Indian online learners report greater career and educational benefits: Coursera survey

Coursera, one of the largest online education providers, has released the results of its 2017 Learner Outcomes Survey.

The results of the 2017 survey reveal that Indian online learners are continuing to report similar or even greater benefits compared to the 2015 survey. Among working professionals and job seekers (“career builders”), 89% of Indian learners reported career benefits compared to 84% globally, 84% in the US and 86% in the UK. In India, 46% of career builders reported to have become better in their job, and 39% reported to have improved their candidacy for a new job.

“Since Coursera launched five years ago, online learning has transformed from an experiment in MOOCs to a widely accepted choice among Indians looking to acquire new skills. Over two million Indians have registered on Coursera to date, and we continue to see impressive growth in the country. The survey results underscore that Indians find taking online courses to be life-transforming, giving them the competitive edge necessary to make ambitious career choices,” said Nikhil Sinha, Chief Business Officer, Coursera.

According to the survey findings, 98% of Indian learners seeking educational outcomes reported benefits, also higher than the global average (93%). Indians were much more likely than learners in other markets to report benefits such as gaining knowledge, deciding on an area of study, or earning credits.

The most valuable benefits of online learning are not always tangible. Interestingly, 83% of Indians who completed online courses reported “gaining confidence” compared to 72% of people globally.

“Coursera offers Indians the opportunity to access courses from universities that most would never have the opportunity to learn from in any other way,” added Sinha