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CS50

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For the sailboat, see CS 50.

CS50 (Computer Science 50)[a] is an introductory course on computer science taught at Harvard University by David J. Malan. The on-campus version of the course is Harvard's largest class with 800 students, 102 staff, and up to 2,200 participants in their regular hackathons.[7][8] The course was first offered on campus in 1989,[9] and Malan has been the course's instructor since 2007.[10] Notable industry experts including Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Ballmer have given guest lectures.[11][12]

An online version of the course, CS50x, is available through the platforms edX and OpenCourseWare and follows the same curriculum as the in-person format of the course.[13][14] All CS50x course materials are free and there is no fee to complete the course, though various verified certificates are available for a fee.[15] As of 2024, CS50x teaches the languages C, Python, SQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It also teaches fundamental computer science concepts including data structures and the Flask framework.[13] New content is added to the course each year; additional lectures on cybersecurity and emoji were added for 2022.[16] Another adapted version of the course, CS50 AP, is designed for high school students and completes the required curriculum of AP Computer Science Principles.[17]

History

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CS50 was first available in 1989.[9] Michael D. Smith was the professor of the course from 2002 to 2006,[18] after which point David J. Malan has been the primary professor.[10] Margo Seltzer,[19] Brian Yu,[20] and Doug Lloyd[21] have also taught the course. Guest lecturers have included Mark Zuckerberg (2005)[11] and Steve Ballmer (2014).[12]

Yale University began offering the course in 2015, becoming the second institution to teach an official version of the course. The course was offered experimentally for three years until it was added as a permanently-available course.[22] At Yale, CS50 is based on Malan's recorded lectures, which are then supplemented by in-person class sections and office hours, all in New Haven.[23][24][25] The University of Oxford is the third university to offer the course;[24] it is available as an online course through their Department for Continuing Education.[26]

In 2016, CS50's lecture schedule changed so that students would only have to attend two in-person lectures during the semester. Instead, lectures are now primarily delivered online.[27] In 2023, an AI-powered teaching assistant was introduced to the course.[28]

Course progression

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CS32 (Computational Thinking and Problem Solving), taught by Michael D. Smith,[29] is an alternative to CS50 but does not have a free online version.[30] The next course in sequence after CS32 or CS50 is CS51: Abstraction and Design in Computation, instructed by Stuart M. Shieber with Brian Yu as co-instructor.[31] CS50 is primarily offered every fall semester, with CS51 being offered every spring semester.[32][33]

CS50x

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CS50x is a massive online open course and "one of the most popular MOOCs in the world."[34] CS50 first opened to online students in 2007,[35] but the CS50x course officially launched in 2012 as a course on edX.[36] The course content can also be taken through OpenCourseWare for those not seeking a verified certificate.[13] In its inaugural year, over 50 thousand students enrolled;[37] in the years since, it has become the largest MOOC on the edX platform.[38] In 2016, it was reported that around 700 thousand students were enrolled in CS50x.[39] In 2018, a freeCodeCamp article crowned CS50x as "the best MOOC."[40]

Format

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There are 11 weeks of material in the CS50x course. Recordings of the on-campus lectures are recorded and uploaded to multiple platforms, including YouTube, Apple TV, and Google TV (one lecture per week). Additional recommended "section" and "shorts" videos are available, as well as "walkthrough" videos within the problem sets. After each week's material, the student submits a problem set, which automatically receives a calculated grade. At the end of the course, the student must submit a final project to complete the course or receive a verified certificate.[41]

Other CS50 courses

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There are a variety of other CS50 courses available on edX and OpenCourseWare as of 2024,[42][43] including courses on Python, R, and SQL, as well as CS50 AI and CS50 Web, with focuses on artificial intelligence and web applications, respectively.

Notes

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  1. ^ Occasionally subtitled Intensive Introduction to Computer Science,[1][2] Introduction to Computer Science I,[3][4] or simply Introduction to Computer Science.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "CSCI E-50: Intensive Introduction to Computer Science". Harvard Extension School. Retrieved September 22, 2024 – via Harvard Division of Continuing Education.
  2. ^ "CSCI S-50: Intensive Introduction to Computer Science". Harvard Summer School. Retrieved September 22, 2024 – via Harvard Division of Continuing Education.
  3. ^ Malan, David J. "CMU: COMPUTER SCIENCE 50" (PDF). Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  4. ^ Bolotnikova, Marina N. (May–June 2016). "David Malan's Computer Science 50 expands to high-school classrooms". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "CS50: Introduction to Computer Science". Professional and Lifelong Learning. Harvard University. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "CS50: Introduction to Computer Science". Harvard Online. Harvard University. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  7. ^ Farrell, Michael B. (November 26, 2013). "Computer science course fills seats, needs at Harvard". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  8. ^ Pappano, Laura (April 8, 2014). "10 Courses With a Twist". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Mendez, Cordelia F. (September 18, 2014). "This Is CS50". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Mete, Thomas J. (May 31, 2024). "'CS50 Changed My Life': 25 Years After Shuttleboy, David J. Malan '99 Reflects on Path to Teaching". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Smith, Michael D. (April 4, 2014) [December 7, 2005]. "CS50 Lecture by Mark Zuckerberg". CS50. Retrieved September 22, 2024 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ a b Malan, David J. (November 13, 2014) [November 12, 2014]. "CS50 Lecture by Steve Ballmer". CS50. Retrieved September 22, 2024 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ a b c Malan, David J. "Welcome". CS50x 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Malan, David J. (March 8, 2023). "Difference Between CS50 and CS50x". CS50. Retrieved September 22, 2024 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Malan, David J. "FAQs". CS50x 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Malan, David J. "What's new for 2022?". CS50x 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Malan, David J. "Hello, world!". CS50 AP. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  18. ^ "Michael D. Smith". Harvard University. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Seltzer, Margo. "Teaching". Margo Seltzer. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  20. ^ Yu, Brian. "Teaching". Brian Yu. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Lloyd, Doug. "Doug Lloyd". Doug Lloyd. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  22. ^ Schussheim, Emily (February 23, 2018). "This is CS50: The Cult". Yale Daily News. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  23. ^ Bernhard, Meg P. (November 26, 2014). "Harvard Approves Joint Yale CS50 Venture, Malan Says". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Kukulowicz, Caitlyn C.; Yu, Andrew (September 13, 2024). "Harvard's CS50 Course to be Offered at Oxford this Fall". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  25. ^ "FAQs". CS50. Yale University. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  26. ^ "CS50: An Introduction to Computer Science". Department for Continuing Education. University of Oxford. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  27. ^ Fahs, C. Ramsey (August 31, 2016). "CS50 Moves Away from Traditional Lectures, Toward Virtual Reality". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  28. ^ Raab, Ben (September 7, 2023). "CS50 introduces AI teaching assistant". Yale Daily News. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  29. ^ Smith, Michael D. "CS 32: Computational Thinking and Problem Solving". Harvard University. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  30. ^ "Harvard CS Concentration: First-Year Exploration". Harvard University. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  31. ^ Shieber, Stuart M. "Home". Abstraction and Design in Computation. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  32. ^ "Harvard CS Concentration: Courses". Harvard University. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  33. ^ "4 Year Plan". Harvard University. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  34. ^ "CS50: Introduction to Computer Science". Digital Skills & Jobs Platform. europa.eu. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  35. ^ Thomas-Oxtoby, Sarah (June 14, 2023). "Nearly 5 million people have taken this online course—here's how it can kickstart your computer science career". Fortune. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  36. ^ Rouse, Hana N.; Worland, Justin C. (October 16, 2012). "First Day of School for Harvard Online". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  37. ^ "Harvard launches first edX courses". Harvard Magazine. November–December 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  38. ^ "David J. Malan". Harvard Extension School. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  39. ^ Bolotnikova, Marina N. (May–June 2016). "David Malan's Computer Science 50 expands to high-school classrooms". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  40. ^ Brunet, Jérémy (August 30, 2018). "And the award for the best MOOC goes to…?". freeCodeCamp. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  41. ^ Malan, David J. "Syllabus". CS50x 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  42. ^ "CS50: Computer Science Courses and Programs from Harvard". edX. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  43. ^ Malan, David J. "Courses". CS50x 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.

Further reading

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