Serving the world through learning
Impact
Report
2021
2
Coursera Impact Report 2021
PG. 4
Executive summary
PG. 6
Serving learners
PG. 13
Connecting partners
PG. 20
Empowering
institutions
PG. 26
Creating social
change
PG. 29
Data methodology
appendix
Table of contents
We envision a world where anyone,
anywhere has the power to transform
their life through learning.
OUR VISION
4
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Executive summary
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. To that end, I’m excited to present the second annual Coursera Impact Report.
With the double disruption of the pandemic and automation intensifying the unemployment crisis, people everywhere need to
develop new skills for a digital future. Over 20 million new learners have come to Coursera in the past year to access world-class
learning. The highest growth came 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. This year, Coursera earned B Corp™ certication for meeting rigorous standards of social and environmental
performance, accountability, and transparency. We also converted to a Public Benet Corporation. The transition underscores our
deep commitment to making a positive impact on society.
As the 2021 Impact Report airms, oering exible pathways to skills and credentials that prepare people for remote and digital jobs
can pave the way for talent to rise from anywhere in the world. Together with our partners, we’re excited to continue our eorts to
fulll this promise in our quest to build a more just world.
Je Maggioncalda
CEO, Coursera
92
M
Learners
3600
Campuses
250
+
Partners
2900
Companies
230
Government entities
Achieving human progress
through learning
Letter from the CEO
*Scholarships are equivalent to costs saved through free access to content on Coursera
$460
M
In scholarships*
4
5
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Executive summary
More learners are accessing online learning
The demand for online learning on Coursera continues to outpace pre-pandemic levels.
Data is cumulative as of September 30, 2021; Each year’s data represents the trailing four quarters up to Q3. For more information, refer to Data Methodology Appendix.
100
50
0
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
2021
21M
28M
35M
44M
71M
92M
Total number of registered learners
200
100
0
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
2021
26M
43M
59M
76M
143M
189M
Total number of enrollments
Millions
Millions
Serving learners
7
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Serving learners
Data as of September 30, 2021; Numbers rounded to the nearest 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 Oicer
Coursera
7
NORTH AMERICA
20
M
Learners
+24
%
YoY Growth
LATIN AMERICA
ASIA PACIFICEUROPE
MIDDLE EAST
22
M
Enrollments in Entry-level
Professional Certicates
39
M
Enrollments
+26
%
YoY Growth
16
M
Learners
+26
%
YoY Growth
38
M
Enrollments
+27
%
YoY Growth
5
M
Learners
+39
%
YoY Growth
10
M
Enrollments
+38
%
YoY Growth
28
M
Learners
+35
%
YoY Growth
68
M
Enrollments
+35
%
YoY Growth
17
M
Learners
+26
%
YoY Growth
27
M
Enrollments
+32
%
YoY Growth
189
M
Enrollments
92
M
Learners
+200
%
YoY Growth
+32
%
YoY Growth
+29
%
YoY Growth
Online learning is now a worldwide phenomenon
AFRICA
3
M
Learners
5
M
Enrollments
+43
%
YoY Growth
+50
%
YoY Growth
8
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Serving learners
Top 10 countries with the most learners
1. United States 2. India 3. Mexico 4. Brazil 5. China
6. Canada 7. Russia 8. UK 9. Colombia 10. Egypt
Learners from around the world come to Coursera to build critical skills.
Total registered learners as of September 30, 2021
17.3M 13.6M 4.8M 3.7M 3.3M
2.4M 2.4M 2.4M 2.2M 1.6M
9
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Serving learners
10. Kazakhstan
55%
718k learners
1. Paraguay 2. Lebanon 3. Philippines 4. Guyana 5. Indonesia
6. Kenya 7. Ethiopia 8. Rwanda 9. Vietnam
Top 10 countries by learner growth
98%
110k learners
97%
158k learners
85%
1.3M learners
74%
60k learners
69%
789k learners
61%
303k learners
60%
103k learners
57%
50k learners
54%
323k learners
Emerging economies reported the highest rate of new learner growth.
Data represents growth in new registered learners among countries with at least 50,0000 learners and covers the period of October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021, compared to the period of October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020. Bottom number represents total number of registered learners.
10
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Serving learners
Reducing the gender gap in STEM and digital skills
10
Top skills among women
50
25
0
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
43% 43%
44%
45%
54%
50%
Percent of new registered learners
Share of new registered women learners over time
140,000 enrollments
360,000 enrollments
4.9
130,000 enrollments
280,000 enrollments
200,000 enrollments
Top 5 courses among women
Learning How to Learn
Deep Teaching Solutions
The Science of Well-Being
Yale University
English for Career Development
University of Pennsylvania
COVID-19 Contact Tracing
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health
First Step Korean
Yonsei University
4.9
4.9
4.8
4.8
50
25
0
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
33% 33%
31% 31%
38%
37%
Percent of new registered learners
Share of STEM course enrollments from women over time
10. Marketing
7. Business Analysis
5. Computer Programming
4. Entrepreneurship
3. Probability and Statistics
2. Leadership and Management
1. Communication
6. Business Pyschology
8. Data Analysis
9. Machine Learning
Data as of June 30, 2021, per 2021 Coursera Women and Skills Report
Women are pursuing online education, including STEM courses, at higher rates than before the pandemic.
11
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Serving learners
Learner ratings on Coursera
New innovations improve learner access and experience
Accessibility features
Supports the use of screen readers and keyboard navigation, closed
captions, visual aordances, and more to help ensure the experience
across web, mobile, and projects is accessible to learners of all abilities.
Low-data downloads on mobile
Enables learners to conserve mobile data by choosing the best video
download option for their bandwidth including high-res, standard,
and low-res.
Real-time personalization
Provides real-time, personalized recommendations of learning
content most suited to a learner’s interests and goals.
47
Average course rating
98
%
Enrollments are in courses with
greater than a 4-star rating
94
%
Learners would recommend
Coursera to a friend
81
%
Learners gave their course
a 5-star rating
65
%
First-time learners go on to
enroll in another course
12
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Serving learners
12
Learners in emerging markets
report career benets
81
%
Learners without a bachelor’s
degree report career benets
64
%
Learners report
career benets
71
%
Top career skills among learners
Learners invested in high-impact career skills to become job ready and improve their prospects in a challenging labor market.
Helping learners achieve their goals
Outcomes conditional on learners having a stated career goal for taking content on Coursera. See Data Methodology Appendix for further details on the Learner Outcomes Survey.
Before I joined Coursera, it was diicult and
time-consuming to nd reliable and structured
content and to test my learning progress
aerwards. Now I’ve completed four courses
and I’m applying my skills to my current job.
[...] Not only does my resume look impressive—
lled with the names and logos of world-class
institutions—but these certicates also bring me
closer to my career goals by validating the skills
I’ve learned. Now I’m working as a marketing
analyst, and it is evident to me how all the skills
I learned through Coursera prepared me for the
real world.
“
Rayan Braga
Learner from Belo Horizonte, Brazil
5. Finance
4. Business Analysis
3. Entrepreneurship
2. Leadership and Management
1. Communication
Business
Technology Data Science
5. Cloud Computing
4. Algorithms
3. Mathematics
2. Theoretical Computer Science
1. Computer Programming
5. Data Management
4. Mathematics
3. Data Analysis
2. Machine Learning
1. Probability and Statistics
Connecting partners
14
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Connecting partners
Online learning has become core to the
student experience both on- and o-campus.
Universities worldwide are integrating online
learning into their curricula. By focusing
on skills and practical application, they’re
improving student employability.
Throughout 2021, we expanded our
partnership with many new universities and
introduced a greater selection of courses,
certicates, and degrees. These credentials
are creating a more inclusive higher-
education experience with aordable and
exible pathways for learners.
“
Betty Vandenbosch
Chief Content Oicer
Coursera
14
175
+
University partners
4400
Courses
490
Specializations
39
Certicates
Expanding access to world-class universities
33
Degrees
34
M
Enrollments in
the past year
190
+
Countries reached
New university partners
New university partners from top le to bottom right: Ashoka University, Dartmouth College, Howard University, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Indian Institute of Technology
Guwahati, Indian Statistical Institute, Institut supérieur de l’aéronautique et de l’espace, Khalifa University, Morehouse College, Pepperdine University, Ponticia Universidad Católica del Perú, Queen Mary University of London,
University of Notre Dame. List is not exhaustive.
15
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Connecting partners
Top 10 new courses from university partners
Our university partners responded with agility to evolving learner needs by launching courses that help learners develop job-relevant skills, enhance personal
development, and prioritize their overall well-being.
10. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers
Stanford University
4. Principios de Psicología (Principles of Psychology)
Tecnológico de Monterrey
1. Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty & Stress
Yale University
5. Web Development with Java Spring Framework
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
2. The Korean Alphabet: An Introduction to Hangeul
Sungkyunkwan University
6. Human Resources Analytics
University of California, Irvine
3. Mindfulness and Well-being: Living with Balance and Ease
Rice University
8. IELTS Writing Section Skills Mastery
University of California, Irvine
9. Introduction to Python Programming
University of Pennsylvania
7. English and Academic Preparation – Pre-Collegiate
Rice University
78,000 enrollments
4.8
20,500 enrollments
4.6
16,500 enrollments
4.9
16,000 enrollments
4.7
15,000 enrollments
3.7
15,000 enrollments
4.6
14,500 enrollments
4.5
13,500 enrollments
4.6
13,000 enrollments
4.1
13,000 enrollments
4.8
Top courses based on enrollments in the trailing four quarters up to Q3; Numbers have been rounded.
16
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Connecting partners
IIM Kozhikode has always sought to carve
a unique space and keep itself relevant by
constantly innovating and reinventing its
content and delivery. Our partnership with
Coursera seamlessly dovetails with these
ideals. With its robust platform, AI-driven
tools, and global reach, Coursera is a great
foil to IIMK’s commitment to the 3D’s—
Digitization, Diversication, and Disruption.
As the eld of education transforms
dramatically in a post-pandemic world, this
partnership will provide great value to our
domestic and global audiences. 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.
“
Debashis Chatterjee
Director
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
16
Partner satisfaction on Coursera
Helps instructors prevent and detect
cheating—especially important in for-credit
learning programs—with disabled copy
and paste of URLs and peer assignments,
anonymous peer review, and improved
plagiarism detection.
Enables educators to randomly draw and
lter questions by category or diiculty level
when designing assessments, which helps
ensure each learner’s assessment has a
unique question conguration that still tests
the same knowledge.
Allows educators to quickly migrate large
amounts of content to Coursera from
their LMS, including Blackboard, Canvas,
Desire2Learn (D2L), edX, Moodle, Open
edX, Open LMS, and Sakai.
New innovations for educators
Academic integrity features LMS content import Question banks
89
%
University partner representatives
are satised with Coursera overall
87
%
University partner representatives are
satised with the Coursera platform
87
%
University partner representatives are
satised with Coursera’s support services
Data represents percentage of respondents from university partner institutions who answered “satised” or “very satised” in the 2021 Coursera Partner Satisfaction Survey.
17
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Connecting partners
Degrees on Coursera
There is growing demand for aordable degrees that oer deep value, but are delivered with the exibility today’s learners need.
17
Being a mid-career professional with a young
family, a face-to-face MBA was not an option.
Macquarie’s MBA, oered via Coursera, was
a viable alternative that allowed me the
exibility to learn remotely, asynchronously,
and at a pace that suited my life.
[...]Through the Macquarie GMBA, I have had
the opportunity to extend my network to other
learners globally and connect with people with
a diverse and rich perspective. They have lent
a truly global lense to problem discussions,
which has been a rewarding experience.
“
Nandita Carvalho
Student from Sydney, Australia
Macquarie University Global MBA
33
Degrees
9
Degrees with
performance-based
admissions
3
Spanish-language
degrees
16
k
Degree students
New degree programs from leading universities around the world
40% YoY growth
Master of Business Administration
Fundação Instituto de Administração
Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Statistics
Indian Statistical Institute
Global Master of Arts in English Language
Teaching (ELT) Leadership
National Research Tomsk State University
Master of Arts in Public Policy
O.P. Jindal Global University
Master of Arts in International Relations,
Security, and Strategy
O.P. Jindal Global University
Master of Business Administration in
Business Analytics
O.P. Jindal Global University
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
University of London
Bachelor of Science in Marketing
University of London
List represents new degrees announced since October 1, 2020.
18
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Connecting partners
18
Job-relevant content from industry partners
Industry leaders are creating content and credentials that ll skill gaps and meet real-world employer needs.
75
+
Industry partners
760
Courses
100
Specializations
36
Professional Certicates
9
M
Enrollments in the past year
Google believes the opportunities created
by technology should truly be available to
everyone.
Our Google Career Certicates, designed for
individuals of all backgrounds, have proven
to be an eective way to help people prepare
for well-paying, high-growth jobs and attain
greater economic mobility.
“
Lisa Gevelber
VP, Grow with Google
New industry partners
List of new industry partners is not exhaustive.
19
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Connecting partners
13
M
Enrollments in
ACE-recommended Entry-level
Professional Certicates
Entry-level Professional Certificates
Entry-level Professional Certicates paved the way for people globally, including those without a college degree, to build digital skills
for high-demand entry-level jobs.
19
I still use the lessons I learned in the IBM Data
Science program all the time. Right now,
I’m working with [my employer] to run an
education project in the Lake Chad Basin.
We’re laying the groundwork for randomized
trials in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria,
and my data capability in Python—especially
in machine learning and text analysis—comes
in handy.
I’ve encouraged all seven members of the data
team I supervise to try out the IBM program to
help further our work.
“
Melaine Nyuyfoni Nsaikila
Learner from Yaounde, Cameroon
IBM Data Science Professional Certicate
15
Entry-level Professional
Certicates
15
M
Enrollments in
the past year
190
+
Countries reached
50
25
0
2019 2020 2021
25%
30%
37%
Percent of new enrollments
Entry-level Professional Certificate enrollments from
women over time
New Entry-level Professional Certificates
Percent of new enrollments from women as of June 30, 2021, per 2021 Coursera Women and Skills Report.
Data Analytics with Excel and R
Data Engineering
Full-Stack Cloud Developer
Data Analytics
Project Management
UX Design
Sales Operations
Bookkeeping
Marketing Analyst
150% YoY growth 185% YoY growth
Empowering institutions
21
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Empowering institutions
We’re in the midst of an unprecedented global
skills crisis. Students need new digital skills
to be employable. Companies are looking to
close critical skill gaps, and governments are
grappling with how to reskill citizens at scale.
Establishing stronger collaboration between
these institutions will be critical to driving an
inclusive recovery.
By creating greater access to world-class
education online through public-private
partnerships, institutions can provide
essential skills training and create accessible
pathways for learners to secure high-demand
jobs in the new economy.
“
Leah Belsky
Chief Enterprise Oicer
Coursera
21
6500
Institutions
130
Countries reached
5
M
Learners
126
M
Enrollments in the past year
Supporting global institutions
Helping businesses
transform their talent
Helping universities improve
student employability
Helping governments
reduce unemployment
22
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Empowering institutions
22
10. Machine Learning
7. SQL
5. Leadership Development
4. SAP ERP
3. Computer Programming
2. Excel
1. Agile Soware Development
6. Cloud Computing
8. Blockchain
9. Apache
Coursera for Business
Trending skills for business learners
A growing number of companies used Coursera for Business to help their organizations develop the critical skills needed to thrive
in a rapidly changing business landscape.
2900
Companies
620
k
Business learners
17
M
Enrollments in
the past year
WPP’s AI Academy is upskilling the workforce with critical digital skills,
helping agencies within the WPP group like MediaCom, Mindshare,
Xaxis, and Wavemaker drive greater value for customers. The Academy
is powered by Coursera SkillSets. “WPP’s AI Academy has given me the
opportunity to look at my current skill set and see where I can strengthen
my skills to be more eicient. It has allowed me to help automate
elements of my job. On top of this, I recently joined MediaCom where SQL
and Tableau are a big part of the role, so I’m glad I spent time learning in
these areas and can now apply my learning in my day-to-day job.”
Adobe, a global technology leader, wanted to enhance its knowledge
of articial intelligence to better integrate the technology into its
products. Because engineering talent is in high demand throughout the
technology sector, Adobe decided to partner with Coursera to provide
its existing workforce with additional AI and machine learning training
opportunities. “With a greater understanding of what AI can do through
Coursera coursework, engineers can think of new ways to incorporate
Adobe’s AI and machine learning technology into our products and bring
new features to customers faster.”
Augustin Vigoureux
Learner from New York, USA
Tim Converse
Sr. Director of Applied Machine Learning, Adobe
92
%
Learners reported
positive career outcomes
35% YoY growth
See Data Methodology Appendix for further information on the Learner Outcomes Survey.
23
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Empowering institutions
23
Coursera for Campus
10. Apache
7. SQL
5. Data Analysis
4. Machine Learning
3. Blockchain
2. Excel
1. Computer Programming
6. Cloud Computing
8. Finance
9. Cybersecurity
Trending skills for campus learners
Aer helping universities quickly transition online during the pandemic, Coursera for Campus is now creating new opportunities for
higher education to respond with agility to changing student expectations.
Through the Campus Response Initiative, Symbiosis International
University in India oered its students free access to courses on Coursera
to mitigate the impact of campus closures and help students develop job-
relevant skills. The success of the initial collaboration paved the way for a
long-term partnership. “[During the pandemic, I was] fortunate enough to
discover Coursera, where I had access to a variety of courses, including First
Step Korean by Yonsei University, where I learned my favorite language. I
acquired basic Excel skills from two courses within the Excel for Business
Specialization from Macquarie University, and learned how to eectively
write in English from the Write Professional Emails in English course from
Georgia Tech. As a beginner in business studies, the reading and video
content, quizzes, real-life case studies, and assignments gave me the
condence and tools to excel in school.”
In response to changing student priorities since the pandemic, Morocco
has upgraded its national higher education system by launching a
curriculum using ‘skill-rst’ content on Coursera. This followed the
shi to a four-year bachelor system aimed at lowering student drop-
out rates and enhancing student employability. Over 320,000 students
from 13 public universities will learn on Coursera in the next four years.
“Universities have an urgent mandate to prepare students with the skills
they need to succeed in a more challenging economy. Using Coursera for
Campus gives University Hassan II of Casablanca in Morocco the ability
to shape a curriculum with job-relevant learning and credentials that we
believe can improve learning outcomes and make students job ready.”
Aparna Deep
Student from Symbiosis International University
Aawatif Hayar
President of University Hassan II of Casablanca,
Morocco
3600
Campuses
38
M
Campus learners
41
M
Enrollments in
the past year
65
%
Campuses are using
Coursera to help improve
student employability
See Data Methodology Appendix for further information on the Learner Outcomes Survey.
73
%
Learners reported
positive career outcomes
24
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Empowering institutions
24
Coursera for Government
10. Wireless Networking
7. Cloud Computing
5. Cybersecurity
4. Leadership Development
3. SQL
2. Computer Programming
1. Excel
6. Project Management
8. Machine Learning
9. Blockchain
Trending skills for government learners
Government agencies around the world are using Coursera to drive critical reskilling programs, amid rising unemployment and the
growing skills crisis.
The Commonwealth of Learning partnered with Coursera to address the
unemployment crisis, which disproportionately impacted underserved
populations. Through our joint program, over 128,000 learners in 54
countries across the Caribbean, Asia Pacic, and Africa enrolled in a
record 1 million courses to learn new professional skills. “[The COL-
Coursera program] helped me acquire skills and knowledge that are
essential to gear up for the post-pandemic job market and boosted my
condence level so that now I am ready to excel in the workforce with my
new diverse skill set.”
Chicago Connected launched in June 2020 to provide no-cost, high-
speed internet service to eligible Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students
and their families, serving approximately 42,000 households and cutting
the city’s digital divide by nearly two-thirds. In September, Chicago
expanded the initiative to oer free access to job training for families
with Coursera. “Chicago Connected was always about more than
expanding internet access. From the start, we recognized the potential
of the program to provide a platform for digital learning and workforce
development [...]. With the launch of the Chicago Connected-Coursera
partnership, I am thrilled to announce this signicant next step in our
mission to bridge the digital divide and provide upskilling opportunities
for our residents to take advantage of.”
Ummee Kulsum
Learner from Bangladesh
Lori Lightfoot
Mayor of Chicago
230
Government entities
580
k
Government learners
68
M
Enrollments in
the past year
59
%
Governments are using
Coursera for workforce
development
See Data Methodology Appendix for further information on the Learner Outcomes Survey.
86
%
Citizens reported
positive career outcomes
25
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Empowering institutions
Helping institutions implement role-based skilling
25
“
We believe every engineer will be a machine
learning engineer in a not-too-distant future.
We needed a learning platform that oered
courses in machine learning, AI, and deep
learning, among others.
Coursera checked all the boxes. And with
courses and credentials from top tech
companies like DeepLearning.AI, IBM,
Google Cloud, and world-class universities
like Stanford, NYU, and University of Michigan,
selecting Coursera for Business was an easy
choice.”
Amit Sahasrabudhe
Director, Chief of Sta, Payments Technology
eBay
Academies and SkillSets
Right-to-le support
Provides enterprises with the option to
choose Arabic as their preferred language on
Coursera, automatically setting the learner
and administrator experience to ow from
right to le on desktop and mobile.
Curriculum integration features
Enables campuses to integrate content
from Coursera into their core curriculum
with features including for-credit tags,
limited availability schedules, curriculum
recommendations, and online gradebooks.
Equips organizations with SkillSets, providing
job-based learning to help employees develop
specic skills for specic roles using data-
driven content recommendations.
5
Academies
300
+
SkillSets
740
k
Institution learners in the past
year grew to an intermediate
or advanced skill level
New innovations for institutions
Intermediate level indicates that the learner demonstrates the ability to apply basic concepts on the job independently. Gaining a skill at an advanced level indicates mastery of the material and ability to both teach and
identify novel skill applications.
Creating social change
27
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Creating social change
Social impact programs
Coursera works with a variety of nonprot organizations to oer free learning resources to several communities in need, including
refugees, veterans, justice-impacted individuals, and underserved high-schoolers.
100
+
Nonprot and
community partners
110
k
Underserved
learners reached
205
k
Enrollments in
the past year
Vulnerable communities have been
disproportionately impacted by the
pandemic. Now more than ever, online
learning can oer new opportunities and
direction. We see transformational impact
when people in need build digital skills that
connect them to new careers.
As a B Corp, we are committed to
collaborating with institutions to reduce
barriers to a world-class education and using
education as a force for good to drive lasting
social change.
“
Tjuan Dogan
Global Director, Social Impact
Coursera
27
As an industry partner, the United Service Organizations (USO) created
a course on Coursera to help military learners transition back into the
workforce and civilian life. This content, as well as other job-relevant
programs on Coursera, is free for U.S. service members and their families
through the USO’s social impact partnership with Coursera. “Though I
retired from the Air Force two years ago, ‘Making Your Military Transition
a Transformation’ made me reassess some of my professional priorities.
I recently changed roles in my company and can honestly say that this
course impacted my approach to my new role [...]. Although I’m retired from
a 30-year military career and am 50-plus years of age, I never ever want to
stop learning, growing, and challenging myself. Education plays a central
role in my professional future, without question.”
Timothy Horn
Learner from Virginia, USA
28
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Creating social change
28
Commitment to social justice
Together with the Coursera partner community, we strengthened our commitment to increasing social justice by oering new courses
for learners everywhere to gain a deeper understanding of racism, bias, and social justice.
20
+
New social
justice courses
21
k
Learners in
new courses
23
k
Enrollments in
the past year
“Historically, there has been a disconnect between companies and top-
level talent from underrepresented communities who don’t have the
same access and resources as other job seekers. Our partnership with
Coursera can help enhance opportunities for people of color by aligning
their education with the needs of businesses. This initiative is good for
job seekers, good for business, and good for the country. In addition, it
helps us spread the vision and mission of Howard University beyond our
campus. Exposure to our world-class faculty will empower people to
ght systemic racism, combat inequality, and pursue a life dedicated to
servant leadership.”
Wayne A.I. Frederick
President,
Howard University
Notable social justice courses
Indigenous Canada
University of Alberta
Feminsim and Social Justice
University of California, Santa Cruz
Inclusive Leadership: The Power
of Workplace Diversity
University of Colorado
Race and Cultural Diversity
in American History
University of Illinois
Reimagining Blackness and
Architecture
The Museum of Modern Art
Partners who launched social justice content in the past year
425,000 enrollments
4.8
45,000 enrollments
4.9
80,000 enrollments
4.8
41,000 enrollments
4.6
5,000 enrollments
4.8
List of partners who launched new social justice content is not exhaustive. Numbers represent all-time enrollments.
Data methodology
appendix
30
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Data methodology appendix
Technical appendix
OVERVIEW
The data used in this report is primarily drawn from Coursera enrollments. Some statistics are reported cumulatively since the founding of Coursera in 2012. Statistics that make
reference to “the past year” are reported for the four-quarter period prior to the publication of this report: beginning of Q4 2020 through end of Q3 2021. At several points in the
report, we mention growth. This is computed as year-over-year (YoY) growth for the above-dened one year period unless otherwise noted. Year-over-year growth is computed in the
standard way (change divided by prior year total).
Building this report involved data from several components:
1. Learner outcomes
2. Cumulative enrollments
3. Trending skills
4. Share of registrants and enrollments by gender
31
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Data methodology appendix
LEARNER OUTCOMES
We send surveys to learners six months aer completing a course asking
respondents to report any outcomes they have received due to taking Coursera
content. Not all learners take the survey as we request, so survey stats represent
the percentage of survey respondents. We track career outcomes using a
question that asks whether the respondent had any of the outcomes listed below.
In the surveys, learners can state whether their goal for using Coursera is career,
education, or personal. (Learners can have multiple goals.) We report career
outcomes conditional on the learner saying their goal for using Coursera was to
achieve career outcomes. For the enterprise user surveys (Business, Campus,
and Government), we assume all learners are intending to use the platform for
career outcomes, and we do not condition the outcome statistics on the learners’
stated goals.
Career outcomes are dierent for dierent groups of learners.
Consumer learners:
• Got a promotion
• Got a pay increase
• Found a new job
• Started a business
• Improved candidacy for a new job
• Became better at current job
• Picked a career path
Business learners:
• Got a promotion
• Got a pay increase
• Improved skills for a current or future job
• Improved candidacy for a new job
• Picked a career path
Campus learners:
• Found a new job
• Found a new internship
• Improved candidacy for a new job
• Picked a career path
Workforce-development learners:
• Got a promotion
• Got a pay increase
• Found a new job
• Improved skills for a current or future job
• Improved candidacy for a new job
• Picked a career path
CUMULATIVE ENROLLMENTS
This report uses a specic denition of cumulative enrollments. Cumulative
enrollments are course enrollments that occured on Coursera’s current course
hosting platform. This platform was rolled out in 2014, and all course enrollments
made in 2016 (and beyond) were made on this platform. Enrollments from prior
platforms are not included in this count. Thus, the true number of cumulative
enrollments is likely higher than what is reported.
We report year-over-year (YoY) growth in cumulative enrollments as the number
of cumulative enrollments from the current platform as of the end of Q3 2020
compared with the number of cumulative enrollments from the current platform
as of the end of Q3 2021.
32
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Data methodology appendix
TRENDING SKILLS
We measure trending skills for dierent groups of learners by incorporating
several measures of internal and external demand for each skill into a single,
weighted index:
• Learner Enrollments: The average enrollments per course by consumer and
enterprise learners in content tagged to a particular skill.
• Search Trends: The number of searches on Coursera by logged-in learners for
a particular skill.
• Google Trends: The Google Trend Index for a particular skill, which provides
a measure of search activity on Google pertaining to specic keywords and
topics.
Within a given domain, we calculate the above elds for each skill. To ensure
all metrics are on the same scale, we rst compute the z-score of each attribute
within its domain and then generate a weighted average of z-scores to calculate
the index value for a skill in a particular time period. The ranked list of skills is
curated by subject matter experts, and this nalized version is included in the
report.
SHARE OF REGISTRANTS AND ENROLLMENTS
BY GENDER
The share of registrants that are women is computed as the number of registrants
that are women divided by the number of registrants that are either men or
women. The share of enrollments accounted for by women is computed as the
number of enrollments from women divided by the number of enrollments from
either men or women. Gender is based on a combination of self-reported gender
in prole eld and in linked social accounts and gender as inferred from rst
name. The approximately 42% of registrants and 39% of enrollments for which
we cannot identify binary gender are excluded from these statistics. Gender data
in this report is as of June 30, 2021, per the 2021 Coursera Women and Skills
Report. For more information, see the Data Methodology section of the Coursera
Women and Skills Report.
33
Coursera Impact Report 2021 Data methodology appendix
ABOUT THE DATA SCIENCE TEAM AT COURSERA
The Data Science team at Coursera develops the statistical and machine
learning models that power a personalized learning experience, leads the
experimentation and inference that informs Coursera’s strategy, and builds the
products to access data for the company’s university partners and enterprise
customers.
The team has ideated and launched learner and enterprise-facing products
powered by machine learning that have been covered in TechCrunch, Harvard
Business Review, MIT Technology Review, and the World Economic Forum.
See more of their work on the Coursera Data Blog.
BEHIND THE IMPACT REPORT
DATA SCIENTISTS
Xinying Yu
Data Science Manager
Eric Karsten
Data Scientist II
Darren Kenney
Data Scientist I
DESIGNERS
Stephanie Hale
Senior Director, Brand Marketing
Lotenna Enwonwu
Creative Director
Juliana Nagan
Senior Designer
EDITORS
Arunav Sinha
VP of Global Communications
Chandni Brunamonti
Senior PR Manager
CONTRIBUTORS
Je Maggioncalda
Chief Executive Oicer
Betty Vandenbosch
Chief Content Oicer
Kim Caldbeck
Chief Marketing Oicer
