How to complete a course on Coursera? CEO and co-founder have tips

(L-R) Andrew Ng, Moneycontrol's Chandra Srikanth, Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda at WEF2024 in Davos.

Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda and co-founder Andrew Ng shared valuable insights on how learners can effectively complete courses on the platform in a recent interview with Moneycontrol at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The discussion delved into the significance of cultivating a habit of continuous learning and focusing on courses that align with personal and career goals.

Andrew Ng emphasized the importance of exploring Coursera's extensive course catalog to find topics that resonate with individual interests. He highlighted the value of making learning a lifelong habit, cautioning against cramming everything into a single weekend.

Ng suggested that dedicating a small amount of time each week to learning can lead to transformative results over the course of a year or two, citing many Coursera-certified individuals who have successfully transitioned to new careers.

“Learning a lot in one weekend is a great thing to do. But I find that learning is a lifelong thing. And if someone can cultivate a habit of spending a little bit of time every week learning, then in one week, maybe you learn only a little bit, but then a year or two years, you can really transform your life,” he said.

Jeff Maggioncalda echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the motivation that comes from focusing on topics relevant to one's career or personal aspirations. He noted that finding a subject that matters to the learner can be a powerful incentive to persevere through the challenges of a course.

“Focusing on things that matter to you like your career, or as a big incentive for people to do a study of learning in a topic that is important to you, and that's going to move your life forward. That's usually what gives people the motivation to power through,” he said.

When questioned about their own learning experiences on Coursera, Andrew Ng revealed his recent completion of a coding and machine learning project, while Jeff Maggioncalda shared his enthusiasm for Andrew's course on "AI for Everyone."

Maggioncalda also mentioned taking a course from Imperial College of London titled "Creative Thinking Strategies in a World of AI.”

Coursera is an online learning platform that offers courses, degrees, certificate programs, tutorials among others on a variety of subjects.