OpenStax Releases Free, Interactive Computer Science Textbook

OpenStax, the Rice University-based provider of free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed course materials, has expanded its content library with a new computer science textbook: Introduction to Python Programming.

Now available from OpenStax, the world's leading provider of free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed content based at Rice University, is "Introduction to Python Programming."

Designed for "anyone interested in learning, upskilling, reskilling or honing their existing programming skills," the book covers foundational Python programming concepts suitable for learners "pursuing computer science, business, science, social science, statistics, data science and related areas of study and employment," OpenStax said in a news announcement. Content includes embedded tutorial videos, interactive programming activities, and a "code runner" that allows students to apply and reinforce what they've learned in real time. " Each section of content within the textbook is designed to foster active learning and student engagement," the organization said.

"With built-in animated videos illustrating a step-by-step approach to Python code and an interactive code runner for practice, we were able to condense the amount of written material in the book to what is most meaningful," said Udayan Das, professor at St. Mary's College of California and contributing author of the textbook, in a statement. "Other Python programming textbooks available in the market are quite dense, but this book is not only free, it actually shows students how fundamental programming concepts are created, used, assigned, executed and applied."

Introduction to Python Programming is openly available on the OpenStax site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • AI face emerging from data

    The Shadow AI Threat: Why Higher Ed Must Wake Up to Risks Before the Headlines Hit

    The most concerning issue with artificial intelligence may not be in the tools themselves, but in how quietly they're being used without oversight.

  • young man in a denim jacket scans his phone at a card reader outside a modern glass building

    Colleges Roll Out Mobile Credential Technology

    Allegion US has announced a partnership with Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and Denison College, in conjunction with Transact + CBORD, to install mobile credential technologies campuswide. Implementing Mobile Student ID into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet will allow students access to campus facilities, amenities, and residence halls using just their phones.

  • cloud with binary code and technology imagery

    Report: Hybrid and AI Expansion Outpacing Cloud Security

    A new survey from the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and Tenable finds that rapid adoption of hybrid, multi-cloud and AI systems is outpacing the security measures meant to protect them, leaving organizations exposed to preventable breaches and identity-related risks.

  • hooded figure types on a laptop, with abstract manifesto-like posters taped to the wall behind them

    Hacktivism Is a Growing Threat to Higher Education

    In recent years, colleges and universities have faced an evolving array of cybersecurity challenges. But one threat is showing signs of becoming both more frequent and more politically charged: hacktivism.