Coursera

Coursera questions and answers

What problem is Coursera trying to solve?

Coursera is a company on a mission to provide universal access to the world’s best education. Coursera partners with more than 100 of the world’s top universities and education institutions to offer online courses in a wide range of the most current disciplines for anyone to take, for free. More than 10 million learners globally have come to Coursera to gain knowledge and skills from the world’s most respected academic experts and earn Verified Certificates to advance their lives, careers, and communities.

What sets Coursera apart from the competition?

Coursera combines courses from the world’s top universities with interactive video content, peer-to-peer forums, discussions, assessments, and the opportunity to earn Verified Certificates issued by Coursera and the partner university offering the course. This format allows students to learn from the best instructors without the commitment of a full-time degree program. Another critical component is the social interaction among students taking the courses via our Q&A forums, in smaller study groups that have formed organically around the world, and through organized Meetups. We believe students learn best when they interact actively with the material and with each other.

What needs does Coursera fulfill, and how do you fulfill those needs better than your competition?

Coursera aims to expand access to quality education for people everywhere, whether the intent is to enhance their resumes, dive deeper into a subject that’s of interest, or learn something entirely new. On top of world-class content, Coursera’s Verified Certificates offer learners the opportunity to demonstrate their new knowledge to potential employers or academic institutions.

In addition to expanding access to quality education, improving the classroom experience on traditional campuses across the globe is a major goal of Coursera’s. The company is leading new initiatives in “blended learning” to combine online learning with classroom interactions to maximize student outcomes. Blended learning allows students to watch lectures online so valuable classroom time can be spent engaging in discussions with the professor and addressing difficult topics.

How does Coursera measure success?

Learners enroll in Coursera courses for a range of reasons, so we take their goals into account when measuring success. Some people are curious about Astrobiology, for example, so they watch a video or two. Other learners may use Coursera to learn about a specific topic from top professors, as they would with a documentary. Then, there are learners who enroll in a course with every intention to complete it in order to build a new skill and feature their Verified Certificate on their LinkedIn profile or resume. Every time a learner uses Coursera to work towards and fulfill a goal (whether that goal is trying out an unfamiliar field, building a hard skill, or simply watching course videos for the sake of learning), Coursera counts that as success.

What’s the most common misconception consumers have about online education? About Coursera?

Perhaps the biggest misconception surrounding online education is that Coursera is seeking to replace traditional universities and professors with online education. However, at Coursera, we do not expect to be able to replicate the university experience, nor is that our goal. Universities offer a tremendously valuable learning experience on campuses that we recognize cannot be replicated online.

At the same time, we believe online education has the potential to improve on-campus learning by allowing professors more flexibility in their teaching methods. We built Coursera’s platform to support a “blended learning” approach to education, wherein students can view lectures online prior to coming to class, and then use classroom time to pursue more interactive learning exercises and in-depth group discussions.

Moreover, Coursera provides people who may not otherwise have the time or resources to attend a traditional university the opportunity to enhance their skills and learn from some of the best professors in the world. In many cases, an education on Coursera is not replacing a university education, but rather providing an alternative to no higher education.

Has Coursera received any awards or recognition consumers would like to know about?

In April of 2014, Coursera won two Webby awards in the Education category: the first of which was the People’s Voice Award, selected by a popular vote, and the second, the Webby Award, selected by a panel of 1000 renowned and esteemed judges (including Huffington Post founder and Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington, Tumblr founder David Karp, Internet co-creator Vint Cerf, and musician David Bowie.)

In 2012, TechCrunch honored Coursera awarding the company the Crunchies’ Award for “Best Overall Startup” of the year. The Crunchies is a high-profile award that recognizes and celebrates the most compelling startups, internet and technology innovations of the year.

How has Coursera grown or evolved?

As the company continues to grow, an increasingly important part of our mission is to provide learners with a new kind of credential for the 21st century through Verified Certificates and Specializations.

Since launching in early 2013, Verified Certificates have become a key tool for learners to build and showcase skills to advance their careers. Of the learners who have earned a Verified Certificate, over 60 percent shared the credentials on their LinkedIn profile. A joint Duke/RTI study found that employers across a range of sectors look favorably upon online courses and accomplishments. Coursera is now one of the most recognized and trusted online destinations for learners looking to acquire and validate knowledge to the world. In fact, Coursera was recognized in fall 2014 by Linkedin as one of the most widely used Certificate Providers on their platform.

In addition, Coursera is increasing its Specializations offerings. A Specialization is a targeted series of courses designed to build high-demand skills and subject matter expertise in fields like data science and business management. Each Specialization offers learners the opportunity to complete a unique final project which connects what they’ve learned to relevant, real-world scenarios.