December 10, 2015.Beijing. Today, Coursera published its first survey on the learning outcomes of online course learners, based on responses from Chinese learners who have completed the online open classes. Coursera is the world's largest open online education platform, with 17 million registered learners all over the world and more than 1 million users in China. The survey aimed to understand the motivation and achievements of learners who have completed large scale MOOCs.

The survey results show that most Chinese learners who have completed the online courses said that MOOOCs were helpful for their career and academic development,of which 78% noted that completing the MOOCs had helped with their career development, while 80% said that completing the MOOCs had contributed to their academic progress. The rate of registered online course learners whose primary purpose is career advancement (employees) or further education(education seekers) is even higher.

● Among the Chinese learners using Coursera, 90% of the respondents who are currently employed said that “their competitiveness when applying for a new job has been enhanced” and that“they are able to handle their current position better”. At the global level, the percentage is 87%.

● Among the Chinese learners using Coursera, 40% of the respondents who are currently employed said that they received a raise, got the chance for a promotion, found a new job, or started a new career. At the global level, this rate is 33%.

Based on the number of daily average registrations in 2015, the survey summarized the most popular Coursera courses in China in 2015. Among the top ten, three courses come from Chinese universities, including Java Programming Design from Peking University, Psychology and Life from Nanjing University, and C++ Programming from Peking University, ranking fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

By Journal of Distance Education in China