'Online courses provide widespread career, educational impact'

Indians tend to gain more from open online courses compared to their global peers both in terms of educational and career advancements, says a report.
According to the survey by Coursera in partnership with researchers at University of Pennsylvania and University of Washington, vast majority of learners who complete open online courses are reporting both career and educational advancement.
By completing open online courses, Indian learners have reported a higher career enhancement at 82 per cent, as against 72 per cent globally, said the survey of 52,000 learners sampled from millions on Coursera.
Moreover, 76 per cent of Indian learners think completing open online courses gives them educational benefit, while globally just 61 per cent think so.

"With this survey, we are beginning to see the positive impact our courses already had on so many people around the globe and especially in India, where learners disproportionately reported impressive outcomes in their careers and educational paths," Coursera Co-Founder and President Daphne Koller said.
Koller further said that "as India increases broadband penetration, we hope to further increase the pace of growth in the market and reach more Indians who can benefit from access to a great education".

Coursera partners with schools like Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Edinburgh, Peking University, and others to offer courses in dozens of topics, from computer science to teaching and beyond.

According to the survey, 50 per cent of Indians seeking to advance their careers reported improved candidacy for a new job (versus 43 per cent globally) and 30 per cent of Indians seeking to advance their education reported improved admissions to academic programs (versus 17 per cent globally).
The survey was completed in December 2014 targeting any learner who was three or more months past completing at least one Coursera course. Researchers received as many as 51,954 survey responses from learners in 212 countries and territories.