Taubman College’s Jose Sanchez has partnered with the Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan to launch a novel series of online courses that provide essential programming skills with a creative twist.
Programming for Designers is a three-course series that introduces the Python programming language to learners interested in design disciplines or those who find traditional coding content challenging.
The series is intended for students and professionals in architecture, graphic design, industrial design, game design, and visual arts interested in integrating programming into their visual creativity. Unlike a traditional Python introductory course, Programming for Designers provides the fundamentals of Python and encourages computational design thinking, allowing learners to enhance their design portfolios and advance their professional careers.
“Programming isn’t just about coding; it can help you cultivate your creative capabilities and enhance your design practice,” said Sanchez, course instructor and associate professor of architecture. “Our goal in Programming for Designers is to help you tap into – and achieve – that creative potential.”
The Programming for Designers course series is available on Coursera and Michigan Online. The courses and series are free for U-M students, alumni, faculty, and staff who want to learn the content and receive a certificate of completion. Visit Michigan Online to learn more. For those not affiliated with U-M, learners can enroll on Coursera to take the series. Each course within the series consists of about 27 hours of effort over five weeks. The subscription costs $49 per month, including course assessments and a certificate of completion.
Additional online skills-development courses taught by Taubman College faculty include Design Computing: 3D Modeling in Rhinoceros with Python/Rhinoscript with Associate Professor of Architecture Glenn Wilcox (Michigan Online and Coursera) and Scenario Planning for Urban Futures with Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning and Chair of the Planning Program Robert Goodspeed (Nexus).
