Harvard University is offering a free online course titled "Introduction to Programming with Scratch" that anyone can join. This self-paced course is part of Harvard's extensive range of free online programs, which include topics such as computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, and more.
Interested learners can access these courses through Harvard's Professional and Lifelong Learning website at pll.harvard.edu.
According to the official description: "An introduction to programming using Scratch, a visual programming language through which aspiring programmers can write code by dragging and dropping graphical blocks (resembling puzzle pieces) instead of typing text. Used at the start of Harvard College's introductory course in computer science, CS50, Scratch was designed at MIT's Media Lab, empowering students with no prior programming experience to create animations, games, interactive art, and stories."
The duration of the course is three weeks.
This beginner-friendly course introduces programming concepts through Scratch, a visual programming language developed at MIT. By dragging and dropping code blocks, learners can design animations, games, and interactive stories. The course covers essential programming concepts such as functions, loops, variables, and conditions, while providing a foundation for learning traditional programming languages like Python and Java.
Harvard University also offers over 100 free online courses in diverse fields such as Python programming, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and databases, providing learners with opportunities to develop new skills and advance their knowledge. Among these offerings, Introduction to Cybersecurity is a five-week CS50 course designed for both technical and non-technical audiences, focusing on protecting data, devices, and systems from threats while exploring cybersecurity as a balance between risks, costs, and usability. Another standout course is Introduction to Computer Science, an 11-week program that builds a strong foundation in computer science and programming, covering topics like algorithms, data structures, software engineering, security, and web development.
Additionally, Harvard offers a course titled Managing Happiness, which combines research from social science, positive psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy to guide participants in creating a more meaningful and joyful life.