Experienced Computer Scientists analyze and solve computational problems at a level of abstraction that is beyond that of any particular programming language. This two-part course builds on the principles that you learned in our Principles of Computing course and is designed to train students in the mathematical concepts and process of "Algorithmic Thinking", allowing them to build simpler, more efficient solutions to real-world computational problems.
Offered By
Fundamentals of Computing SpecializationRice UniversityAbout this Course
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Learner Career Outcomes
50%
started a new career after completing these courses
67%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 5 of 7 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Intermediate Level
Approx. 12 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Greek, Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Turkish, English, Spanish, Telugu
Skills you will gain
Graph TheoryAlgorithmsPython ProgrammingGraph Algorithms
Learner Career Outcomes
50%
started a new career after completing these courses
67%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 5 of 7 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Intermediate Level
Approx. 12 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Greek, Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Turkish, English, Spanish, Telugu
Offered by
Rice University
Rice University is consistently ranked among the top 20 universities in the U.S. and the top 100 in the world. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
4 hours to complete
Module 1 - Core Materials
What is Algorithmic Thinking?, class structure, graphs, brute-force algorithms
4 hours to complete
15 videos (Total 180 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
15 videos
Class structure9m
Pseudo-code 11m
The small-world problem 11m
Graphs and representation 15m
Paths and distances 8m
Brute force 11m
What Is algorithm efficiency? 9m
Measuring efficiency 12m
Efficiency of brute force distance 14m
Number of steps of brute force distance 12m
Coding styles and standards - PoC11m
Machine grading - PoC10m
Plotting data - PoC14m
Peer assessment - "We want a shrubbery!" - IIPP15m
2 readings
Class notes10m
Coding notes10m
1 practice exercise
Homework #130m
4 hours to complete
Modules 1 - Project and Application
Graph representations, plotting, analysis of citation graphs
4 hours to complete
3 readings
3 readings
Project #1 Description10m
Application #1 Description10m
Application #1 Solution10m
2 hours to complete
Module 2 - Core Materials
Asymptotic analysis, "big O" notation, pseudocode, breadth-first search
2 hours to complete
9 videos (Total 109 min)
9 videos
Orders of growth 13m
Asymptotics12m
Illustrating "Big O"11m
Illustrating BFS 16m
Queues and boundary cases 8m
Pseudocode 12m
BFS running time - loose analysis 9m
BFS running time - tighter analysis 11m
BFS-based distance distribution 12m
1 practice exercise
Homework #230m
3 hours to complete
Module 2 - Project and Application
Connected components, graph resilience, and analysis of computer networks
3 hours to complete
3 readings
3 readings
Project #2 Description10m
Application #2 Description10m
Application #2 Solution10m
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM ALGORITHMIC THINKING (PART 1)
by RQMay 29, 2016
The content is great. I enjoyed learning about graph theory. The new platform is pretty frustrating, though. The discussion boards are not as vibrant as they were before the paywall.
by OTSep 28, 2018
very educational. I've learnt not only about graph theory but also how to use matplotlib and timeit libraries. The assignments were quite challengeable but rewarding.
by MRSep 16, 2019
The class is very useful, I already see the improvement in the codes that I write. And the assignments are very well-designed and truly helpful.
by MNMar 7, 2018
This is where computer science truly starts, without the excessive preliminary math that usually scares most people away. Great course!
About the Fundamentals of Computing Specialization
This Specialization covers much of the material that first-year Computer Science students take at Rice University. Students learn sophisticated programming skills in Python from the ground up and apply these skills in building more than 20 fun projects. The Specialization concludes with a Capstone exam that allows the students to demonstrate the range of knowledge that they have acquired in the Specialization.
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