What Is Coursera and How Does It Stand Out?
Coursera was founded as an online learning platform by two computer science professors from Stanford University. In partnership with some of the world’s leading companies and top Universities Coursera now provides online access to over 3,000 courses
Coursera helps break down traditional barriers to higher education by offering numerous individual courses up to and including bachelor’s and master’s programs. They also provide a wide range of professionally certified programs to help individual workers secure promotions or pursue new roles Coursera is known for providing high-quality quizzes, video lectures, courses assessments, and materials all of which are based on the theory of progressive mastery.
While studying for the Coursera specialization project or course you will be taught by professors from Stanford, the University of Michigan, and Yale as well as leading professionals from the likes of Microsoft, IBM, and Google. For anyone seeking a recognized accreditation, the online degrees in certificates available from Coursera offer excellent opportunities. In this review we’re going to look at the key features of Coursera, the different types of courses the site offers, how much they cost, and some of the pros and cons of using it on the website.
Coursera features:
- 1. When you complete your course, take the test and submit all your assignments you’ll receive a certificate of completion, that you can easily present to future employers.
- 2. Coursera offers a wide range of learning options from master’s degree programs all the way down to single courses. All of which have been accredited by top universities such as Yale, Stanford, University of Illinois and Arizona State University.
- 3 One of the most recent features allows users to see their progression as they follow specific learning paths. you can work your way from entry-level all the way to experience professional in a specific field. The skills you need to progress are mapped out to provide other relevant learning programs available on the site.
- 4. Money remains one of the greatest barriers to education, thankfully, Coursera offers access to financial aid for anyone you cannot afford to pay for your course.
- 5. Every course operates an online forum where you can search for a wide number of questions or queries.
- 6. Another neat feature is the ability to control the speed at which your lectures are played you can slow them down or speed them up whichever suits your needs.
- 7. You can access your course on a variety of different platforms including mobile, desktop and even offline.
- 8. Coursera supports offline learning as videos are now downloadable.
- 9. To test your knowledge and your progress in learning you can take exams do homework and are given quizzes all of these will be automatically graded and your assignments will be peer-reviewed
- 10. Every video now comes with closed captions in the primary language of the course, some even offer translated subtitles
- 11. Upon completing a course Coursera utilizes machine learning models to help guide students to the next most suitable course for them to pursue
- 12. Coursera relies heavily on artificial intelligence to help keep their students on track. They can nudge you if you’re not keeping up with your coursework, create personalized learning goals, keep track of your progress, and even offer you recommendations for materials you should review in the event you fail a quiz
Types of Courses Offered on Coursera
it’s hardly surprising that most of the courses on this website are very heavily focused on technology, but you will be given the opportunity to study a wide variety of topics including:
- Social Sciences
- Language Learning
- Health
- Math and Logic
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Information Technology
- Arts and Humanities
- Business
- Personal Development
- Physical Science and Engineering
How Much Do Coursera courses Cost
Prices can vary greatly depending on specialization and course
For example, an individual course can cost anything from $30 to $100. Specific courses that are part of ongoing specializations may only be available to subscriptions on these can range from 40 to $80 a month
If you decide to pursue an online degree costs you anything up to $25,000, of course, short guided projects that can start as little as $9.99. If you want to pursue one of the specialized master track certifications prices start at around $2,000 but they do offer installment payments
Coursera plus remains one of the most popular options for many people on the site this is an annual subscription that cost s $3 a year allows you to access chart if courses available
Is There a Money-Back Guarantee
Regardless of whether you pay for a Coursera plus subscription or an individual course you are offered the opportunity to receive a 100% money back guarantee within 2 weeks of your payment. You cannot receive a refund after 2 weeks or if you’ve already earned your certification
Pros of Coursera:
- Choose from a wide variety of courses including 20+ online degrees, 30+ certificates 4300+ courses and 320+ guided projects.
- All courses have been crafted by professionals from some of the world’s top universities.
- You can pursue specialization and receive and recognize certification.
- Online videos are of the highest quality.
- Provides an easy to use structured learning environment.
- The platform has been built on mastering a progressive style of learning.
- You can audit most courses completely free of charge.
Cons of Coursera:
- Restricted to fixed dates for enrollment
- Some users complain about the value of the pure grading system and the fact that it’s anonymous and occasionally provides feedback that is valueless
- Author’s question whether the certificates are even valid
- Some of its subscription information and pricing can be inconsistent and even confusing
Will Coursera Help You In Your Career?
For anyone looking to further their academic knowledge or develop career opportunities, perceiving a specialized program or even a master’s art degree program on Coursera is an excellent idea. Provides a wide variety of learning programs for people looking to upskill or even pursue different careers.
You will be able to get instruction from recognized experts in that field as well as professors from some of the country’s most prestigious universities. Of course, there is a design that is a fashion to allow you to progressively master a specific skill. Why not the finished product it is certainly one of the top players in the field and will undoubtedly help prepare you for your current or future career