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CS50

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CS50 (Computer Science 50) is an on-campus and online introductory course on computer science taught at Harvard University and Yale University. In 2016, CS50 became available to high school students as an AP course. The course material is available online for free on EdX with a range of certificates available for a fee. The on-campus version is Harvard's largest class with 800 students, 102 staff and up to 2,200 participants in their regular hackathons.[1][2]

After a participant has completed CS50, there are several follow on programs including CS50 Computer Science for Web Programming, CS50 Computer science for Artificial Intelligence, CS50 Computer Science for Game Development and CS50 Computer Science and Mobile Apps (archived). These programs are all available on the EdX platform.

Format

CS50 lectures are recorded and uploaded to several services including iTunes U, EdX, and YouTube. Additional video "walkthroughs" are recorded with professors and volunteer students. Course questions, called problem sets, or "psets" for short, are available in both PDF and HTML format. Students can upload problem set answers, and some questions are graded by automation. Students can also use special software to check their code in the cloud. In 2016, CS50 became the first university course to offer students the possibility to watch all lectures entirely in virtual reality.[3]

As of 2021, CS50's online version, called CS50x, teaches the programming languages C, Python, SQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It also teaches computer science concepts including arrays and data structures, and the Flask web framework.[4] 2021's version of the course also introduced three new lectures: Security, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethics.[5]

Follow up courses

CS50 offers several follow up courses, including:

  • CS50 Computer Science for Web Programming - this course offers a more in-depth look at HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as frameworks including Flask and Django.[6]
  • CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python - this course covers search algorithms, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.[7]
  • CS50's Introduction to Game Development - this course teaches the Unity and Löve 2D game engines, as well as 2D and 3D game principles.[8]
  • CS50's Mobile App Development with React Native - this course teaches the React Native application framework, as well as a more in-depth look at HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.[9]

Courses for beginners

CS50 also provides courses for people who are new to programming or who want to understand more about technology.

  • CS50's Introduction to Programming with Scratch - this course is an introduction to programming using Scratch, a visual programming language via which aspiring programmers can write code by dragging and dropping graphical blocks [10]
  • CS50's Understanding Technology - This course covers basic technology concepts, such as hardware, internet and multimedia. [11]

Notable people

The lead instructor is Harvard University professor David Malan.[12] Brian Yu[13] is also a former member of CS50 and was one of the lecturers.[14] Both Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and former Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer have given guest lectures.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ Pappano, Laura. "10 Courses With a Twist". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  2. ^ Farrell, Michael. "Computer science course fills seats, needs at Harvard". The Boston Globe.
  3. ^ Fahs, C. Ramsey (2016-08-31). "CS50 Moves Away from Traditional Lectures, Toward Virtual Reality". The Crimson.
  4. ^ "CS50x 2021". cs50.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  5. ^ "What's new for 2021? - CS50x 2021". cs50.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  6. ^ "Computer Science for Web Programming Professional Certificate". edX. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  7. ^ "Computer Science for Artificial Intelligence Professional Certificate". edX. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  8. ^ "Computer Science for Game Development Professional Certificate". edX. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  9. ^ "Computer Science and Mobile Apps Professional Certificate". edX. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  10. ^ "CS50's Introduction to Programming with Scratch". cs50.harvard.edu.
  11. ^ "CS50's Understanding Technology". cs50.harvard.edu.
  12. ^ Orbey, Eren. "How Harvard's Star Computer-Science Professor Built a Distance-Learning Empire". The New Yorker.
  13. ^ "Brian Yu's web page". brianyu.me.
  14. ^ Feldt, Brian (2014-03-11). "LaunchCode hackathon to feature global computer science educator". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  15. ^ "CS50 Guest Lecture by Mark Zuckerberg". Harvard University.
  16. ^ "CS50 Guest Lecture by Steve Ballmer". Harvard University.
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