Chevron Left
Back to Object Oriented Programming in Java

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Object Oriented Programming in Java by University of California San Diego

4.7
stars
5,716 ratings

About the Course

Welcome to our course on Object Oriented Programming in Java using data visualization. People come to this course with many different goals -- and we are really excited to work with all of you! Some of you want to be professional software developers, others want to improve your programming skills to implement that cool personal project that you’ve been thinking about, while others of you might not yet know why you’re here and are trying to figure out what this course is all about. This is an intermediate Java course. We recommend this course to learners who have previous experience in software development or a background in computer science. Our goal is that by the end of this course each and every one of you feels empowered to create a Java program that’s more advanced than any you have created in the past and that is personally interesting to you. In achieving this goal you will also learn the fundamentals of Object Oriented Programming, how to leverage the power of existing libraries, how to build graphical user interfaces, and how to use some core algorithms for searching and sorting data. And this course is project-based, so we’ll dive right into the project immediately! We are excited to be offering a unique course structure, designed to support learners of different backgrounds in succeeding at their own pace. The first module explains how this will work and if this course is right for you. We also recommend taking a few minutes to explore the course site. A good place to start is the navigation bar on the left. Click Course Content to see what material we’ll cover each week, as well preview the assignments you’ll need to complete to pass the course. Click Discussions to see forums where you can discuss the course material with fellow students taking the class. Be sure to introduce yourself to everyone in the Meet and Greet forum. This course should take about 6 weeks to complete. You can check out the recommended course schedule below to see a quick overview of the lessons and assignments you’ll complete each week. We’re excited you’re here learning with us. Let’s get started!...

Top reviews

DB

Oct 12, 2017

Great into to Java, instructors have clearly put thought in to the format with the choose your own learning style videos, and additional coverage where it may be needed. These have been very helpful.

LR

Oct 13, 2015

I loved this course! The course videos and the projects sharpened my idea about some of the toughest concepts of Java and OOP. I recommend this course to anyone interested in learning OOP in Java. ☺

Filter by:

1126 - 1150 of 1,461 Reviews for Object Oriented Programming in Java

By DARWIN G V

•

Sep 26, 2015

G

By Robert C

•

May 18, 2016

When I signed up for this course I had already taken a year's worth of Java classes and was quite well prepared. My overall opinion of the course is that it was really good and the instructors did a good job by presenting clear videos of some beginning - intermediate level concepts. I especially liked Christine's and Mia's presentations. The videos on memory models were really great and helped me a lot. The assignments were really interesting too as they collected and mapped real time data of earthquakes onto a map, but some of the external libraries being used in UnfoldingMaps could have been explained a little better as to what their implementations were. In the beginning it was a little confusing trying to figure out the superclasses even though the Javadocs for them were available. I also felt that the Interaction Design Lab in Germany - the folks who implemented the UnfoldingMaps could have made the Javadocs of their classes a little more detailed. Further explanation of how to use the classes built into the course would have been very helpful. Hence the 4/5 stars given. But overall I really enjoyed the class and am really looking forward to the second class in the sequence. Well done!

By Jesús A

•

Feb 7, 2016

Good course, ideal for the first half of a second course in computer science. A little java experience is recommended buy you'll probably be ok if you have program in a statically type programming language before because you can pick up java very quickly. The lectures are very good, I think that the teachers are excellent expositors but I feel that they could be more detailed. The project is about representing earthquakes in a map and you are always increasing the complexity. Finally you need to add your own extension which I found an excellent opportunity to test your imagination and your capacity to create new things.

The only cons of the course for me is the way assignments are evaluated. I think it has to do with the fact that they are interactive. You have to answers questions in a Quiz related to the week content and the project. But the are not very demanding, therefore they do not reflect how much you really know.

In general I recommend taking this course if you are in self study journey in computer science, even more the specialization start to get more interesting and demanding in the follow up courses, more complete and detailed.

By Ahmed A

•

Aug 20, 2020

I really wanted to give this a 5, it is a wonderful and will laid and organized course with awesome teachers. However, It just is in a dire need for an update. I basically gave up on the whole project thing early and just stuck to the knowledge provided. The theory provided here is very very very important and well delivered. Even for a guy like me who had nothing to do with Computer science before, I was able to understand it all and in the process understood many concepts and reasons of things in JAVA that were an enigma to me before this course. And that was without caring about the project.

In short, the course is very good and informative, I would say even essential for those who are new to CS and/or making a career shift from another field, specially for those who are pursuing a career in JAVA. However, forget about the whole GUI part. Just act as if it wasn't there and you will be fine. A shame really.

By Tran P H H L

•

Jan 1, 2022

Actually, the exercises in this course are not very relevant to OOP in Java, it is not necessary to use Applets, a technology that no longer be used in 2021 in the exercises, especially configuring on different systems just to let the applet run is torture, I use linux and it can't run smoothly on linux,the bug with OpenGL,Proccessing 2.0 and 3.0 still there in linux, the exercises don't dive deep into OOP, only core videos are available related to OOP and somewhat useful, the last exercise is optional (but you won't complete the course and get a certificate if you don't do it),then why the title "Optional" appear in that assignment, quite confusing here ???, and open request The scope is not clear so I don't know where to start to do it, it is easier to give a specific assignment, specific requirements will be easier

By Robert K

•

Jan 9, 2018

It was a good course. If you are looking a general introdution to Computer Science with Java elements, then go for it. My intent was to simply go over syntax and some intricacies of Java. It is slowly paced in this manner. Nevertheless, I've completed a 6-week course in about a week (not working everyday) and managed to get a certificate.

The structure let's you skip things you already know (like searching algorithms) and implement stuff on your own. One thing that they could have addes is ... code checking. A self-validation is not good when it comes to veryfing real programming skills. However, I guess Java grader would be more complicated than already existing coursera's python grader.

All in all 4/5, could be better, I don't think Java itself was the main focus of this course. Good very intro to the topic.

By Sam S

•

Oct 7, 2022

Felt a little over-engineered and designed by comittee. A lot of time was wasted with trying to get the course to fit a larger audience rather than focused on the material. Also had a lot of fluff like "how I struggled" sections that while I suppose were optional, if they could have put more focus on making sure videos had high definition so you could clearly read code or didn't have a "spiffy" 10 second with a super loud college band music or guitar riff at the start of every video. Overall great instructors though and I felt like the lectures well prepared me for the quizes and assignments.

By David R P

•

Oct 20, 2015

Although I agree that the mapping library that is used for the programming assignments adds something visually interesting to the course, I felt that it added an unnecessary level complexity when it came understanding the object-oriented aspects of the language. I spent a lot of time trying to understand how to use a library that I won't likely use again just to be able to apply the core programming concepts being taught in that lesson. Having said this, I felt a good sense of accomplishment after getting through the final project.

By Rashid

•

Mar 25, 2016

I have been following this course since mid 2015 and I found it very good. But because of my busy schedule I usually switch the session. But this time I am really motivated to devote some time for this great course to learn OOP. I have learned a lot in my university about java programming but they did not teach us these stuff which are practiced. we solved a lot of problems there but they had nothing much about using java libraries and OOP. Thanks all the lecturers from UCSD and Coursera for such a great course.

By Joseph S

•

Mar 12, 2018

This Course was great, and the instructors are engaging. The layout of the course is really great, the various paths that one can take through the course is a plus. For those starting out learning the material the first time or those who are experienced and just want a certificate, this course offers a great layout to choose your own path. I enjoyed this course a lot. I came from the Duke University course here on Coursera. This course was simple enough to understand and get through after taking that course.

By Deleted A

•

Jan 20, 2016

The only complaint I have about this course is the horribly irritating music at the beginning of each lecture video. I would have my headphones in, volume up so I could hear the lecturers clearly, then when the next video would start there would be this terrible music that started very abruptly. If I was very quick I could mute my volume until it finished, but I think this is totally unnecessary. PLEASE consider changing this, as it will affect my decision to pursue further courses in this specialization

By Ilya Z

•

Dec 28, 2015

Core concepts of OOP are explained very well in this course. Assignments were quite practical in nature and implementing them was challenging and fun. I would recommend the course to anyone who wants to strengthen and formalize their knowledge of OOP concepts.

I wish assignments would be submitted for code review and students would be able to get more specific input from mentors on code organization and style. Integrating with github would be a great step forward towards transparency as well.

By Mike Z

•

Jan 12, 2016

Coursera gives Universities the flexibility to show their own style of teaching and sharing knowledge.

I really love this course, good project.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

However, good course is not only the instructor's' responsibility, but also the students' active involvement.

I rate 4 because we need more students get involved in developing this course like creating wiki notes.

Extra material to read etc.

By Satyam P

•

Nov 15, 2015

Its a good course to take. As we learn OOP in a better understandable way. Instructors explain the concepts well. Also I always like working with maps and as this course assignments are based on map data, plotting data on real maps it like it more. But it would be great if the course have taught to execute the same code through java jar. As using Papplet via eclipse is easy but how to use the same code via computer terminal is quite tricky as we don't find any main method in our code.

By Aidan A

•

Jul 8, 2022

Solid enough course for those who want to continue learning Java after a high school class in computer science, but definitely do it faster than the outlined timeframe! You will also be working in almost decade old versions of Java (PApplet classes) so skills outside of the technical thinking or fundamental concepts such as sorting don't transfer entirely directly. Be prepared to learn how to understand documentation well, probably the most valuable skill learned in this course.

By Andy Z

•

Sep 23, 2015

Some of the questions are not Java related ones at all which I couldn't see much of a helping point, e,g. What are the coordinates of rio de janeiro?. There were also a few of questions that I found a bit confusing because the code provided is plain white and it's a bit hard to focus on it. I'd rather want to customize the color of the presented code just like modern IDEs do. Everything else seems rather okay and intuitive. So far so good, guys :)

By Daniel R

•

Apr 18, 2016

Great introduction to Java. Gives you an opportunity to play with several different libraries from the start, rather than learning the basics with just text input and output like most courses, which is really cool. No peer review, just quiz questions that can only be answered if the assignment is completed correctly. The assignments are therefore not particularly challenging -- you get out of this class what you put in!

By Karsten S

•

Feb 19, 2016

This is definitely one of the best courses I have taken. The presentations, resources, and projects are very creative and well designed. The "what do you want to cover next" quizzes tempt you to try things on your own before looking for help, which is a nice teaser. The only reason I give it 4/5 is that a few of the project instructions were too vague to figure out what they were asking for (i.e. without asking).

By Ian W

•

Jun 10, 2019

Too much hand holding in the assignments, the last few were better but the first few were extremely easy near trivial. Also the last assignment being peer graded led to my work not getting graded in time for the course. Just make it automated or do a quiz. Overall the assignments were a good introduction to libraries and working within them. The class also had some good software design strategies.

By Rahul K

•

May 30, 2017

Some of the concepts after week 2 were very tough for new begineer's in JAVA language. Moreover concepts of ArrayList, Generics, HashMap, Abstract Data Types should have been discussed in short videos before the module in which it is to be implemented to such a great extent.

Overall a great course for someone looking to gain confidence on working large projects. Support videos were great though

By David A S

•

Oct 19, 2018

The course is a low-intermediate look at Object Oriented Programming, culminating in a small-mid scale project. Anyone who has some programming experience, or a strong desire to master the material, will find themselves at home in the class.

I didn't look to much at the support materials, but this course offers loads of support for those who find themselves struggling with the material.

By Waleed A

•

Jan 8, 2018

this course is truly amazing!

even though i already know the concepts of OOP and Event-Driven Programming

but this course helped me to implement those concepts in a full Program

i jut hope to get more informative helpful steps in weekly assignments

Appreciate the time and effort of the team responsible for this course ^_^

thanks UC San Diego professors

thanks Coursera Team

By ahmad

•

Jun 28, 2019

It was a great course. Material and assignments were well prepared. Videos were just fine.

If there's anything to complain about, it is the project. The project is a bit GUI related and the course isn't really about GUI. Even though GUI servers well to demonstrate OOP concepts, but I wouldn't still go this deep teaching GUI (there are two weeks that are mostly about GUI).

By Randall A D

•

Aug 29, 2020

This course needs more programming Object Oriented concepts and less drawing shapes. It also requires a peer review project that isn't as useful as what the teachers think. Feedback on the project can hardly be considered helpful if the criticism isn't qualified. On the discussion board, I saw numerous comments promising good reviews for anyone willing to do the same.

By Daniel J D

•

Feb 7, 2016

It's a relatively short and easy course, but it has good lecture videos and programming assignments.

Also, I think that you would have to already have fairly good computer programming skills (either in Java or some other language) to take this course, because it pretty much jumps right into adding complex functionality to existing programs to extend their behavior.