Very interesting introduction to two topics at once- genomics and Python programming, resulting in a perfect storm for me! But I thoroughly enjoyed the way the concepts were presented, explained, and then examined in some detail. Perhaps the course stopped too early- just when I was able to build up some momentum. That said, some of the details (especially in the programming exercises) were of uneven difficulty: cleaning up the examples and smoothing the exercises would go a long way to make this course even better.

The stepik interactive text was just amazing !! I think it is a great way to teach. Integrating with Code Academy to learn Python was really helpful. I spent quite a bit of time on a few challenges. However, arriving at the solution was very rewarding. As a biologist, it is a good start for first time exposure to bioinformatics and algorithms. There were some concepts I had to read multiple times to understand. Some detailed explanations by earlier students were helpful in a few cases.

A heavy emphasis on Python using codeacademy's python course. I have been trying to learn python anyway so it complements what I was already doing. I like the integration of biology and tech used. Because I do not know python yet, this is a lot more time and work than other courses I have taken through coursera. I am working through the free version but might restart the paid course to earn the certificate when I am done with the other paid certificate I am working on.

The programming sections of the course are not great. The lack of conventions being followed makes programming become quickly confusing. More mnemonic naming would have prevented hours of going back and forth to check which code snippet exactly is being referenced. The course structure is good and delivers on its title of Bioinformatics for beginners. It is more structured like a case study on how you can use computer science to solve problems of biology.

The course content is highly challenging and that's great for a sense of accomplishment. The biological problems motivates the biologist to go through the abstract mathematical concepts(but I have to admit there is a threshold where the biologist can not get it well anymore(greedy motifs, gibbs ...) and I wonder if he does really need it to be practical with day to day problems with chip array seq selex...)

be ready you will struggle hard here

This has been a very helpful course, showing me how to program in a fun way because every coding challenge is linked to a biological question. I think the pace of the course was good, without any prior experience in coding I've had a few moments where I was stuck. But thankfully with some patience and helpful replies from the teaching assistant of the course to my questions in the discussion, it was possible to get past those coding problems.

Not a bad course, but it is a python programming class. There are some steeper steps at times if you are not used to python. Support can seem distant if you hit one of these steeper steps. It's best to have a coding attitude and not a "I want to read about biology and genetics" attitude to approach this class.

Very good course to get an introduction to bioinformatics. I would also recommend taking an R language oriented course. On the other hand, this course would benefit from an update in its feedback system so that students are more likely to finish and avoid getting stuck at certain points.

Overall it was a good experience. I had so much fun learning the connection between molecular biology and programming. The programming assignment was okay but the theory of molecular biology was still out of reach for me. We had to use a third party application (stepik), which is good.

Very interesting course, but its estimated time is about 17 h 20min. I took about 53h and am an absolute beginner in this, so this took a lot longer than I thought it would. I think the estimated time should be revised up to take programming beginners into account.

The Stepik textbook needs to be updated. The quantity of test cases and the quality leave a lot to be determined. The format of input on the quizzes needs to be specified more clearly. Otherwise a great course but I would not market it towards beginners.

overall, it's a good course. But it has many places to improve. It's better if you have the biological and programming background, or you gonna struggle. And some tricky and sometimes misleading parts can cost you a long time.

A good course that gives an introduction to bioinformatics by applying programming in python. Overall, some of the challenges became difficult towards the end, but I definitely learned something.

It was a challenging course but the support was good for the most part. There were some that I struggled a lot with and had to ask external help, but as a whole, the community was super helpful.

Had a lot of fun doing this =)

Despite the fact that the images in the stepik.parts havnt been loaded at some times and the quizes kept annoying, when my computed answer should´ve been wrong :/

Really liked the course and love the topic, however the algorithms section was very difficult and could use some more in depth explaining. Without that, I would not quantify it as "beginner".

It's quite hard to complete this course without any knowledge of Python. I don't recommend it as introduction to programming. BUT as a course about bioinformatics it's great!

You definitely need to complete the codecademy lessons or at least have Python experience before the end of week one for this course. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the course.

A good introduction to computational aspects of bioinformatics. However, the pace of the course might seem too low if you have a strong computer science background.

A stimulating and engaging survey of elementary bioinformatics algorithms (searching and pattern matching) with the added bonus of practice with Python.

The course is alright. I learned a great deal from the challenges in the Stepik modules. The only issue is that the material is pretty dry.

Excellent course to learn Python programming and great way to learn very interesting topics in biology and be introduced to bioinformatics.

Novel knowledge and require some python base.More useful for leaners if printable handout with summarized information provided .

I already have python background so it is good for me. Maybe not suitable for beginner who doesn't touch python before.

Very good introductory course to new learners in bioinformatics or students who are just curious about this field.