How to complete your Coursera course

by | Jun 8, 2015

Whenever I mention Coursera (the Massive Open Online Course) to anyone, the response is usually, “Yeah, I signed up for a couple of courses….but I’m yet to complete them.” I too signed up for  courses, but I’m actually able to finish these.  Here’s what you can do to ensure that you actually utilize this learning resource — and complete the courses.

1. Time Management. You won’t find time for learning if you can’t manage your time. So set a fixed time in the day for learning, and follow a strict routine.

2. Get away, find a place. Tear yourself away from all the distractions at home or in the office. Sit at a Cafe or club and plug in your Internet dongle and headphones.

3. Take notes: I find that the best way to learn is to take notes — by hand. I make my own notes and refer to the last lesson’s notes before proceeding to the next.

4. A lesson a day.Coursera courses are modular, and each module has lessons. The lessons (video tutorials) are usually upto 10 minutes in duration. Take a lesson a day and take your time to understand it. Repeat the lesson if you have to. There’s no need to rush to complete the course.

5. Do the assignments and quizzes religiously.

6. Don’t oversubscribe for courses. While you may be tempted to register for many courses, try to be realistic. How many will you be able to complete for the time you have budgeted for learning?

7. Certificates. Coursera also offers certificates on completion of some courses (at cost). These certificates are from the affiliated universities that provide the course material. I’m not sure if your employer will recognize these certificates. But these will certainly motivate you to learn more. Go ahead and pay for that certificate (usually $25). Pin it to your workstation. Frame it.

8. Update your resume and LinkedIN profile. Go ahead and mention the course in your resume after completing it. You should tell the world about your achievements, and it is good for Personal Branding too.

I hope you will now be able to complete your online courses. Remember, if you do not continuously re-skill, you will be left behind. In this dynamic age, you are a student for life and continual learning is the way to career success.

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Brian Pereira
Brian Pereira
Brian Pereira is an Indian journalist and editor based in Mumbai. He founded Digital Creed in 2015. A technology buff, former computer instructor, and software developer, Brian has 29 years of journalism experience (since 1994). Brian is the former Editor of CHIP and InformationWeek magazines (India). He has written hundreds of technology articles for India's leading newspaper groups such as The Times of India and Indian Express Newspapers (among others). And he has conducted more than 300 industry interviews during his journalism career. Brian also writes on Aviation, cybersecurity, startups, and topics directed at small and medium businesses. He achieved certifications from the EC-Council (Certified Secure Computer User) and from IBM (Basics of Cloud Computing). Apart from those, he has successfully completed many courses on Content Marketing and Business Writing. Follow Brian on Twitter (@creed_digital) and LinkedIn. Email Brian at: [email protected]
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