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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Algorithms, Part I by Princeton University

4.9
stars
11,124 ratings

About the Course

This course covers the essential information that every serious programmer needs to know about algorithms and data structures, with emphasis on applications and scientific performance analysis of Java implementations. Part I covers elementary data structures, sorting, and searching algorithms. Part II focuses on graph- and string-processing algorithms. All the features of this course are available for free. It does not offer a certificate upon completion....

Top reviews

RM

May 31, 2017

This is a great class. I learned / re-learned a ton. The assignments were challenge and left a definite feel of accomplishment. The programming environment and automated grading system were excellent.

CS

Oct 26, 2021

Incredible learning experience. Every programmer in industry should take this course if only to dispel the idea that with the advent of cloud computing exponential algorithms can still ruin your day!

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51 - 75 of 2,227 Reviews for Algorithms, Part I

By Raphael U

Dec 30, 2020

This was a very challenging course! Truly exceptional videos by Robert Sedgewick. As for the assignments, fight the urge to give up. The typical assignment for me went like this. First, "I have no idea of how to even begin!". Second, "I actually got something!". These first two are repeated several times as different parts of the problem are solved. Third, "It works!", followed by a quick, "FAILED!" given by the auto grader, followed after a long, long time, by success. Bottom line is that the huge amount of frustration will eventually lead to a much greater sense of euphoria at finally solving the problems.

By Hongkai Y

May 28, 2020

This is a great course! I am not a CS student and have never learned algorithms before, yet after finishing this course I feel I have a very good command of the algorithms. The professor explains the complicated algorithms in a very clear and intriguing way. What I found particularly helpful about the course content are the visual demos of the algorithms and the weekly assignments. The demos make me grasp the idea of the algorithms intuitively and the assignments improve my practical ability. You won't be regretful if you taking this course! (and the course is COMPLETELY FREE!)

By Henry L

Aug 28, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed this course and learned a lot about algorithms and data structures. Before taking this course, I found algorithms to be a very dry topic but somehow this course made it very interesting. The lectures covered a lot of real-world applications, which gave insights into some of the things which happen 'under-the-hood' of computers and databases. The 'war stories' were particularly entertaining. The assignments were at the right difficulty level (although there was the initial hurdle of learning Java from scratch).

By Ajinkya V

Jul 4, 2020

Pretty dope course. A lot of knowledge about DS and Algorithms contained along with a few Java things here and there. Fairly challenging assignments as well. Would recommend building the Data Structures & Algos up before having a look at the codes provided in the lectures for thorough understanding. This part will help with the actual implementation of Data Structures since the assignments are application centric. Ample resources available for debugging and identification of flaws in interpretation.

By Pavel K

Apr 28, 2023

I would definetely advice this course to anyone who is searching for challenging tasks. It's not even about how applicable algorithms reviewed in this course are, but likely how one can and should think about algorithms and particularly their application in real life scenarios.

Thank you very much Coursera and great professors from Princeton University who made it possible for anyone everywhere to get access to such an important knowledge!

By Alan W

Mar 6, 2021

I took the part I and Part II and finished these two course last year. But I took two weeks to re-do the courses this month. I would say that I almost relearned everything. The course is so dense that you forget a lot only a few months after the first learning. They are the most two challenging courses I have ever took in my lifetime, and it really worth it. I recommend every serious programmer to take this course, maybe twice!

By Rohit P

Apr 27, 2023

I took this course to refresh my Data Structures and Algorithms knowledge in order to prepare for technical interviews, and I'm glad I did. The lectures are great and the programming assignments are very well designed and have sufficient guidance. You really have to work on them. I would have liked more graded MCQs after lectures. This is also the first MOOC I've completed, and it gives me a great sense of accomplishment!

By Evan

Jan 2, 2024

Lectures are good but the programming assignments are the best I've ever had for an online course. They are not easy like a lot of courses where you aren't encouraged to learn much or to remember anything b/c you are so handheld to completion. These assignments are very organized/structured to the point you're never lost but still hard enough to encourage a lot of learning. Honestly so good I'm amazed.

By Brudanin V S

Jul 20, 2021

The best course I hava ever taken, at least it is in top 3. I have always struggled with data sctructures and thought that they can be understood only if you spend the whole life on it. But in this course everything was so clear that it was not even difficult. Certainly, I am taking the second part of the course.

By Kevin J

Jul 20, 2020

Excellent course that covers both the implementation and use cases of common algorithms and data structures, as well as the mathematical theory and analysis of run-time. I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in learning more about algorithmic design, and I look forward to taking part II.

By Avi P

Dec 20, 2020

Excellent course. The instructor explains concepts very well, however they do not spoon feed it to you; you have to do the assignments on your own. The assignments are mostly well explained and presented, except for Collinear Points which I was unable to do without looking up a reference solution online.

By Edward A R C

Jul 20, 2020

I love this course. From its content until its assignments I used many algorithms and data structure that was new for me. Honestly, I didn't know anything about Tilde Approximation, Percolation (Dynamic connectivity), when a sorting algorithm is Stable, Geometric Algorithm, and so. Thank you so much!

By shobhit g

Jun 24, 2020

I believe the most exciting part of this Course was the superb assignments given after each week .Solving them really posed a challenge and it was fun to resolve them ,which bears the fruit of improvement in the marks.

By Kyle K

Jun 24, 2020

Really enjoyed this course, the instructor, the explanations, and visuals are fantastic. The homeworks are challenging but the course provides great resources for visualization and testing and I learned a ton.

By Manson J

Dec 9, 2020

It's incredible that a college-level algorithms course this good is available for free. The lectures are good, the lecture slides are good, but the main value of the course is in doing the homework problems.

By Gabriel A P S

Jul 21, 2020

It's a very good course! I've learned Java and I had to think outside the box to get the most efficient solutions! It has many interesting and complex problems to solve.

By pradeep v

Jul 23, 2020

excellent. exceptional way of teaching. the student needs to listen carefully all the words spoken, as the lecturer pinpoints every detail or touches them.

By Jimmy J

Dec 15, 2023

Amazing Course. I don't like that it starts with Percolation but everything else is amazing. Helped me get Amazon/Microsoft/Facebook offers.

By Erik U

Jul 21, 2020

Challenging, but informative. I learned a lot and will think about programming algorithms and data structures much more carefully now.

By Chuangye W

Dec 13, 2020

This is a very useful course. Thanks for the teachers' work.

By Денис Д

Dec 8, 2020

The best algorithmic course I've ever seen

By Tom V

Dec 11, 2020

very clear

By Azharuddin S

Jan 19, 2020

Awesome course. The instructor is one of the best in the business. It gives you a proud feeling to be taught by someone who himself has contributed so much to the tech world in terms of Algorithm and Data structures. Though sometimes it does get a little frustrating as the topic is so hard. My only complain about this course is as the course is in java for people trying to implement the Algorithms in other languages like c++, python it gets a little hard to find the alternatives of language specific features in other languages so i wish some help was given on that regard. Overall great course. A big thanks to the instructor for making this course.

By Lee W

Mar 17, 2023

The information in this course is great. But there is much more that goes into a quality course than just the material. The presentation, and organization of the information is of great significance as well.

Obviously Professor Sedgewick is very knowledgeable, and deserves a great deal of respect. That said, it is always shocking to me how lacking some lecturers are in good presentation skills. The lip smacking, the tooth sucking, the awkward swallowing, the mumbling trailing off sentences interspersed with sudden random loud coughing. These videos are a misophonia sufferer's nightmare. And it is video. How hard is it to do a take of a 15 minute video that does not include these uncomfortable interjections.

The meta information is all over the place. There is the information that is being presented, and then there is the information that a student needs in order to succeed in the course. There was important information that I did not realize until almost all the way through the course. Like, for example, I stumbled across the fact that you are allowed 10 submissions of an assignment. Until then, I was not concerning myself with the number of submissions. I would sometimes make one little change and resubmit, to see if that fixed the one issue.

There were facts that were very important to succeeding in a given assignment that were buried in the FAQ, or vaguely worded in the spec. Or even only learned by perusing the discussions.

There are just silly navigation issues like clicking the video to start the next video, but then having to click again to actually start the video. Basically the UX for the course is poor. And it is a programmer's course.

Also on the last assignment, as far as I can determine, there is an issue with the grader. My particular issue was that the autograder was showing failed tests, that when I ran the same test with the same input, using the same submitted class, my code produced the right/expected result. I submitted many times, and clearly experienced the same issue. I posted my issue in the discussion, but got no response from a "mentor". I also looked through the older discussions and saw that others had experience the same thing. I felt cheated, ignored and confused. I am pretty sure that my code is right. But maybe it sure would nice have some confirmation - one way or another.

To sum up, you get what you pay for, and this course was free, so on the one hand, I can't complain. On the other hand, the above is my honest assessment. I disliked many things about the experience. And I will be clear that, if I had paid for this course, I would be very upset. And I would not recommend the course to others.

I give it three out of five stars based on the material alone. And I struggled with that. My gut reaction was to give it two stars.

By Bilal A

Jan 10, 2024

Pros: Best course in terms of completeness. Project-based assignments reinforce learning. Good design practices are a bonus if you are an existing Java programmer. The academic touch helps one become a better thinker. A very good course for full-time learning. Cons: Need existing basic Java programming knowledge. The content has unnecessary extras such as generics and comparators. These extras are not related to the concept of data structures and algorithms. Not for people with both professional and personal commitments. The assignments are too intense to work on a part-time basis. The due-dates are very short and can be demoralizing.