Korean Job Discussion Forums

[scotttteacher]

Hi

Has anybody done any courses with Coursera?

https://www.coursera.org/

I'm half-way through my second course and I really love it. I'm just wondering I'm anyone else has done any, and also, have they been able to put their certificate of completion on a CV/resume.

So basically, I just want to know if a Coursera certificate, or an free online certificate, is considered of any value in the working world

Thanks

Scott

[deizio]

In general, when I see unaccredited online certificates listed on resumes (I recruit, although it's not my main activity, and not for TEFL) I like to see it as a positive, but I can't really remember a case when it made a significant difference either way. Your professional / voluntary experience, accredited academic qualifications, references, job-relevant skills and enthusiasm tell 99.9% of the story.

Recruiters / employers who know about the more serious players like Coursera (or Udacity, edX) should see it as a positive, but this is - to say the least - a nascent form of certification. On the downside, it could backfire if the recruiter gets the vibe that you're trying to dupe them into being impressed by something meaningless, and you don't want to take up valuable real estate on a resume explaining what Coursera actually is.

I had a conversation with someone about the University of the People a few months ago. In essence, I told her that I like what they're trying to do, but would be more excited to see something like that on the resume of a candidate from Bangladesh than Baltimore. I think it's great that some heavy hitters are trying to make quality education accessible and affordable, and hope that the accreditation issue can can be handled in a responsible way. As you say, you've enjoyed doing the courses, and that's also a good thing.