A Gentle Introduction to Programming Using Python
MIT OpenCourseWare's 6.189 introduces programming with Python for students with little or no prior coding experience. Taught during MIT's Independent Activities Period, a compressed four-week January term, the course covers planning and organizing programs alongside Python's syntax and grammar. It is designed as preparation for 6.01 Introduction to EECS I, which assumes incoming students already know some Python, so the material is built specifically to cover the concepts that course depends on. The site provides lecture notes, assignments, and course materials free to access, following MIT's standard OpenCourseWare model with no enrollment or certificate. Suited to motivated beginners who want a structured, fast-paced first exposure to programming fundamentals rather than a leisurely survey.