CS 61AS Announcement
CS 61AS is a self-paced course that covers the same topics and fulfills the same requirements as lecture-based CS 61A.
The CS 61AS course website: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs61as
The important differences between the self-paced and lecture-based versions
- Self-paced classes work well for students who are good at time management. They don't work so well for procrastinators.
Students who expect to get through the course material faster or slower than average might benefit from the self-paced structure:
- More advanced students will have the opportunity to earn a fifth unit of credit for advanced material (on compilers and memory management) not in the regular course.
- Students with no programming experience can spend the first month on very introductory material and spread out the required content over two semesters (the second one concurrent with CS 61B).
- The self-paced version uses the original textbook, Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, the best CS book ever written. The lecture-based version uses lecture notes adapted from this book.
- The lecture version will give students a closer sense of contact with the faculty.
The less important difference
The lecture version uses the Python programming language; the self-paced version uses Scheme.
Enrollment
Both courses are currently full, but CS 61AS may expand to meet additional demand. For now, if you want to switch, add yourself to the CS 61AS waiting list, but don't drop CS 61A until you are admitted.
More information
One of the CS 61AS instructors has compiled an FAQ.