[Edu-sig] Another Python class

[Jim Harrison]

FYI, information on a new course, Problem-Oriented Programming in Medical
Informatics, is available at:

http://jhh.cbmi.upmc.edu/pop/

This course targets graduate/post-graduate students who have limited or no
programming experience and who are moving into medical informatics. These
students typically have backgrounds in the medical/dental sciences, medical
library science, or biology/chemistry. In previous years they have taken a
one-semester course in C as a prerequisite to other information science
courses; few of them program after completing these courses--and some choose
to avoid programming. The new course is being offered for the first time
this fall in an attempt to give the students a tool set that can be learned
quickly, supports the study of information systems, will be useful after
coursework is completed, and has the depth to stimulate students to continue
to develop their skills.

Though this set of requirements is similar to what's needed in secondary and
introductory higher education, I think that graduate/post-graduate
students--particularly those returning to academics from the workplace--have
some unique characteristics and that Python is particularly suited to them.

Jim Harrison
________________________________________________________________________
James H. Harrison, Jr., MD, PhD  <mailto:jhrsn@pitt.edu>
Associate Director of Pathology Informatics, Department of Pathology
CLSI 5807-MT, 200 Lothrop Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582
voice: 412-647-5529 | fax: 412-647-5934

Faculty Member in Residence, Center for Biomedical Informatics
University of Pittsburgh
Suite 8084 Forbes Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582
voice: 412-647-7113 | fax: 412-647-7190

"If you want sense, you'll have to make it yourself!!"-Norton Juster
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