New MIT course: Introduction to computational thinking for real-world problems

We’re happy to announce a new course on Computational Thinking with Julia, co-taught by
Alan Edelman, Grant Sanderson (of 3Blue1Brown), James Schloss and myself:

The first video lectures are are now up on YouTube at

Please feel free to follow along between 2:30-3:30pm EDT (i.e. in 25 minutes from when this is posted), when we will be answering questions live on Discord:

or view the videos later on.

There will also be live lectures on Thursdays from 2:30 to 3pm EDT.

60 Likes

Is there a syllabus that is publicly available?

1 Like

:+1: for introducing Pluto in teaching

8 Likes

There’s no syllabus available yet.
The modules will be

  • Analysing images / data
  • Ray tracing
  • Epidemic propagation
  • Climate modelling
4 Likes

This class has had fantastic online reception, with many of 3blue1brown followers following it.

The class does have a website now: https://mitmath.github.io/18S191/Fall20/

Yesterday’s convolutions lecture that was streamed live has over 40k views by now. I am so glad this class took off. To me, it is a unique blend of Grant’s teaching style with Alan and David’s computational thinking. I have no doubt the class itself is evolving.
https://mitmath.github.io/18S191/Fall20/lecture2/

The class discord channel has over 600 students.

While many people have told me that they wished they had materials of this quality as they were learning scientific computing, others have told me that the Pluto experience is the highlight for them!

-viral

16 Likes

I’ve got to admit, seeing 3blue1brown in a video makes me very likely to want to watch it.

So glad to see he’s discovered Julia!

8 Likes

I have been following also. Great course and thankyou to the lecturers. Philip included.
The use of Pluto is quite simply amazing. For a project which is 7 months old this is a great achievement @fonsp

9 Likes

It seems the Discord invitation is invalid. Any idea?

1 Like

Whoa…David Sanders, Alan Edelman, Grant Sanderson, and James Schloss all teaching a course together. If I were trying to put together an intellectual version of the Harlem Globe Trotters, these folks would definitely be on the list. As it stands, it’s like the Julia version of The Fantastic Four. Get Chris Rackauckas involved and you will have the intellectual equivalent to Marvel’s The Avengers.

Thanks for putting this together - I will thoroughly enjoy the material :slightly_smiling_face:

5 Likes

Dooes Discord work?

1 Like

Yes it does.
Thank You.

The Discord link on 18.S191 Introduction to Computational Thinking is still invalid. Some people in the comments section on youtube pointed this out as well.

OK fixed, thanks.

Issues should be reported on the GitHub page:
https://github.com/mitmath/18S191

3 Likes

The use of Pluto in the Convolutions lecture is stunning.
We are working with a cat image. Grant Sanderson changes to a zebra image at the top of the workbook and then due to the reactive nature of Pluto everything changes.
It’s like Harry Potter waving a magic wand.

6 Likes

If you watch Harry Potter with a loose interpretation then it’s a documentary about programmers :eyes:

3 Likes

Any news about further runs of this course ? (I know it is still available as “archived” course, but it’s not the same…)