A Gentle Introduction to Programming Using Python
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this introductory programming course built for students with little or no prior coding experience. Taught during MIT's Independent Activities Period, a special four-week January term, the course covers Python grammar alongside the broader skills of planning and organizing a program before writing it. Lectures are interactive, mixing short talks with in-class exercises supported by course staff, so the material assumes active practice rather than passive viewing. Materials on OCW typically include lecture slides, assignments, and sometimes exams, published under MIT's open license for free use. The course suits complete beginners who want a structured, staff-supported first exposure to programming rather than a sprawling computer science curriculum, focusing tightly on the fundamentals needed to read and write basic Python programs.