Aspiring programmers have the choice between two levels of software engineering commissioned by the Coursera online platform and sponsored by Google.
Starting April 1, learners can choose between courses at the introductory (beginner) level or the intermediate level. When Coursera went in search of a university to provide the expertise and teach software engineering, UC San Diego was invited to create the intermediate courses. Three teaching professors in CSE -- Christine Alvarado, Mia Minnes and Leo Porter -- jointly created a series of four courses and a capstone project. The intermediate series launched in 2015, and three of the four courses will begin again on August 1. Enrollment is open in the "Java Programming: Object-Oriented Design of Data Structures" Specialization. Google has contributed real-world projects and the involvement of its engineers as guest lecturers.
If you worry about not having sufficient background for the intermediate courses, Coursera turned to Duke University to create the courses for beginners in software engineering. The official title of the Specialization is "Java Programming: An Introduction to Software." Coursera commissioned the introductory courses from computer scientists at Duke University led by professor Andrew Hilton, and Google agreed to play an advisory role as it did for the intermediate series from UC San Diego (e.g., sharing real-world insights and anecdotes as well as helping to review the capstone projects). The first three courses of the series have been in session since July 25 and run through August 28, but learners are allowed to take courses out of sequence, and on August 1, Coursera will offer the fourth course in the series, "Java Programming: Principles of Software Design."
Once a learner has finished all four introductory courses, they will be invited to complete a capstone project in Java programming. They will be expected to develop a do-it-yourself version of the Netflix and Amazon recommendation engines that have played a critical role in making both companies household names. Students will have four weeks to complete their introductory capstone, whereas intermediate students get six weeks. For the latter, the next capstone sessions begin on September 12. The capstone project for beginners is currently in session and scheduled to end on August 28.