Coursera

Author: Kaitlyn Short

Coursera is currently partnered with 122 colleges and universities worldwide including Stanford University, Princeton, University of Michigan, SC San Diego and many more. Coursera offers over 1,000 post-secondary courses - free of charge. Although Coursera has only been in business since 2012, it has taken big steps in making college courses both easily accessible and low-cost.

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The Good

• Simple and straightforward
• Mobile features

Coursera is specifically designed for students seeking a simple and straightforward way to gain course credit, earn certification, or develop specialized skills online. Students can take advanced courses at their own pace and participate in peer assessments as they take part in Coursera's blended learning platform. Course subjects range from art and humanities, to law, to computer science, to teacher development. And as Coursera has partnered with hundreds of top universities throughout the world, courses are also offered in over 30 different languages. For users on the go, Coursera has developed both an iOS and Android mobile app, and both apps have received generally positive user reviews. The company also provides a number of support options to help customers navigate their platform and troubleshoot potential problems that could arise. And for customers who are looking for a refund on paid courses, Coursera has put a 14-day refund policy in place. In some cases, they may even provide vouchers that customers can redeem on other courses in Courera's catalog.

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The Bad

• Peer-reviewed system

Peer-reviewed system is used where assignments and other objectives may not be possible for Professors to score based on such a high user frame. And despite Coursera's explicit any-plagiarism policy, this peer system makes it easy for students to plagiarize work. And while some support options, such as their online knowledge base, blog, and social media platforms, provide a healthy baseline understanding of how to use Coursera, other support features are lacking. Both finding the number and getting a response to questions is like pulling teeth. Other than that, there wasn't much about Coursera that could be deemed as a negative aspect. Additionally, while all of Coursera's courses are free, customers should be prepared to pay anywhere from $30 to over $100 for course certificates or specializations.

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The Bottom Line

Coursera offers high-quality education for free - and it has made more than enough partnerships with high-ranking universities to substantiate that claim. For customers looking to advance their post-secondary education at their own pace, Coursera is an excellent choice; just remember that not every course is completely free, and unless a problem you encounter is specifically addressed on their online forums, you may be waiting longer than expected for a response.