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Back to Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: From Nand to Tetris (Project-Centered Course)

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: From Nand to Tetris (Project-Centered Course) by Hebrew University of Jerusalem

4.9
stars
3,494 ratings

About the Course

What you’ll achieve: In this project-centered course* you will build a modern computer system, from the ground up. We’ll divide this fascinating journey into six hands-on projects that will take you from constructing elementary logic gates all the way through creating a fully functioning general purpose computer. In the process, you will learn - in the most direct and constructive way - how computers work, and how they are designed. What you’ll need: This is a self-contained course: all the knowledge necessary to succeed in the course and build the computer system will be given as part of the learning experience. Therefore, we assume no previous computer science or engineering knowledge, and all learners are welcome aboard. You will need no physical materials, since you will build the computer on your own PC, using a software-based hardware simulator, just like real computers are designed by computer engineers in the field. The hardware simulator, as well as other software tools, will be supplied freely after you enroll in the course. Course format: The course consists of six modules, each comprising a series of video lectures, and a project. You will need about 2-3 hours to watch each module's lectures, and about 5-10 hours to complete each one of the six projects. The course can be completed in six weeks, but you are welcome to take it at your own pace. You can watch a TED talk about this course by Googling "nand2tetris TED talk". *About Project-Centered Courses: Project-centered courses are designed to help you complete a personally meaningful real-world project, with your instructor and a community of learners with similar goals providing guidance and suggestions along the way. By actively applying new concepts as you learn, you’ll master the course content more efficiently; you’ll also get a head start on using the skills you gain to make positive changes in your life and career. When you complete the course, you’ll have a finished project that you’ll be proud to use and share....

Top reviews

AI

Jun 13, 2021

Undeniably one of the best computer science courses. The advertising isn't false! This course permanently changed my perspective on hardware and software along with the relationship between the two...

MM

Feb 17, 2017

An excellent course provided by phenomenal professors! Everything is broken down into simple, easily understandable portions, and leaves you with a clear idea how to proceed to solve a given problem.

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151 - 175 of 1,058 Reviews for Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: From Nand to Tetris (Project-Centered Course)

By PRIYA S

Jan 27, 2018

I learned a lot from this course. The journey of building a computer and an assembler using bottom-up approach was very exciting. Especially Project 4,5 and 6 kept me engaged with the course and most exciting part was building a computer and an assembler. I loved this course. Thank you, Noam and Shimon. Both of you are imparting quality education in the true sense.

By Greg M

Apr 19, 2016

Great glass! The assignments were well designed and a lot of effort was put in to making sure students could understand what they were supposed to do. I've found that good assignments are were most other courses are very lacking. Having good assignments is what really motivates me to finish a class, and it's what helps me verify I've actually learned something.

By Alex B

Aug 4, 2023

Definitely a building a computer course. As apposed from traditional classes that give you all the answers, and then the homework is checking to see if you're qualified to talk about it, you're told everything you need to know to figure it out. To a certain amount, you're then able to build any electronic circuit that relies on logic gates, from NAND to anything.

By Sayed H

Jan 9, 2020

Exceptionally well-designed course. Taught me how to build a computer and assembler from the first principle and amazingly, I didn't have any outstanding questions at the end of the course. Everything made sense. This is an excellent course for understanding the basics of the inner workings of a computer without being too bogged down into engineering details.

By Oleksandr Z

Feb 22, 2020

TL; DR - this course is brilliant.

***

When I started this course, it was so intriguing to see so many 5-star reviews. I could not find any flaws in the course. The material is dense and interesting. The course is fully polished, even shining.

Dear Professor Shocken, Professor Nisan, thank You so much. This course is absolute brilliant.

@NAnd2Tetris_Part_2

0; JMP

By Saksham G

Aug 16, 2020

Excellent course!! All the course materials and discussions forums were extremely helpful. All the tools and project files provided with the course worked without any difficulties. Also, it was a very shallow learning curve to get used to the new tools and hack language. Thanks Noam and Shimon for making such wonderful course. I am looking forward to part 2.

By Ndimangwa F N

Mar 16, 2018

I have never taken such a practical session like this. It was a challenge especially on the middle weeks , however I made it. I recommended for any one , needs to understand how the computer works, and increase the system design skills, this is the course to take. I recommended to take a full version (non-audit version) to enjoy the full power of the course

By sabyasachi m

Aug 25, 2017

This is the greatest course I ever came across. Together along with part 2 it connects all dots and goes beyond abstractions to show how a computer works. It is the best course that can teach an electronics or electrical engineer how the HWs and SWs interact in a machine. It indeed goes from building an nand gate to a fully functional primitive application.

By Sylvain M

Jun 19, 2021

One of the best Moocs I ever took , maybe the very best ! A very original thema and learning methodology, very well suited for anyone wishing to understand how a computer works. The course is extremely clear, and the homework provides just the good amount of challenge to make huge progress and feel proud of your accomplishments ! Highly recommended.

By Cathy A

Mar 14, 2021

This course was completely different to the ones that teach only software development or high-level languages. I really liked how this course started with the very foundation of all computer architecture and finished with a completed hardware level of a computer.

This course was very interesting and I can't wait to begin the second part of this course.

By Andrew J

Nov 20, 2017

This is hands down one of the best courses I have ever done. It tears down the layers of abstraction between your programs and your computer's hardware. It's a project centred course meaning you get to build very cool things every week.

I'm blown away that I just finished building a computer that can play pong... it has a display and keyboard inputs!

By Travis B

Jun 28, 2020

This was an amazing learning experience that I enjoyed so much. I expanded my knowledge of computer science especially regarding logic gate construction, hardware descriptor language (HDL), and how to build a simple assembler. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants a better understanding of how computers work at the machine level.

By Robert F

Oct 19, 2020

Excellent course. I'm a seasoned high-level programmer, but I'd never taken any hardware courses before. Now I better understand when the hardware engineers are talking about different chips and when one chip doesn't have enough pins to control a certain peripheral, etc. Really looking forward to the next part to connect everything I work with.

By John J

Sep 24, 2020

Very comprehensive! Well worth the hard work!

I already had a vague idea about assemblers and machine code but I now understand how machine code actually controls the hardware in a CPU.

The other mystery solved for me is how basic logic gates can be combined into ever more complex structures which are then combined into a CPU and a computer.

By Melis E

Oct 6, 2022

Excellent course! It was hard at times but I learned so much (and learned it well thanks to the do-it-yourself approach in the projects). The instructors explain complicated topics in the clearest and simplest way possible. And they not only teach you what a computer is, but also how to build *anything* complex. Really a superb course!

By Vinicius S

May 18, 2020

It was a great course. It fulfilled its role in demystifying the internal parts of a computer. It was a excellent idea to present Digital Circuits through a Hardware Description Language (HDL). It was rewarding to get in touch with Assembly language in the processes of "building" the CPU as well as while coding the Assembler. Thank you!

By Sung W K

Apr 12, 2020

I had so much fun following the course and I actually feel I've learned a lot.

Not only the course videos are helpful and easy to follow but also the "perspective units" were also very interesting that I watched all the videos.

I definitely will move on to part 2 of this course and I am 100% sure that I will get all I want in part 2 also.

By Apostolis P

Jul 6, 2020

Excellent course. Not one to take lightly as it involves plenty of hard work in order to understand the new concepts it introduces and complete the assignments. Ideal for self-learners who wish to take their skills to the next level. It has done a great deal de-mystifying how computers work on a very low level. Definitely recommended.

By Pranjal K

Jun 24, 2017

This is one of the best courses that I have come across. I had always wanted to learn computer science in a continuous fashion . I wanted to know how all the different subjects come together to make a computer. This course was a boon for me. It showed me how to connect the dots among various subjects. Iam looking forward to part 2 now.

By Saurabh G

Mar 9, 2020

Has been a great course addressing a lot of basic questions. Very well-structured.

However, I do feel that more light could have been shed upon how the instructions in 0's and 1's in the text file (here the .hack files) are actually given to a computer. Perhaps it could be addressed in one of the QA sessions at the end of each module.

By Son D

Sep 9, 2023

One of the most interesting (and challenging) course I've taken.

As a Front End Developer, I always write code in high-level programming languages. This course helps me understand more about the underlying platform that I used.

Professor Shimon Schocken and Professor Noam Nisan, thanks a lot for providing such great materials for free

By Daniele A

Dec 4, 2020

The course is one of the best courses in my life. But it was very difficult to understand. I'm a graphic designer and recently started studying computer science. If you dont' have any bases this will be a bloodbath. at least that's how it was for me. But every effort is worth because You will understand how to computer works really.

By Hossam E L

Aug 10, 2023

I loved this course.

It has all the good elements that you can find in any particular course: It's fun, engaging, a bit challenging, interactive, and the best of all is that in just 6 weeks (or less) you'll probably be surprised by what you've accomplished: A completely functioning custom computer that can run every program you want!

By Matthew J

Aug 2, 2020

I learned much of this material in college 20 years ago, but back then it was only book knowledge and never tied to anything practical. Doing this course has given me a much deeper understanding of how the bits and bytes of my program are handled at the lowest level. I'm looking forward to taking the second course in the series.

By Fabian d A G

May 17, 2020

This is absolutely the best course on Coursera and by far the most unique. The instructors are engaging and clear with what they teach, the quality of the lectures are superb and the amount of supplementary material and resources made available are vast. I wish the instructors would create more courses. On to Part 2 of the course!