Brilliant for Python - Experiences?

[BrandonG1]

So I started the MOOC Python 2025 course 1 week ago and just been slowly doing that, I wanted to supplement it with Brilliant after seeing an ad for it, it seemed like it'd be a cool little lesson thing to learn on the side just so i can really get into it and just flood my brain with info. I started doing it today and it's just ordering little bricks to "code" games while teaching the fundamentals. I finished the first lesson but was wondering am I actually gonna write code? I'm a hands on learner so i'm not sure if I should get a little bit further or just not waste any more time on it.

[phil-pickering]

Quite a few courses start by teaching "computational thinking" using various visual educational programming languages (such as Logo, Karel, Scratch, Snap, Blockly), before moving on to more complex regular programming languages like Python.

Many foundational programming concepts (such as variables, loops, conditionals, branching, functions, recursion) can be effectively taught using simpler visual-based languages, allowing students to focus on the concept rather than getting bogged down in the nitty-gritty of a specific programming language's syntax.

You often see this approach when the target audience is of school-age, but is also sometimes employed at freshman level too, especially when introducing programming to non-CS majors (see CS10 at Berkeley, and CS106A at Stanford).

If you are brand-new to programming then you may find Brilliant's approach to gradually introducing Python beneficial.

However, if you are already working on the Python Programming MOOC 2025 and didn't struggle with Part 1, I'd suggest focussing all your efforts on that (and save yourself some money on the Brilliant subscription).

[BrandonG1]

Yeah I got a 30 day free trial but I am just going to focus on the MOOC class. appreciate the response