Coursera is the world's largest and best known online course platform.
Subjects / fields of study: A very wide range of subjects or fields of study are covered (almost all academic fields incl. arts, humanities, social science, languages, personal development, economics, business, maths, data and computer science, physical science and engineering, biology, health etc.)
Level: Ranging from an introductory to advanced level.
Presenters: The courses are developed by the best universities in the world including Stanford University, Berklee, Yale, University of London, University of Cape Town and several other top universities from around the world.
Mode of study: Fully online. No need to travel to any venue to attend classes or write tests. You can study from home, work or wherever you like.
Study media: Most courses are completely video based, although text documents may also be used.
Scheduling of classes: Training material can be accessed or downloaded at any time. Lectures are not streamed live. Most courses are open for registration at regular intervals, usually monthly.
Course duration:
Total study time per week required:
Can course material be accessed for free?: Yes
Can online excercises and assessment be accessed for free?: No
Can I receive a certificate for free: No
Cost if I do wish to register for the paid option so that I can be assessed and receive a certificate: US$ 49 per course for most courses.
Can some individual courses be grouped to form a larger qualification, building greater knowledge of the particular topic? Yes, it is called a "specialization" on this platform. Although the individual courses that it is comprised of can be taken for free, the larger qualification or certificate is not free. Note that we provide suggestions on how free online courses from the different online course platforms can be grouped together, or rather taken into sequance to gradually build your knowledge - see our section on learning paths.
Main strengths:
Main weaknesses:
Website: www.coursera.org
Mobile app: This platform does not have a mobile app at present, but their website is mobile friendly.
Note: The above course information are generalisations, or estimations for an "average" or "typical" course, and differ from course to course. Make certain about the details of your specific course of interest.