American online learning platform Coursera, in a new report on Tuesday said that it registered 13.6 million users from India, second only to 17.3 million users from the United States. “As of September 30, 2021, Coursera has 92 million registered learners on the platform globally, and 189 million enrolments, with India being the country with second-highest learners. Thousands of colleges and universities now offer Coursera to enrich their students’ learning experience,” the company said.
The pandemic has lead to a growth in online learning and the company said that over 20 million new learners have joined Coursera in the past year alone. The growth of the platform has outpaced pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the platform had 44 million users which jumped to 92 million registering a growth of a whopping 109 per cent.
“Early in the pandemic, online learning shaped the response to a global crisis that changed the way we learn. More than a year later, new trends show that the combined force of online learning and remote work is creating a powerful opportunity to provide not just skills but more equitable job opportunities worldwide,” Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO, Coursera, said.
“With the double disruption of the pandemic and automation intensifying the unemployment crisis, people everywhere need to develop new skills for a digital future,” he added.
Coursera saw the highest growth from regions where higher education infrastructure is severely constrained in its capacity to meet the demand of a growing population. “Growing collaboration between universities, industry, and governments to address the skills shortage through online learning is shaping a new and inclusive lifelong learning model. Coursera is honored to be a platform that individuals and institutions around the world trust to learn the skills required to navigate change and disruption,” Maggioncalda added.
Region wise, Asia-Pacific registered a growth of 35 per cent at 28 million learners. The number of enrollments from the region stood at 28 million. “Equitable access to high-quality learning is no longer just a promise, it’s a reality for learners worldwide. Rapid product innovation has been pivotal to growing access and helping learners meet their goals while enabling our partners to accelerate their online strategy. This moment is a turning point from where we can deliver accessible learning experiences for broader impact—to serve new populations and connect them to opportunities in a digital world,” Shravan Goli, Chief Product Officer, Coursera, said.
The company saw that learners invested in high-impact career skills to become job ready and improve their prospects in a challenging labor market. Top preferred skills on the platform included computer programming, probability and statistics, communication, entrepreneurship, cloud computing, etc.
Coursera has partnered with over 6,500 institutions globally to develop job-relevant skills, enhance personal development, and prioritise their overall well-being, the company said.
“Our partnership with Coursera seamlessly dovetails with these ideals. With its robust platform, AI-driven tools, and global reach, Coursera is a great foil our commitment to the 3D’s— Digitisation, Diversification, and Disruption. As the field of education transforms dramatically in a post-pandemic world, this partnership will provide great value to our domestic and global audiences,” Debashis Chatterjee Director, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, said.
“Together, we will introduce learners to new and refreshing perspectives as we pursue our motto of globalizing Indian thought and nurturing value-driven, fair-minded individuals,” he added.
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