clarity, but good ideas.

By Joseph R

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Jun 28, 2019

The course is great. I learned a lot. The support for the course is SUPER slow. It's hard to get any direct help for any questions or issues that you are having. Beware of assignment 4.7!

By Marco T

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Aug 6, 2024

Sehr guter und interessanter Kurs. Ohne eine Programmierungsausbildung oder -erfahrung ist insbesondere das Modul 4 Python sehr sehr anspruchsvoll ;-)

By Tomas L

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May 25, 2019

Great! I learned the value of planning before coding. However, I would like this course to be more challenging.

By Renée F

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Mar 8, 2019

could benefit from more active assistance with assignments, especially section 4

By Fehmi H

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Nov 2, 2024

4 bölümde verilen örnekler ile ödevde istenen arasında çok büyük fark var.

By LUO Z

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Apr 25, 2020

The content is good. But it's hard to get feedback from TA.

By Atharva P

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Dec 22, 2023

very good!!!!!! I learned a lot from this course...

By Yash S

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Dec 6, 2023

Good

By Anna C

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Jun 10, 2020

This was definitely a very frustrating course. Most, if not all, assignments were not built on the video lectures. The phrasing of questions and instructions were confusing at times. I think the most frustrating thing of all was the time it took me to google all the "knowledge" that were necessary to complete the assignments, because they were not taught in the course at all. This was an introductory course to see if I would like the Master's degree that they are offering, but after this course, I don't think I would enjoy it. I think it is a good course, but there is definitely room for improvement.

By Brian P

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Jan 14, 2021

Very valuable information in this course. The first 3 weeks were instructional and pretty easy going. Once the Python section hits in week 4, it gets a lot more difficult. Don't expect help from Discussion Boards or Teacher's Assistance; they won't respond for at least a week. As with other reviewers on here, I spent hours on the last few assignments in week 4, sometimes searching online forums and seeking help elsewhere.

By Arav V

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Aug 19, 2020

week 4 is impossible to complete with the knowledge they provide.The first three weeks were nice

By Katie G K

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Aug 10, 2020

The last week of coding projects were well above what was taught in the course. The other weeks answers to the quizzes and projects could be understood through watching videos provided. The coding projects required more research outside of the class and I also needed two different tutors. I would not recommend this course or any other course through university of Penn solely based on this experience. I did reach out to a TA and received a response within 12 hours.

By Sergio I

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Apr 10, 2020

Very difficult, especially the last module. I'm sorry but I don't agree with the expectations provided by the presentation of the course. It is difficult to get support and you feel easily lost. I don't recommend taking this course unless people are very proficient in computer science and / or Python.

Thank you.

By HarshaVardhan P

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May 23, 2019

please go with more technical and logical thinking.

By Jim C

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Nov 19, 2018

The instruction -- as well as production quality -- of the course was outstanding, the course was very well paced and laid out, with each new week building upon learned concepts from the previous. I had done some online tutorials in various coding languages in the past, but this course is different in that it devotes the majority of the time to really break down a problem and think about it -- computationally -- before writing a single line of code. This made the final portion of the course, implementing the solution in Python, so much more rewarding, enjoyable and fun. It all came together and I just felt so satisfied seeing the results.

The instructors (Chris Murphy and Susan Davidson) did a truly outstanding job explaining each concept and walking through examples to reinforce -- and both even threw in some humor for good measure, which helped to soften a very scientific and stereotyped field.

This course was a great intro for those questioning whether or not they are truly interested in Comp Sci, as it makes you take a simple everyday problem and think about it in a computational way. There are thousands of coding tutorials online but I would highly recommend taking this course first as it acts as almost a primer to getting your thought process in the right mindset before even looking at a programming language.

By K. G

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Nov 7, 2020

Dr. Davidson and Dr. Murphy provide an excellent introductory course on how to think like a computer scientist. The course was perfect for me as I am looking to change careers from natural scientist to computer scientist. As I have some computer science background, part of the course was a refresher, but it was never boring or patronizing. The course is highly organized and grading is either peer-based or automatic. The discussion forums as well as staff-produced hints were very helpful. I highly recommend Computational Thinking for Problem Solving for anyone who is looking at moving into the computer science field, or just wants to be able to use computer science principles when approaching problems in their own field.