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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Algorithms for DNA Sequencing by Johns Hopkins University

4.7
stars
873 ratings

About the Course

We will learn computational methods -- algorithms and data structures -- for analyzing DNA sequencing data. We will learn a little about DNA, genomics, and how DNA sequencing is used. We will use Python to implement key algorithms and data structures and to analyze real genomes and DNA sequencing datasets....

Top reviews

VK

Aug 7, 2017

This course provided me a very quick overview of all the core concepts pertaining to DNA sequencing. It is very well organized, crystal clear demonstration of concepts and I really enjoyed the course.

KP

May 18, 2020

Very good course this is. Just a little advice, please make the quiz questions more clear and more specific because one shouldn't waste time to understand a question which is very easy to implement.

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26 - 50 of 212 Reviews for Algorithms for DNA Sequencing

By Bhavana K

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Sep 19, 2020

Amazing is the only word i can say. The tutors Ben and Jacob have seemed to have put in a lot of hardwork into designing such a world class material with all well curated examples and lectures. Just i wish the programming assignments were a little bit more thought provoking than just changing a couple lines of that they already have taught us but otherwise an absolutely wonderful course from JHU. I learnt so so much about Bioinformatics algorithms. Thank you !!

By Julia O

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Apr 18, 2017

I really appreciate how much effort the authors have put into the course 'Algorithsms for DNA sequencing'. The clarity of the lectures is absolutely amazing and the assignments are doable. The assignments took me a lot of time because my only programming background is the 'Python for Genomic Data Science' course. Another really positive aspect about this course is that it helped to consolidate the python coding I had learned in the previous course.

By Gregory S

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Mar 29, 2016

This is a good (albeit short) introduction to algorithms for DNA sequencing. The instructor does a good job of explaining some select algorithms as well as the pitfalls they may have. The programming assignments are short but fairly challenging for inexperienced programmers. If you like this course, you will enjoy the 6-part Bioinformatics specialization from UCSD on Coursera where they go into these algorithms in much more detail.

By Yue H

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Dec 29, 2016

The lectures and practicals are very easy to understand. The programming homework is a little bit hard for a python beginner to finish. I wish there are more hints or test examples. It would be better to include some reference papers for those who are more interested in the sequencing techniques and methods to read by themselves. And it would be very nice to have a summary slide at the end of the course.

By Thomas L

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May 26, 2017

Great course. For the complexity of the subject, the presentations are relatively easy to follow because the teacher is articulate and clear and the slide decks are informative. The homework assignments are challenging but not frustratingly so. I would recommend some familiarity with a programming language (although knowledge of Python in particular is not necessary) and some interest in bioinformatics.

By Ricardo B L

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Dec 30, 2020

Some homework questions could have more detailed explanations of what is wanted , but overall there are examples to test the python codes needed for the assignments help a lot, although for some you can get the example results even if you done something wrong (and then the code not give the expected result for the homework questions). Besides that the course is very good, well explained and presented.

By Burak

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May 17, 2017

This was a very good course! It delivers what it promises successfully and help understand the problem of DNA sequencing. It is a very helpful course, explains domain terms and constructs a background for people that have no background in bioinformatics. It also addresses problems, algorithms that are used in this field and in programming assignments, it forces for the learner to implement them.

By Robert D

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Aug 14, 2019

Of the first four courses in the specialization, this is by far the best. The instructor is incredibly clear, teaches with an obvious interest in student learning, and conveys complex topics incredibly well. The practical sessions are an amazing addition and it is impressive to watch the algorithms come alive in such an elegant fashion. Both instructors in the practicals are exceptional.

By Nicholas Y

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Jan 11, 2019

This is one of the best courses I've seen so far, that explains and showcases main principles, fundamentals of genomics, algorithms. Lectures are very informative and use metaphors for person to understand complex tasks in simple manner. I loved practicals as you could go along with the lecture in parallel, seeing how such algorithms were made and what steps to take while doing so. 5/5

By Kasper T K

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Nov 27, 2017

This course, is the absolute best course of the entire specialization!

The way the assignments are structured, relative to how well each video explains the contents of each subject, is so fullfilling that very little help is needed to complete homework assignments and quizzes! Small examples are even included, to make it possible to test your solution!!

By Camilo J H

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Feb 24, 2022

Great course! Very well explained and nice pratical examples. The Quizzes and Homeworks provided the right amount of challenge to keep me motivated. I would have liked to see the homework solution after the submision, there were a couple of times that I got a wrong answer while gettint the correct results from the examples given to test our code.

By Cheng J

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Nov 12, 2018

The course is very helpful to me,especially the code that the professor assistants wrote in the class. There are some algorithms have mentioned and completed ,but I think if the class talked about the software like BWA, BFAST and other DNA sequence or De novo assembly software, it will be more perfect and helpful. Finally ,thank you for your work

By Damian D

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Jul 14, 2020

Definitely you need to know some basic python. The better your programming skills the better basically. But other than that the course is fantastic. The tutors explain all the smallest details very well and exams are very clear. It was a pleasure working through this course even if I got stuck multiple times during exams. Forum helps a bit.

By Yuqi Z

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Jul 21, 2020

I really appreciate the format of combing lectures and practicals. We can understand the concepts behind algorithms and actually know how to implement them. I like the metaphor of puzzles vs genome reads throughout the course which made the concepts easy and clear. Thank you for all the efforts that you put into this course!

By Raymart J

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Nov 4, 2022

The content of the course is very well organized and the programming homework is quite challenging. It was very informative. The future outlook in the last module, although brief, is very helpful for learners who are interested in knowing the current research problems and trends in the field. Thank you. Job well done.

By Joram K

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Jan 23, 2022

One of the better MOOCs I've taken. I particularly liked the lectures, which used intuitive visualizations to explain the algorithms, and gradually build up the complexity of the material. The quizzes and programming assignments were also useful in consolidating the material, but without requiring a lot of time.

By Mohamed E 2

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Aug 24, 2018

this is just so good. i did take a lot of courses online and in my university on bioinformatics and this is the best course design i saw so far. i had to take pauses while watching the lectures to appreciate how much effort the creators of the course put to make it this connected and comprehensive. thank you!

By Nate R

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Aug 10, 2016

Already having a computer science background, this module was right in my comfort zone. The instructors not only got down and dirty with the technical aspects of the algorithms, they preceded each practical coding session with multiple lectures with great explanations and well thought out visualizations.

By Abdelrahman E

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Apr 11, 2023

This course required a good amount of effort to focus on its material but it is definitely very fruitful. It opened my mind to how to think of a good algorithm for solving biological problems, yet I have a long way to go but this course was one of the best stepping stones I can have in such a field.

By M C

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May 3, 2017

Great but too short. I realize that it is hard to know where to start the course from but it is true that the Introductory Course for the Genomics Specialization has a lot of over lapping material. I suggest getting rid of your intro material and go just a little farther in depth.

Thanks, MC

By Doris P

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Apr 9, 2020

I really like the practical sessions, and that all code is very well decomposed. The explanations are very well suited, and I have never done any genome analysis, also never wrote code in Python, but I was able to follow. Thank you for this great, and very engaging course.

By Alli G

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Jun 21, 2022

Challenging but extremely informative and pretty detailed. I come from a more biology-based genomics background and am proficient in R but am still building python .skills (I am ~intermediate). If you are like me, double down on your python before starting this course.

By Ian P

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May 28, 2018

Good course, well presented. There was some linking with the underlying biology though I would have liked more of this. Even though the course is essentially about generic string processing algorithms, it needs to be kept focused on the genomics - which mostly it was.

By Charles W

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Jul 4, 2020

I thought some of the programming questions for Week 2 were harder than the others, but I think this was a very clear and well-organized class!

I think there also fewer typos and inaccuracies than other Coursera courses, so thank you very much for your careful work!

By Jason M

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Nov 10, 2017

Overall I have a much better understanding of the connection between the algo choices and the genetics and machine limitations. The material and quizzes are explained extremely well. Some of the quiz questions are extremely complex, which I like. Good s***!