Coursera/ Facebook
- With the rising cost of formal education, online classes are becoming increasingly popular.
- Coursera is one of the most comprehensive e-learning platforms, offering a wide range of courses and the ability to audit classes for free.
- We reached out to Coursera to find out which courses have the highest completion rates - a metric that signals how much value the course provides to its students.
- Coursera wasn't able to share exact completion rates with us, but they did share a hand-picked list of courses that they say have both high enrollment numbers and corresponding high completion rates.
These days, you don't need a classroom or a backpack full of textbooks to pick up a new skill or dive into a new subject. Online classes are breaking down the barriers to education as we know it, making learning more flexible, convenient, and affordable than ever before.
Coursera is a popular e-learning platform, offering thousands of courses administered by some of the top universities and higher-learning institutions in the world. While all courses are different, in general, they all include video lectures, some assignments, and discussion forums where you can communicate with classmates in your course.
Individual courses start at $29 and go up to $99, though you can also purchase specializations - a series of courses and hands-on projects to help you master a skill - for a monthly rate. On Coursera, you can learn everything from Java programming and international tax law to principles of chicken behavior and how to influence others.
With such a breadth of options, it can be hard to know what courses are worth your time and money. Good news is, plenty of courses on Coursera are available for free. If you want to try out a specialization, you can do a 7-day free trial before paying for the series. If you just want one course, you can audit it completely free - you just won't have access to the assignments or be able to get a completion certificate.
We reached out to Coursera to get some insight on their most popular courses based on completion rates, a metric we felt signaled the value a course was providing to students. Coursera wasn't able to share exact completion rates with us, but they provided a list of courses that they say hve both high enrollment numbers and corresponding high completion rates. Additionally, these courses had higher completion rates for both paying and non-paying enrollees than other courses.
Whether you're looking to sharpen up some business skills or pick up a new hobby, Coursera probably has something for you.
Find 13 of the most popular courses, based on high enrollment numbers and completion rates, below:
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