article_snippet: For example, this week, edX is launching a free, nine-week-long online course called "Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science.
article_snippet: It will be taught by Dr. Eric Grimson, who is the chancellor of the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dr. John Guttag, who leads the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory's Data Driven Medical Research Group.
article_snippet: The course materials mirror those taught to some of the smartest students in the world on MIT's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
article_snippet: It seems likely that this is a good course.
article_snippet: While many of the courses will be free, students will bear small costs for taking exams through secure online channels or in-person testing facilities.
article_snippet: (Textbooks will be free and open-source).