Αn extensive variety of educational platforms have been developed that offer courses which spread from business and computer science to public health and marketing. One of the most notable is Coursera.


Life-long learning

Learning is not limited to a single, specific phase in life, that of the years at school, but also happens in different contexts, over the course of a lifetime. With its strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training, ET2020, the European Union supports the concept of lifelong learning by coordinating cooperation between Member States on training and formal, non-formal, and informal education.

What is Coursera?

On such application of non-formal education is Coursera. Founded in 2012 by professors of Stanford University, Coursera has gradually accumulated a catalog of hundreds of courses from elite institutions such as Stanford, Duke, Michigan and HEC Paris. Coursera possesses the largest and most eclectic catalog for online higher education.

Student Experience

Each course includes several hours of video lessons each week, graded assessments, quizzes, and forum participation. In those well-administered forums, students interact with peers across the world and share their ideas them, which is very helpful in implementing one’s projects.

Students can access any course on their smartphones through Coursera’s mobile app or through the platform’s website on their computer.

Coursera offers their users three different learning options. The student can choose between single courses, specializations (a series of courses designed to improve a single skill) and degree programs. While courses last a few weeks, specialization programs typically take between 4 to 6 months to complete, while degree programs can take up to three years.

Sample courses from Coursera

Below is a list of the top courses and specializations of 2018 shared by Coursera, as measured by total enrollment.

Courses:

Machine Learning from Stanford University.

Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects from The University of California, San Diego.

The Science of Well-Being from Yale University.

Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies from Princeton University.

Algorithms, Part I from Princeton University.

English for Career Development from The University of Pennsylvania.

Financial Markets from Yale University.

Introduction to Psychology from The University of Toronto.

Specializations:

Deep Learning from deeplearning.ai.

Python for Everybody from University of Michigan.

Data Science from Johns Hopkins University.

Applied Data Science with Python from University of Michingan.

Google IT Support Professional Certificate from Google.

Advanced Machine Learning from National Research University Higher School of Economics.

Improve Your English Communication Skills from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Business Foundations from University of Pennsylvania.

Architecting with Google Cloud Platform from Google Cloud.

Excel Skills for Business from Macquarie University.

Cost

Coursera courses are free unless you want a course completion certificate. Even if you want a certificate, these courses won’t cost you a fortune. Keep in mind though that since Coursera offers expertly curated classes created by some of the mostwell-respected educational institutions in the world, those classes typically cost more compared to other educational platforms based online. Some people may also find useful the fact that the proof of participation provided at the verified certificates and specializations can be shared via LinkedIn.

Benefits

There are several reasons why online learning is a more attractive option compared to traditional methods. This is because online courses are more affordable compared to traditional learning and can be accessible from a variety of devices like smartphones, tablets and computers. Another reason is that online courses almost never force deadlines to students and last less compared to traditional courses offered at universities. Coursera’s digital classes are inexpensive, and the duration of the courses is reasonable. In addition Coursera gives you the flexibility to learn at your own pace without compromising with your schedule and lifestyle. Considering that GenZ has a limited attention span, a narrow badge and does extended use of mobile phone, Coursera can make the education process more appealing and accessible to young learners. Navigate to Coursera and enhance your skills now.