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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) by University of Michigan

4.8
stars
226,302 ratings

About the Course

This course aims to teach everyone the basics of programming computers using Python. We cover the basics of how one constructs a program from a series of simple instructions in Python. The course has no pre-requisites and avoids all but the simplest mathematics. Anyone with moderate computer experience should be able to master the materials in this course. This course will cover Chapters 1-5 of the textbook “Python for Everybody”. Once a student completes this course, they will be ready to take more advanced programming courses. This course covers Python 3....
Highlights
High quality instructor

(1484 Reviews)

Introductory course

(4203 Reviews)

Top reviews

DM

Sep 7, 2019

Great course! I always thought of programming as a too-difficult-and-complex thing for me; now I want to learn more. Thank you Dr Charles Severance for explaining everything in such an affordable way.

SV

Sep 8, 2020

Course was very intresting and interactive. And also looking forward to start python data structure course. Charles sir was teaching perfectly and his lecture content was also very helpful.Thank you!!

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276 - 300 of 10,000 Reviews for Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)

By Dan-Alexandru A

Feb 17, 2020

This is a great introduction to Python. Everything is taken step by step and the Python-specific topics are very clearly explained. I found that valuable. However, I would say that this course is not really for everybody, but for those with absolutely no experience in coding in any other language. Prof. Severance takes a lot of time to explain fundamental concepts which are virtually the same regardless of the language one is using. I studied C++ during my highschool years, more than 12 years ago. Moreover, I have used Matlab quite extensively as well as a bit of VBA during my BSc and MSc (more than 7 years ago) and a little bit of both during my work years. In that respect, the time Prof. Severance takes to explain the mechanics of the algorithms was a bit of a waste. Maybe the book would be the better option for those who can move through the material faster.Overall: very clear, very well structured, a bit too slow.

By Raffaele L

May 9, 2022

For someone who is new to python and has no experience with computer programming, this course has been an excellent introduction to coding with python. I highly recommend taking this course, especially if you are like myself and come from a non-computer science major/background. It was very interesting and I was able to learn at my own pace, contrasting the experience with traditional college or universities; this really allowed me to grasp the concepts and learn them for the sake of learning them rather than for fear of negatively impacting my GPA. Dr. Charles Severance is a fantastic professor, and his teaching style is far better than most of the professors that I have had during my time at University; he actually seems to care about your success and whether you learn the content rather than treating you as a number like most university profs do. I highly recommend this class. You will not regret it.

By Kainka

Mar 6, 2017

It's a great introduction to programming and Python 2 specifically. The way Dr. Chuck explains every step proving it's all doable is very encouraging for those of us who may think that programming is far beyond their competences. It's also a very good course for those who either had learned some Python elsewhere, or know other programming language as it organizes everything in a comprehensive manner so it all does make a lot of sense :) Dr. Chuck provides a free book "Python for Informatics" which is a very good reference of the key Python things with real case scenarios targeted at exploring information that anyone of us an use rather than sorting and other algorithms which are more suitable for computer science students. This course covers chapters 1-5 of this book so it's more of getting started with Python while the following courses continue with the next chapters when things are getting very exciting.

By Anish A

Apr 9, 2020

I had started this course because I had no knowledge regarding Python, even though I had knowledge of other languages like C, C++, Java, C# & Swift. Coming from someone who has had a decent amount of programming knowledge, I must say that Dr. Chuck is one of the best instructors I've come across and his courses are well paced, informative & not overwhelming. The quizzes & the assignments in his courses are both doable by anyone who is just starting out and through his style of teaching I must say that anyone, literally anyone with no knowledge of programming or computer science can get into this field.

In conclusion, if you are someone looking for a Python course which is simple yet dives into the depths without the fear of overwhelming you with lots of lessons, I suggest you take this course, and you will find yourself gaining more knowledge at a much rapid rate through Dr. Chuck than any other instructor.

By Talha N

Aug 5, 2023

The Python course I undertook on Coursera was exceptional! It provided a comprehensive and well-structured curriculum, catering to learners of all levels. The instructors were engaging, knowledgeable, and adept at explaining complex concepts with clarity. The interactive exercises and projects allowed for practical application and boosted my coding skills significantly. The course content covered essential Python libraries, data manipulation, and problem-solving techniques, preparing me for real-world challenges. The peer-reviewed assignments fostered a sense of community and encouraged collaborative learning. The feedback from peers and instructors was invaluable in refining my coding style. Overall, this Python course surpassed my expectations, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to master Python programming for a successful career in software development, data analysis, or machine learning.

By S k

Jul 2, 2023

I recently completed the Python Programming course on Coursera and obtained the online certificate of completion. Overall, I found the course to be an excellent resource for learning Python and developing practical programming skills. One of the highlights of the course was the emphasis on hands-on practice. After each concept was introduced, there were ample opportunities to apply the knowledge through coding exercises, Upon successfully completing the course, I received a certificate of completion from Coursera. The certificate is a valuable credential that can be shared on professional platforms like LinkedIn to showcase my proficiency in Python programming. It serves as a testament to the skills acquired during the course and can be beneficial for career advancement or further education.

THANKU so much COURSERA

By Jade T

Nov 3, 2015

I'd been intimidated by python for awhile, despite having experience in other programming languages. This was a really good introduction for a beginner and made digesting the blocks incredibly easy. Another great benefit of the course is the extensive media through which you can access the information for the course. Video, the textbook and even podcasts (which I have listened to on bike rides); Dr. Severance clearly wants to make the information as accessible as possible. Additionally, Dr. Severance is incredibly personable and funny. I would love to have him as a professor.

My one complaint with the course would be that it moves really slow if you already have any coding experience. To give you an idea, I have a background in R and got through this course in 2 days. Either way, I'm on to the next course in the series and will continue on with the rest of them.

Thank you, Dr. Severance!

By Muhammad A B

Sep 29, 2017

This is the first online course in which I've enrolled. Before stepping my feet into COURSEA's course (Programming for Everybody) I tried my level best to learn Python but never went beyond "if/elif/else" but after taking this course though I'm in the middle of it but I can proudly say that I've crossed my previous milestone & a new horizon has rose in front of me. InshAllah I will go beyond that horizon.

I am a bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Studies in English Language (HONS)) holder but this is the best thing that ever happened to me in my whole 16 years of education career.

Thanks COURSERA for providing such a marvelous opportunity and courses along with perfectly modified course outlines and study related content to students who previously never got exposed to what they want to learn on COURSERA. This is such a wonderful platform for every beginner.

Thanks COURSERA, I owe you.

By Muktai K B

Oct 2, 2016

It was my first programming experience in my life!! I would like to honestly mention here that I had some doubts and insecurities about overall difficulty level and few other things of the " Learning Programming Languages" and whether I would be able to do it successfully or not sort of things. But I m very glad to state that this course really helped me a lot to get over this fear and to obtain an excellent grade. It guided me even how one should think while learning a programming language. Dr. Severance was more than helpful and kind to guide us during this whole learning process. I believe he has successfully understood the mindset of newbies and is encouraging. Overall, I feel very positive and I am going join next Course as well.

Thank you Coursera for all the facilities and thank you very very much Dr. Charles Severance for conducting this great course. Good luck!!

Mukta

By Myra R

Jan 15, 2021

I would like to be able to learn and obtain a list of all operators to develop skills in setting up an argument, for different applications. All in all, this was a great first experience. I wish there was more emphasis on the operators and how to use them through example, and emphases on opening statements and closing statements because learning indentations follow, and the book with an answer key would have helped. A student needs to develop the skill in seeing how these things work first and develop their own instead of creating a code from scratch... just my opinion based on the degree of difficulty I encountered in this course. Great job and thank you for allowing underserved students and professionals afford education through Coursera. Very grateful for this class, the instructor Mr. Severance, UM and Coursera for making learning during this pandemic possible.

By Benjamin S

May 14, 2020

I am a Junior pursuing a computer science degree at another university, but I figured I wouldn't be doing much Python in my degree and I wanted to use my skills to pursue a personal interest in data science. I found this first course to be a fantastic introduction to Python and a solid overview of Python specific syntax and 'quirks' (such as the emphasis on indentation), which is primarily the knowledge I was lacking as opposed to general programming concepts, which I was very familiar with. I can imagine that this course is extremely valuable for beginners, because the professor does a wonderful job of explaining some rather abstract programming concepts in an accessible, structured, and clear way. I also think he hints how certain practices are good coding habits and help with clarity and conciseness of code, which I also think is extremely useful for beginners.

By Debashish B

Aug 11, 2020

This course is a steppingstone of my interest in a programming language. Personally, I am not a fan of any programming languages. However, after browsing through many reviews, I thought to give it a try. Guess what! I was not disappointed. The course material is well organized, and I felt the instructor of this course is very knowledgeable. He has an immense idea about the struggle a student may face while learning this course. He literally making this course accessible for everyone. Generally, other online courses, instructors expect a student to have a prior background on the topics they are going to teach, which is not always the case. Sometimes, the course materials are difficult to understand as well. This course can be a perfect example for other online courses on how to present effectively a relatively difficult topic to the beginner students. Great job!

By Беха Т

Jul 24, 2019

I really enjoyed the course and found programming very exciting. The particularly exciting part was when I was able to apply what I learned, for example, I played around making programs to execute some physics formulas when some unknowns are inputted (I wish I had this knowledge last year my physics lab reports demanding the same calculations to be made repetitively would be considerably less time consuming).

It was relatively easy to complete the course not only because it's a beginner's course but also because it is thoroughly explained making it easy to follow so I didn't have moments when I was stuck in trying to understand something. Also, the python playground tasks were very helpful and I wish there were more of those. Since those tasks forced me to truly engage with python and learn how to use it. Regardless, I think the course deserves 5 stars.

By mit r

Jan 9, 2016

This is something really great and I appreciate all the efforts of the creators of that course, especially Dr. Charles Severance, who has an amazing ability of imparting his knowledge in a very colourful and enjoyable way, while fully substantively and clearly.

This is my first ever on-line course, and if the remaining parts are conducted in similar way, I am more than impatient to start it immediately. It is a pity, it is 3:54 AM... :)

And one more thing - this course as well as the book is indeed for the very beginners however with some ability of logical thinking (if you are not such a very beginner it will take just couple of days to finish it, as it was in my case).

So listen carefully what Dr. Chuck is saying, read the book, take look at the slides, and other available stuff and don't hesitate to start and don't give up if something goes wrong.

By noor

Jan 4, 2017

Awesome Class! I'm currently studying mechanical engineering but I want to work in more of a mechatronics position when I graduate so I decided to take this course as an introduction to programming. I am completely new to this area of study (before this course, the most "programming" I've done is in excel). As a novice, I like how easy the course was to follow. Other courses I have taken were too overwhelming - too much information was thrown at us at once. This course assumes you have no working knowledge of the subject and appropriately exposes you to the basics. I also loved the book; it was such an easy read. Sometimes not enough information was given in the chapter so you will need to look up supplemental material but all this is provided with the course. Dr. Chuck keeps the classes fun and interesting. You can tell he loves what he does.

By Jennifer B

Oct 1, 2020

I'm a complete beginner at Python, (32 year old medical doctor) and I had lots of recommendations about how to learn and what courses. It is really hard to decide. I did take advantage of a free week of Dataquest but I have come back to Coursera and am now paying for the course. Some other platforms might look shiny but they build too quickly, if you are completely new at programming it really needs to be this simple because it's a hard skill to learn, and I also think the order of the lessons makes the most sense. Having the videos and the book is really helpful. I'm not planning on a career change, this is just for fun (although I also do medical research so I hope I will use it for that), so we'll see how far I get but I really hope "Dr Chuck" is proud of creating this. I'll be recommending it as the Python beginner course of choice.

By Thomas I

Jan 14, 2021

Fo someone whose last programming course was in 9th grade over half a century I found this to be a good intro course. It starts off easy and gradually becomes more complex. I found the last couple of assignments to be challenging but rewarding. If you find yourself stuck, looking over other students questions and responses to them from the tutors will reassure you that you're not alone, and may provide clues as to whether you are on the right track, and of course, it always help to read and refer to the book which is freely available online. I found "Dr. Chuck" to be an encouraging and engaging presence, who communicates enough of the material in his videos to give you a beginner's confidence but to complete the last couple of assignments, unless you have a natural gift for thinking like a programmer, it may helps to refer to the book.

By Siva L K N

May 2, 2019

It is a very nice course, easy to understand the basics and the logic of programming as well. I really liked the way the course is structured, it is easy for even those who are new to programming.

The course material is good and so are the lectures. I am postdoc in Cancer biology and I deal with a lot of Next gen. sequencing data. We collaborate with a group of Bioinformaticians but, it often takes ages to get the data analyzed. Another problem is that most of them are programmers or biostatisticians who do not understand the biology. So, I was looking for a course which will help me learn Python (the programming language used for Bio-data analysis) where being a biologist will give me an advantage and also save time.

This course was just perfect.

Thank you Team Py4e and especially to Prof. Severence

Best regards

Dr. Lahiri Kanth Nanduri

By Syed K

Dec 31, 2020

I enrolled in this course and completed the course. It is especially useful course for 21st century learners. The course contents, format and lecture delivery style are practical, concise, and clear. Anyone with basic English language, basic math (4 operators only = /, *, +, -) and basic computer skills can learn, enjoy, and successfully complete this course. By the way, Python itself is amazingly easy to learn/code programming language and at the same time it is powerful programming language. The course participants use to ask highly informative & useful questions on the forum and Dr. Charles’s teaching assistant Mr. Mihaela Mack use to provide timely supports and guidance. Dr. Charles, his teams & Coursera teams have made learning Python programming skills very modular and easy to understand, learn & code. Thanks a lot, everybody.

By rmlarocca@hotmail.com

Aug 3, 2023

This course is great. Take it.

I took it to determine whether or not I had the aptitude to continue on and enroll in a boot camp for Software Developers. I decided yes and just completed my boot camp with honors.

Professor "Snape" Severance is a great instructor for my style of learning and I found it to be well put together incorporating good instruction, course materials, practice, and hands-on application with the opportunity to really program and make things "work" or fail and be able to understand why and correct your mistakes by the included tutorials and instruction.

It does start off a little quickly and you may not understand exactly how to install everything right off the git go but just pause and google it if needed, Stack Overflow is a good result to go read or reach out for help here in the forums if anyone is around.

By Hao L

Jul 4, 2020

y4e is a great introductory level course and you will learn Python programming from scratch. This course not only opened the gate of Python programming for me but also enhanced my understanding of programming in general. I love the virtual face-to-face way that Coursera presents the course. The classroom-style learning environment they created, even if it is virtual, helps you concentrate better on the lecture and materials and be more efficient along the way of your learning. I really enjoy the way Dr. Chuck conveys the course content to the audiences. Dr. Chuck truly knows how to teach - he utilizes some unique teaching techniques and skills to make everything in the course content impressively easy to understand. This is a great course for beginners. I would recommend it to all my friends who are eager to learn Python.

By Abhishek

Jul 18, 2018

I really liked this course by prof. Charles Severence. He is really good at teaching. He uses humour to teach ya which is a good thing because u can study for hours without getting bored. The course needs a little introduction to any other programming language like C++ or C to learn this because what u gonna learn is new language which not many people know, it is new and quite complex than other languages(I mean programming languages XD). So, u need a base in which u r good enough to relate python to and understand the difference and complexity of python. In all, this is a very good course which u can take to become a pro in python. ADVICE:: Take python for everybody course only if u r a newbie to programming but in any case, if think that u know basics of any other programming language take the specialization one. TNX

By Christian S B

Dec 10, 2017

I have been self teaching myself programming for many years. But I have never really specialized in anything. It's always been a little knowledge here and there for various languages. The problem was that after time I would forget some important syntax for each of those languages. So I decided that I wanted to, for lack of a better word, "master" a language, and I decided on Python.

This course did very well at going over the basics, I thought I would blow through this first course and learn nothing since I have been programming for years, but it was wrong. Although I did blow through the course in a couple of days. The instructor

Charles Severance's way of explaining things has made me view the code differently, and has helped me write more efficiently as a result. I can't wait to get into the more advanced classes.

By Steve T

Dec 24, 2019

Excellent introduction to Python for me--someone with limited prior coding experience, but strong Excel and math backgrounds. I enjoyed the core and optional lectures and found them to provide excellent instruction on using Python. I would have liked more assignments which would help to reinforce the instruction and get the syntax locked in. I will probably try to find separate sources for getting the additional practice I need to achieve these objectives.

As a side note, one-third of my total course time was spent trying to figure out how to get atom to recognize Python. Evidently, it is a path issue which can be solved with defining a path with some code I don't understand or by checking a path box when you load Python. I figured out the latter and reloaded Python, but it was a lot of time spent on this issue.

By Putri P

Feb 5, 2017

Hello Professor!

Just wanted you to know that this course have helped me gain more confident as I am drop-out student who still struggles to compete with peers who has higher degree. Although I am blessed to obtain trust from the management to head a team in a multinational company, my insecurity sometimes does comes out and I still always feel people doubt my knowledge.

I have been wanting to learn to code for a very long time, but I always too scared to get started as a lot of programmers seems super smart and I thought I will never be like them. The way you introduce the course and all materials are entertaining & easy to digest/understand. Your lesson destroyed my belief that programming is scary.

I will continue this lesson as a challenge for myself and to prove myself that I can also program. Thank you again!