If you have ever wanted to dip your feet into the world of coding, here is your chance. Now you can join the Python programming class being conducted at the University of Kerala's Kariavattom campus, which is located in the state capital. The course is offered for free by the varsity's Department of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics. And there's more — educational qualifications or age is not a barrier.
The department has an open classroom, arguably the first in the university, where students of any age or qualification can attend classes along with regular learners. Thus, the Python programming course, which is part of the first semester MSc course, is now open to all — both online and offline.
Christened 'Python for Everyone', the outreach initiative of the department is set to start on October 25. "This class is in response to the kind of exploitation happening in the name of coding. People mint money for such courses even for kids as young as five years of age, where an amount to the tune of `1 lakh is being charged. Anyone can learn to code and it is such fun," said Achuthsankar S Nair, Professor and Head of the Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics.
Classes that are more exercise-driven have been designed to build active participation. "We are reaching out to students from around the world. We are also encouraging retired people to join and relive the campus experience," he said. A total of 10 candidates can join the regular students for the offline classes. The rest can join online. The restriction in the number of offline students has been placed due to the pandemic. "Python is a highly exciting language. It can surprise you. One will feel technologically empowered after learning the language," says Achuthsankar.
A trial run of the classes was held earlier, which was even attended by a few retired professionals. The 12-week session will have three classes a week — on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — from 2 pm to 3:30 pm. If a student is absent for three classes in a row, then they will not be allowed to continue.
