Mind-Bending Number

More people enroll in Rice's first free online course than have ever graduatedfrom the university

Rice University's first Coursera class is taught by computer scientists ScottRixner, from left, Stephen Wong, Joe Warren and John Greiner. The teamdemonstrates here "Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock," the first game thatstudents will program in the class.
Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
Warren demonstrates how students will use CodeSkulptor, a new tool created atRice, to write code for fun games like "Asteroids" in his introductory computerprogramming class on the education website Coursera.
Photo courtesy of Rice University

When Rice University launched a partnership with education technology company Coursera in July, the school knew it would be extending its reach far beyond its hallowed hedges — but 54,000 students in one free online course? That seemed far-fetched.

"I feel like an astronaut on top of a rocket that's about to blast off," Joe Warren, a Rice computer scientist, said in a statement. Warren will co-instruct the massive open online course entitled An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python.

And he has reason to be overwhelmed: That's more than the 53,821 total graduate and undergraduate students that have received degrees in all of the university's 100 years.

That's more than the 53,821 total graduate and undergraduate students that have received degrees in all of the university's 100 years.

Included among the thousands of students from all over the world are dozens of Warren's family members, friends and fellow Rice faculty members, who will spend eight weeks learning the basics of programming using the easy-to-learn computer language Python.

Students will spend seven to nine hours each week writing code and working on mini-project, which include creating games like Pong, Blackjack and Asteroids. They'll be able to share those games online with family and friends.

Future Coursera offerings by Rice include Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry: Concept Development and Application, Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering and Nanotechnology: The Basics.

The programming course begins on Oct. 15 and student enrollments continue to pour in by the hundreds.

Are you interested in signing up? Find more information on the website.

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