This course is part of the Computational Thinking with JavaScript Specialization

Quintin Cutts +1 more instructor

Offered By

Computational Thinking with JavaScript SpecializationUniversity of Glasgow

About this Course

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This is the first course in a sequence of four courses that develops essential 21st century computational thinking (CT) skills using the popular JavaScript language as a vehicle.
At the end of this first course you will: know a framework for CT to help you learn about it and work with others; be developing your CT skills so that you can more easily work with digital technology of all kinds; be able to read and write programs in JavaScript that involve drawing and animation, using a specialised library; and post your creations on the web so that others can appreciate your skills.

This course is suitable for: complete beginners; those who have taken an introductory course in any programming language and want to learn more deeply about the thinking and learning skills they are starting to develop; those who wish to learn Javascript in a supportive environment.

The follow-on courses explore the manipulation and analysis of data, such an important aspect of our lives now, again in a highly supportive environment, and then we move the context to mainstream web--based platforms so that you can use these skills more widely.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 1 of 4 in the

Computational Thinking with JavaScript Specialization

Beginner Level

No prior experience is expected - the course is aimed at those with no programming experience - even those who usually uncomfortable with technology.

Approx. 33 hours to complete

English

What you will learn

A key problem solving framework to use new technologies in any problem domain.
Experience using the framework with Javascript and animated graphics.

Skills you will gain

Programming Principles
JavaScript
Computational Thinking

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 1 of 4 in the

Computational Thinking with JavaScript Specialization

Beginner Level

No prior experience is expected - the course is aimed at those with no programming experience - even those who usually uncomfortable with technology.

Approx. 33 hours to complete

English

Instructors

Quintin Cutts

Professor of Computer Science Education

School of Computing Science

659 Learners

4 Courses

Jeremy Singer

School of Computing Science

659 Learners

4 Courses

Offered by

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow has been changing the world since 1451. It is a world top 100 university (THE, QS) with one of the largest research bases in the UK.

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK Universities with annual research income of more than £179m. The University’s #TeamUofG community is truly international with over 8000 staff and 28,0000 students from more than 140 countries. A 2019 Time Out survey placed Glasgow in the top ten cities in the world. Ranked between Berlin and Paris, Glasgow was voted number one for both friendliness and affordability. Right now our dedicated community of staff, students and alumni is working to address the challenges of Covid-19 and understand how we can make life safer for everyone.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

6 hours to complete

Introductions - and starting out with CT using graphics in JavaScript

6 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 106 min), 8 readings, 5 quizzes

8 videos

Welcome to the course5mWhere does CT fit into the larger technology landscape? (first attempt)9mWhat is CT? A first look at learning CT...11mOur first task and accomplishing it by hand (need to add last slide)8mThe program for our first task, and introducing how to 'read' it using the TSTM framework11mReading the program via the M (Machine) view24mRead some programs19mDescribing repetitive activities in our programs14m

8 readings

Who am I? A little more detail about Quintin10mIntroduction to Module 15mIntroduction to the second lesson2mFind out more about Turtle graphics and Seymour Papert5mIntroducing the third lesson5mTurtle Library Reference10mIntroducing the third lesson and a bit of repetition5mEnd of Module Summary, and lead in to Module 2 and beyond30m

5 practice exercises

Check on your understanding of CT30mWhat can you remember from that task and program?8mRead a program, answer questions30mRepetition quiz30mA couple of questions to finish the module30m

Week2

Week 2

8 hours to complete

Solving problems / programming a task

8 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 35 min), 7 readings, 2 quizzes

Week3

Week 3

7 hours to complete

More complex drawings, and how to handle their descriptions

7 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 69 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz

3 videos

Breaking a large program down into manageable chunks14mDrawing the house more effectively using parameters20mIntroducing a program that uses updating variables33m

6 readings

Introducing the module, and how we handle complex process descriptions10mA great start to learning about functions10mParameterising functions10mReflecting on parameters with functions10mWhy are variables called variables?10mWe've got a long way!15m

1 practice exercise

Can you read a program that uses functions10m

Week4

Week 4

12 hours to complete

Animations - and consolidating what we've learned so far

Drawing still pictures is one thing - but the process-oriented element of programming lends itself to animation - an activity taking place over time. In this module, we'll make use of all we've learned so far to create animations. Functions will be used in a new and important way - as a so-called "callback" - which form the foundation of interactive programming as we'll see in Course 3 of the specialisation.

12 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 52 min), 5 readings, 2 quizzes

About the Computational Thinking with JavaScript Specialization

This Specialization is intended for those with minimal under-the-hood experience of working with computing who want to take the first steps towards a deep understanding of principles and practice of how to solve problems with software technology. Learners will use JavaScript within a web-based framework to generate graphics and analyse data, bringing these together in interactive web applications. Learners will acquire specific self-directed learning skills, enabling them to tackle new problem domains and technologies throughout their work and life.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
I've done a little programming already. Should I take this course?
If you are not confident with the skills you have, then this course, or rather this whole specialisation, will help cement foundational understanding and skills. Programming courses on the web often skim the surface, letting you see code and enabling you to put blocks of it together to achieve some outcome that the course designers set. But they don't necessarily help build your understanding of that code, and without it, you won't have the confidence to develop your own programs. In this course, we aim to give you the skills to properly understand the code constructs and larger fragments that we introduce, and that you will start to develop yourself. Simply getting a program working here is not the main aim - the goal is that you understand anything you create deeply, and that you are able to read and understand the creations of others, so that you can incorporate the releveant parts of their work, suitably adjusted, into your own. This is computational thinking - the ability to confidently address programming problems and come up with creative, well-crafted, solutions.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Computational Thinking with Javascript 1: Draw & Animate

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain