CERTIFICATION Project Number: 23/039 Education Institution

Assessment Report

CERTIFICATION

Project Number:

23/039

Education Institution:

Coursera Inc.

Courses:

Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

Google Digital Marketing and E-

Commerce Professional Certifica

Google IT Support Professional Certificate

Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate

Google Project Management Professional Certificate

Google UX Design Professional Certificate

To whom it may concern

All information in this report was provided by Coursera and assessed by the FIBAA expert panel.

However, some of the information had to be redacted for one of the following reasons

• Material/information prohibited from disclosing as a public company under U.S.

securities laws

• Proprietary information about internal processes not publicly known

• Level of detail that Coursera generally does not share with the public (e.g. expressly

naming internal tools to support compliance processes). Please see

https://www.coursera.org/about/privacy for relevant public information

• Confidential personal information

For information about redactions, please contact: PR@coursera.org

Assessment Report

Decision of the FIBAA Accreditation and

Certification Committee

11th Meeting on 20 September 2023

CERTIFICATION

Project Number:

23/039

Education Institution:

Coursera Inc.

Courses:

Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate

Google IT Support Professional Certificate

Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate

Google Project Management Professional Certificate

Google UX Design Professional Certificate

The FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee has taken the following decision:

Certification with conditions:

According to § 7 (2) in conjunction with § 10 (1) of the “Special Conditions for awarding the FIBAA

Quality Seal for Continuing Education Courses”, the continuing education course(s) are certified

with three conditions.

Period of Certification: September 20, 2023 - September 19, 2028

The FIBAA Quality Seal is awarded.

Condition 1

Coursera and Google provide a deduction of the intended EQF levels of each of the

respective courses.

Condition 2

For each of the six courses, Coursera and Google implement a learners’ workload evaluation

system which includes a systematic control loop from the survey to the analysis of the

results and the taking of appropriate measures.

Condition 3

Coursera and Google ensure correct documentation about the ECTS credit awarding and

recognition on the homepage, in the program descriptions and in the certificates issued

after certification, considering ECTS credit recognition obligations by HEIs, EQF levels

assigned, number of credits awarded, requirements for awarding credits and workload

assigned to the courses.

Proof of meeting these conditions is to be supplied by June 19, 2024.

The FIBAA Quality Seal is awarded.

Assessment Report

FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONAL

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ACCREDITATION

Assessment Report

Institution:

Coursera Inc.

Content partner: Google

Continuing Education Course:

● Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

● Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate

● Google IT Support Professional Certificate

● Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate

● Google Project Management Professional Certificate

● Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Assessment Report

Brief description of the continuing education courses:

Coursera Inc.

hosts a portfolio of “Professional Certificates” from Google, IBM, Intuit, Meta,

Salesforce, and other industry leaders as MOOCs (Massive open online courses). The Professional

Certificates are issued after completing the respective online course which is designed to help

develop the skills needed to land entry-level digital jobs in business, IT, data science, and design.

Google Professional Certificate Courses

belong to this portfolio of Professional Certificates and

are targeted towards individuals worldwide who seek to reskill with Professional Certificates to

move into emerging digital careers. All six Google Professional Certificate Courses of this

certification process comprise a workload of approximately 110 to 230 hours, thus also

representing “microcredentials” as small learning entities. With FIBAA certification, Coursera

proposes ECTS crediting recommendation following the “Recognition of prior learning“ as outlined

in the ECTS Users’ Guide

All Google Professional Certificate Courses are based on a methodological approach provided by

Coursera and a content conceived, produced, and instructed by Google.

Date of opening of the procedure:

February 2, 2023

Date of filing the self-assessment report:

May 31, 2023

Date of online assessment conference:

July 25-27, 2023

Type of certification:

Certification

Mode of study:

Online, Part-time

Initial start of the Courses:

● Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate: March 2021

● Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate: April 2022

● Google IT Support Professional Certificate: January 2018

● Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate: January 2020

● Google Project Management Professional Certificate: March 2021

● Google UX Design Professional Certificate: March 2021

Start of course cycle: continuous

Capacity load: not limited

Referred to as “Coursera” in this report (except for summary chapter)

Referred to as “programs” by Coursera, for terminology see glossary at the end of this report.

ECTS Users’ guide 2015, page 46

Assessment Report

Learner intake by April 2023:

● Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate: 1,526,115 learners

● Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate: 330,954 learners

● Google IT Support Professional Certificate: 1,241,033 learners

● Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate: 565,027 learners

● Google Project Management Professional Certificate: 1,056,760 learners

● Google UX Design Professional Certificate: 769,380 learners

No. of ECTS credits assigned to the Course:

● Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate: seven ECTS credits

● Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate: seven ECTS credits

● Google IT Support Professional Certificate: five ECTS credits

● Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate: five ECTS credits

● Google Project Management Professional Certificate: six ECTS credits

● Google UX Design Professional Certificate: nine ECTS credits

Hours (workload) per credit:

Date of the Meeting of FIBAA-Certification Commission:

September 20, 2023

Resolution:

Certification under conditions: Panel recommendation: The certification of the course is subject to

three conditions and is valid for five years.

Duration of Certification:

September 20, 2023 – September 19, 2028

Project Manager:

Michael Stephan

Panel Members

Alina Bülbül

University of Applied Science Munich, Germany

Student of Entrepreneurship and Digital Transformation (M.A.); (graduated: Technische Redaktion

und Kommunikation (B.Eng.))

Prof. Dr.-Ing.Ronald Glasberg

SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Germany

The panel is presented in alphabetical order.

Assessment Report

Professor of International Strategic Management (Business Administration, General Management,

Innovation Management, Computer Science and Strategic Management, International

Management, Entrepreneurship, Digital Business)

Ilja Kogan

Wayfair GmbH, Berlin, Germany

Senior Product Manager (Global Operations, e-Commerce, Project Management, Business

Administration, Economics, Business Informatics, Logistics, Digital Management, Trade

Management, IT and digital Analytics, Big Data, Agile)

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Renninger

Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden, University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Professor of Organization and Business Informatics

(Business Process Management, Performance Management, Quality Assurance in IT, Business

Informatics, IT & Business Value, Organizational Impacts of Information Technology, Business

Intelligence Systems, IT-supported Teaching)

Description and appraisal in Detail

List of Tables

Table 1: Entry-level Professional Certificates at Coursera 10

Table 2: Entry-level Professional Certificates: Pathways to digital jobs 11

Table 3: SWOT analysis of Professional Certificates 19

Table 4: Courseraʼs lifelong learning ecosystem 21

Table 5: Entry-Level Professional Certificate Content Specifications 27

Table 6: Credly Sample page 30

Table 7: Sample weekly plan 32

Table 8: Workload calculation and intended ECTS credit assignment 33

Table 9: Google Professional Certificates: Course contents and learning hours 35

Table 10: Coursera Pedagogy Principles 47

Table 11: Google Professional Certificates instructors’ qualifications 49

Table 12: Coursera Professional Certificate Career Resources 55

Table 13: Coursera Quality Assurance System 66

Table 14: Screenshot – Item level feedback 72

Table 15: Screenshot – Course level feedback 73

Table 16: Screenshot – Feedback to the teaching staff 73

Table 17: Course level completion feedback 74

Description and appraisal in Detail

Summary

The panels’ assessment takes into account the self-assessment and the results of the online

assessment conference as well as the statement of Coursera Inc. to the assessment report dated

September 7, 2023.

Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate; Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce

Professional Certificate; Google IT Support Professional Certificate; Google IT Automation with

Python Professional Certificate; Google Project Management Professional Certificate; and Google

UX Design Professional Certificate of Coursera Inc. fulfil (with three exceptions) the FIBAA quality

requirements for certified continuing education courses and can be certified by the Foundation for

International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA) under three conditions. They may be

recognized as modules within further educational programs and have assigned ECTS credits.

The panel members identify need for action regarding the following aspects: Logic and

transparency of course objectives (see chapter 1.1); Structure (see chapter 3.1) and

Documentation (see chapter 5). Therefore, they recommend the credit recommendation on

condition of meeting the following requirements:

Condition 1 (see chapter 1.1)

Coursera and Google provide a deduction of the intended EQF levels of each of the

respective courses.

Condition 2 (see chapter 3.1)

For each of the six courses, Coursera and Google implement a learners’ workload evaluation

system which includes a systematic control loop from the survey to the analysis of the

results and the taking of appropriate measures.

Condition 3 (see chapter 5)

Coursera and Google ensure correct documentation about the ECTS credit awarding and

recognition on the homepage, in the program descriptions and in the certificates issued

after certification, considering ECTS credit recognition obligations by HEIs, EQF levels

assigned, number of credits awarded, requirements for awarding credits and workload

assigned to the courses.

Proof of meeting these conditions is to be documented by June 19, 2024.

The panel members also identified several areas where the courses could be further developed:

● summarizing the information defined in the ECTS Users’ Guide in one publicly accessible

sheet or course description, the classification of learning objectives in taxonomy levels,

listing recommended literature and communicating to learners and completers that the

combination of the Professional Certificate in combination with proof of relevant

professional experience may also facilitate recognition of ECTS credits. (see chapter 3.1),

● re-evaluating the communication of international and intercultural aspects in the course

descriptions (see chapter 3.2),

Description and appraisal in Detail

● serving learners’ and completers aspirations by not only listing recommended literature

(see recommendation chapter 3.1), but additionally providing a guided process into the

work with further literature (see chapter 3.2),

● considering enriching the concept of the asynchronous MOOCs by options of synchronous

teaching formats, like live lectures or real-time interactive formats (see chapter 3.4),

● systemizing access to subject-specific databases (see chapter 4.5.),

● communicating current Learner Outcome Reports on the website (see chapter 6).

The measures Coursera and Google take in order to implement the recommendations of the panel

members are to be considered in the context of the re-certification.

On the other hand, there are several criteria that exceed the quality requirements:

● Positioning of the courses in the education and job market, and the professional field (see

chapter 1.3),

● Logic and conceptual coherence of the content (see chapter 3.2),

● Logic and transparency of teaching and learning methodology (see chapter 3.4),

● Internal cooperation (see chapter 4.1),

● Process organization and administrative support for learners and teaching staff (see

chapter 4.2),

Furthermore, there are two criteria which the panel team rates as “exceptional”:

● Skills for employment/Employability (see chapter 3.5),

● Practical experience of the teaching staff (see chapter 4.1),

For the overall assessment please refer to the quality profile at the end of this report.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Details on the institution

Launched in 2012 by two Stanford professors, Andrew Ng, and Daphne Koller, Coursera´s mission

is to provide universal access to world-class learning. Coursera is now one of the largest online

learning platforms, with 118 million registered learners, partnering with over 300 university and

industry partners to oﬀer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses,

Specializations, Professional Certificates, Guided Projects, and bachelorʼs and masterʼs degrees.

Institutions worldwide use Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students

in data science, technology, and business. Coursera became a B Corp

in February 2021.

Coursera operates in five essential business units within two models:

1) Coursera for Individual learners

a. Degrees

b. Open Content (Professional Certificates, Specializations & Courses by university and

Industry Partners)

2) Business to Business (Coursera for Enterprise)

a. Coursera for Business

b. Coursera for Campus

c. Coursera for Government

Learners coming to Coursera are oﬀered a broad range of learning oﬀerings, from a two-hour Guided

Project on how to build a website to full study programs. As technology automates more repetitive,

predictable, lower-skilled job tasks, individuals worldwide seek to reskill with Professional

Certificates and college degrees to move into emerging digital careers. Coursera hostsa portfolio

of entry-level Professional Certificates from Google, IBM, Intuit, Meta, Salesforce, and other

industry leaders that help develop the skills needed to land entry-level digital jobs in business, IT,

cybersecurity, data science, marketing, sales, design, and finance without requiring a college

degree or any experience in the field. Coursera also hosts online degrees in data science, computer

science, engineering, business, social science, and public health. The full Coursera catalog

includes

● 2,200+ Guided Projects: Gain a job-relevant skill in less than two hours

● 5,300+ Courses: Learn something new in four to six weeks

● 625+ Specializations: Gain a job-relevant skill in three to six months

● 75+ Certificates

● 15+ Entry-level Professional Certificates

: Earn a certification of job readiness for an in-

demand career in three to nine months

https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/ (certification for sustainability)

As of December 31, 2021. The periods noted are intended completion timeframes; actual time to completion

varies.

In this report referred to as “courses”, for terminology see glossary at the end of this report.

Description and appraisal in Detail

● 20+ MasterTrack Certificates: In three to twelve months, earn a university-issued certificate

from a module of a university degree and credit that can be applied to that degree in the

future.

● 30+ Degrees: Earn a bachelorʼs or masterʼs degree or a postgraduate diploma entirely

online.

The Coursera platform is designed to enable learners to discover the right content and credentials

by domain (e.g., Business, Technology, Health), by skills (e.g., Python, Statistics, Data

Visualization), and by job role (e.g., Data Analyst, Marketer, Engineer). Once learners enroll in a

course, the unified technology platform is designed to enable them to learn eﬀectively to advance

their careers and earn credentials to signal their learning to prospective employers.

Learners either pay per single guided project, course, certificate, or degree. Coursera Plus is a

subscription pricing model that gives learners access to over 7,000 courses, Guided Projects,

Specializations, and Professional Certificates on Coursera for a monthly or an annual fee.

As part of Coursera´s strategy and focus on supporting individuals with job readiness certificates

in their career planning, certificate oﬀerings have increasing importance in Coursera´s product

catalog. After the first positive experiences with this training oﬀer, Coursera has been able to

expand the number of available entry-level certificates to over 30 (see Table 1: Entry-level

Professional Certificates at Coursera). Coursera systematically derives the needs from a thorough

analysis of data as well as the latest conference and research results. Coursera partners with

companies to integrate subject matter expertise from professional practice and to train the skills

that are needed on the job for the respective tasks. A separate corporate division has dedicated

itself to this topic of industry partnerships.

Table 1: Entry-level Professional Certificates at Coursera

Description and appraisal in Detail

Coursera´s research and internal data analysis shows that career certificates are a significant

opportunity for learners to progress in their jobs and form a path to digital jobs. Many oﬀ-platform

demand signals are considered when defining Professional Certificate targets, such as job postings

and job growth in the last twelve months in key countries, percentage of entry-level positions,

percentage of roles not requiring a Bachelorʼs degree, projected growth, median salary, and

diﬀiculty in hiring. The demand signals are further validated once the programs are live by

analyzing on-platform demand signals such as search volume, enrollment numbers, revenue, and

the number of learners with a Professional Certificate that later have proceeded to enroll in a degree

program.

An increasing number of universities worldwide recognize Professional Certificates towards their

degrees, thus making these learning units stackable into full-degree programs. To ease recognition

in Europe and in accordance with the ECTS Users’ Guide’ s intention of Recognition of Prior

Learning

, Coursera and Google also aims at ECTS credit recommendation with FIBAA certification.

On the other hand, in many cases, entry-level certificates enable learners to start their careers in

various new job opportunities (see Table 2: Entry-level Professional Certificates: Pathways to

digital jobs).

For Coursera hosted Professional Certificates in the areas of business, information technology, data

analytics, and user experience, Coursera has been able to hostGoogle as a content partner. Google

Career Certificates are part of Grow with Google, an initiative that draws on Google’s 20-year

history of building products, platforms, and services that help people and businesses grow.

Through programs like these, Google aims to help those who make up the workforce of today and

the students who will drive the workforce of tomorrow – access the best of Googleʼs training and

tools to grow their skills, careers, and businesses (see self-report p. 8f.).

ECTS Users’ guide 2015, page 46

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 2: Entry-level Professional Certificates: Pathways to digital jobs

Although this is the first time the courses in this bundle will be certified according to the ECTS

standards, many learners have already completed the courses. Most of the certification courses

have already been assessed at least once by the American Council on Education and have received

a positive credit recommendation. Comments and recommendations from beta testing and first

learners have been successfully implemented. In addition to these external quality assurance

measures, Coursera continuously and systematically collects, processes, and makes available data

points, including the number of learners, number of completions, star rating, the average time to

completion, average passing score, pass ratios, and learner satisfaction rates in dashboards that

are analyzed at least once a year in a detailed feedback and evaluation meeting between all parties.

In this meeting, areas for improvement are identified, measures derived, and implementation

timetables recorded. It is also reviewed whether changes or updates to the learning content are

necessary (see also chapter 6.).

Appraisal:

The panel acknowledges Coursera as a well-established platform of online courses. Google is a

leader in building products, platforms, and services, and has profound experience in developing

trainings. Moreover, Google provides exceptional practical content knowledge. Thus, the co-

operation to develop and conduct Professional Certificates combines considerable knowledge and

resources for conceiving and designing the courses and provides a considerable number of highly

effective processes as well as outstanding employability (see also chapters 3.2, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2).

Description and appraisal in Detail

1 STRATEGY AND OBJECTIVES

1.1 Logic and transparency of course objectives

Coursera´s general objectives for “Professional Certificates” (entry-level, advanced, experts) oﬀer

an accessible learning experience from top companies and universities. Learners can get started

immediately, study at their own pace, anytime and anywhere. They can create work samples

through the course to demonstrate their skills and earn a career credential.

“Entry-level Professional Certificates” on Coursera are designed to provide a comprehensive and

high-quality approach to preparing learners for an in-demand career. They are targeted at learners

with little prerequisites and no or little previous knowledge. Learners gain practical skills and

knowledge through hands-on projects and, upon completion, can demonstrate job readiness to

potential employers with a Professional Certificate credential.

The Google Professional Certificates are designed to provide learners with subject-specific,

methodological, and social competencies through a holistic qualification concept. Across the

various Google Professional Certificates, the application orientation is represented in the practical

implementation of projects and application of Data Analytics, Project Management, IT Support,

Marketing, E-Commerce, UX Design, and IT Automation procedures in the respective method

courses and labs. Theoretical foundations and explanations always accompany the expertise of

practitioners and subject matter experts.

Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

Data analytics is the collection, transformation, and organization of data in order to draw

conclusions, make predictions, and drive informed decision making. Learners are supposed to gain

in-demand skills that prepare them for an entry-level job. Skills they are supposed to gain include:

Data cleaning, problem solving, critical thinking, data ethics, and data visualization. Platforms and

tools learners are supposed to gain include: Presentations, Spreadsheets, SQL, Tableau and R

Programming. Learning objectives are:

● Gain an immersive understanding of the practices and processes used by a junior or

associate data analyst in their day-to-day job,

● Learn key analytical skills (data cleaning, analysis, & visualization) and tools

(spreadsheets, SQL, R programming, Tableau),

● Understand how to clean and organize data for analysis, and complete analysis and

calculations using spreadsheets, SQL and R programming,

● Learn how to visualize and present data findings in dashboards, presentations and

commonly used visualization platforms.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate

Learners are supposed to gain in-demand skills that prepare them for an entry-level job. Skills they

are supposed to gain include: Developing digital marketing and e-commerce strategies; attracting

and engaging customers through digital marketing channels like search and email; measuring

marketing analytics and sharing insights; building e-commerce stores, analyzing e-commerce

performance, and building customer loyalty. Platforms and tools learners are supposed to gain

include: Canva, Constant Contact, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Hootsuite, HubSpot, Mailchimp,

Shopify, and Twitter. Learning objectives are:

● Learn the fundamentals of digital marketing and e-commerce to gain the skills needed to

land an entry-level job,

● Attract and engage customers through digital marketing channels like search and email,

● Measure marketing performance through analytics and present insights,

● Build e-commerce stores, analyze online performance, and grow customer loyalty.

Google IT Support Professional Certificate

Learners are supposed to gain in-demand skills that prepare them for an entry-level job in IT

support. The program covers the fundamentals of IT support, including troubleshooting, customer

service, networking, operating systems, system administration, and security. Skills learners are

supposed to gain include: Network protocols, cloud computing, Windows operating system, Linux

command line, systems administration, encryption algorithms and techniques. Learning objectives

are:

● Learn to perform day-to-day IT support tasks including computer assembly, wireless

networking, installing programs, and customer service,

● Learn how to provide end-to-end customer support, ranging from identifying problems to

troubleshooting and debugging,

● Learn to use systems including Linux, Domain Name Systems, Command-Line Interface, and

Binary Code.

Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate

Learners are supposed to gain in-demand skills – including Python, Git, and IT automation – to

advance their career. Knowing how to write a code to solve problems and automate solutions is a

crucial skill for anybody in IT. According to Coursera

Python is now the most in-demand

programming language by employers.

This program is designed to teach how to program with Python and how to use Python to automate

common system administration tasks. Learners will also learn to use Git and GitHub, troubleshoot

and debug complex problems, and apply automation at scale by using configuration management

Appendix B, page 4

Description and appraisal in Detail

and the cloud, and practice their technical skills with hands-on projects including a capstone

project. The course is designed to prepare learners for a variety of roles in IT, like more advanced

IT Support Specialist or Junior Systems Administrator positions. Learning objectives are:

● Automate tasks by writing Python scripts,

● Use Git and GitHub for version control,

● Manage IT resources at scale, both for physical machines and virtual machines in the cloud,

● Analyze real-world IT problems and implement the appropriate strategies to solve those

problems.

Google Project Management Professional Certificate

Project managers set the plan, guide teammates, manage changes, risks, and stakeholders.

Learners are supposed to gain in-demand skills that prepare them for an entry-level job. Skills

learners are supposed to gain include: Creating risk management plans; understanding process

improvement techniques; managing escalations, team dynamics, and stakeholders; creating

budgets and navigating procurement; utilizing project management software, tools, and templates;

practicing agile project management, with an emphasis on Scrum. Learners will get introduced to

initiating, planning, and running both traditional and agile projects and develop a toolbox to

demonstrate their understanding of key project management elements, including managing a

schedule, budget, and team. Learning objectives are:

● Gain an immersive understanding of the practices and skills needed to succeed in an entry-

level project management role,

● Learn how to create effective project documentation and artifacts throughout the various

phases of a project,

● Learn the foundations of agile project management, with a focus on implementing Scrum

events, building Scrum artifacts, and understanding Scrum roles,

● Practice strategic communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder management through

real-world scenarios.

Google UX Design Professional Certificate

User experience (UX) designers focus on the interaction that users have with products, like

websites, apps, and physical objects. They make those everyday interactions useful, enjoyable, and

accessible. Learners of this course are supposed to gain in-demand skills that prepare them for an

entry-level job. Participants will learn how to complete the design process from beginning to end,

including: Empathizing with users; defining user pain points; coming up with ideas for design

solutions; creating wireframes, mockups, and prototypes; testing designs through usability

studies; iterating on designs based on feedback. Participants will create designs on paper and in

digital design tools like Figma and Adobe XD. By the end of the certificate program, they will have

Description and appraisal in Detail

a professional UX portfolio that includes three end-to-end projects, enabling them to apply for jobs.

Learning objectives are:

● Follow the design process: empathize with users, define pain points, ideate solutions,

create wireframes and prototypes, test and iterate on designs

● Understand the basics of UX research, like planning research studies, conducting interviews

and usability studies, and synthesizing research results

● Apply foundational UX concepts, like user-centered design, accessibility, and equity-

focused design

● Create a professional UX portfolio that includes three end-to-end projects: a mobile app, a

responsive website, and a cross-platform experience

According to Coursera and Google, the specifications from the European Qualifications Framework

(EQF) have been taken into account in the design of the learning objectives of the modules and

courses

, e.g., “the ability and willingness of the individual to use knowledge and skills as well as

personal, social and methodological abilities and to behave in a thoughtful and individually and

socially responsible manner. Competence is understood in this sense as comprehensive action

competence” (see self-report p. 11).

Appraisal:

The qualification objectives of the courses are explained and convincingly presented in relation to

the target group. They embrace appropriate training of knowledge, skills and competence,

comprehensive employability, as well as the development of the individual learner’s personality

(in relation to the scope of the courses).

The course objectives are based on subject-specific and generic learning outcomes which are in

line with the level of the qualification to be awarded upon completion. However, the panel misses

a clear deduction of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) level, supported by a taxonomy

of the job skills provided in the job task analyses.

Therefore, the panel suggests the following condition:

Coursera and Google provide a deduction of the intended EQF levels of each of the

respective courses.

In order to achieve this the panel suggests taking into account a taxonomy of the intended job

skills, (e.g. based on Bloom, EQF and the e-Competence Framework of the EU

The panel acknowledges the exceptional employability (see chapter 3.5) of the completersand the

fact that the courses may be recognized as credits for respective courses in undergraduate study

programs (for communication and documentation, see condition chapter 5).

See chapter 3.1 Structure

e-CF levels, (see p. 42 to align e-CF and EQF levels)

Description and appraisal in Detail

When defining the learning objectives, the course provider and content partner (Google) also take

into account the findings of course completers-tracking studies (further occupational development

of all Professional Certificate graduates). Coursera does not analyze course-specific completion-

tracking, but a completion-tracking for all Professional Certificates.

Exceptional

Exceeds

quality

requirements

Meets

quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality re-

quirements

n.r.

Strategy and Objectives

1.1*

Logic and transparency of course

objectives

Condition

1.2 International orientation of the courses

Coursera and Google prepare its learners with Entry-Level Professional Certificates for jobs in an

international environment. The certificates are intended to facilitate learnersʼ development of an

international perspective on issues and explicitly prepare them for global professional activity. The

language of instruction also supports the certificatesʼ internationality. All courses at this level are

delivered in English, while some are translated into other world languages like Spanish, French, or

German. Additional languages can be added on request and due to identified demand for certain

areas or markets.

If relevant to the learning objectives, international aspects of the respective course content are

integrated into all modules, thus enabling learnersto gain an international perspective on the

problem areas. In addition, when selecting instructors and subject matter experts

, greater

importance is attached to ensuring they have foreign language skills and international experience,

e.g., through stays abroad, employment in internationally active companies, and/or internationally

oriented project work (see self-report p. 12).

Any country-specific diﬀerences in software, research, and applicability of what has been learned

are addressed. Especially in software training, various formatting, or convention diﬀerences are

explicitly highlighted, and workarounds are made available within the framework of toolboxes or

adapted versions.

The learning objectives are designed to provide learners worldwide with the relevant/appropriate

subject knowledge and develop skills that will help them work successfully in an international

environment. The necessary skills are derived from carefully crafted and analyzed JTAs (job tasks

analysis, see chapter 3.5) with leading enterprises and subject matter experts. Emphasis is always

placed on international standards, and common procedural techniques applied worldwide.

*: Asterisk Criterion

For Coursera terminology of teaching staff, see chapter 4.1 and glossary.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Appraisal:

Within the scope of the courses and with respect to the international availability of the courses, the

intention is to sustainably promote the employability of completers. The panel highlights that

Google assigns teaching staff with a dedicated international background (see also chapter 4.1).

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Strategy and Objectives

1.2

International orientation of the courses

1.3 Positioning of the courses

During the Covid19 pandemic, online learning provided educators, businesses, and governments

with the means to respond to a global crisis that fundamentally changed how people learn and

work. The combined forces of online learning and remote work assist to the vision of a world, where

anyone, anywhere, has access to education. By working directly with universities and enterprises

and powering institutional collaboration across the platform, Coursera and Google provide access

to global and aﬀordable education while paving the way for talent to rise from anywhere with

remote, digital jobs.

With the rise of online learning and the increasing demand for skills and qualifications, online

Professional Certificates have become increasingly popular. They oﬀer a way for individuals to gain

new skills, qualifications, and credentials without attending traditional classrooms.

Coursera hostedProfessional Certificates are industry-recognized and can provide a competitive

edge on the job market. In addition, Professional Certificates are becoming a much sought-after

asset for both candidates (job seekers and employees) and employers, as they demonstrate that an

individual has the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in a certain field. They provide

individuals with a convenient and accessible way to gain the necessary skills and qualifications to

pursue a career. As employers and educational institutions become more rigorous in their

requirements, Professional Certificates become an invaluable asset in helping individuals meet

their career goals and objectives.

The development of the Professional Certificates was strongly oriented toward the specifications

and recommendations of business and industry representatives to prepare completers

appropriately for labor market requirements. Concerning the range of qualifications, care was taken

to include the facets and characteristics of the intended occupational fields and to anchor them in

the syllabus (see description Job Task Analysis (JTA) chapter 3.5).

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 3: SWOT analysis of Professional Certificates

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Certificates provide a more

specialized approach to

higher education, allowing

students to gain skills and

knowledge more quickly and

eﬀiciently than traditional

college degrees.

Certificates may not be

recognized or accepted by

certain employers or

educational institutions.

Certificates can provide new

educational and career

opportunities to those who

may not have access to

traditional college degrees.

Certain employers or

educational institutions may

not accept certificates.

Certificates are often

more aﬀordable than

traditional college

degrees, making them

attractive to various

students.

Certificates may not provide

the same prestige or

recognition as traditional

college degrees.

Certificates can provide

employers with a way to

recognize the specialized

skills of their employees.

Certificates may not provide

the same level of recognition

as traditional college

degrees.

Certificates provide

employers with a way to

recognize the specialized

skills and professional

qualifications of their

employees.

Certificates may not provide

the same educational or

career opportunities as

traditional college degrees.

Certificates can help

employers stay competitive

in their respective industries.

Certificates may be seen as a

“quick fix” to gaining skills

and knowledge rather than a

true commitment to higher

education.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

● Develop partnerships with employers

and educational institutions to ensure

that Professional Certificates are

accepted and recognized in their

respective industries.

● Develop career counseling services to

assist students in utilizing the skills

and knowledge gained through

Professional Certificates to find

employment.

● Develop marketing campaigns to emphasize

the benefits of Professional Certificates, such

as their aﬀordability and more specialized

approach to higher education.

● Develop promotional campaigns focusing on

the potential educational and career

opportunities that Professional Certificates

can provide.

Threats

● Develop strategies to ensure that

Professional Certificates are seen as

a true commitment to education

rather than a “quick fix” to gaining

skills and knowledge.

● Develop programs that can demonstrate

the value of Professional Certificates in

terms of the specialized skills and

knowledge that they provide.

● Develop strategies to ensure that

Professional Certificates are recognized and

accepted by employers and educational

institutions.

● Develop strategies to ensure that

Professional Certificates are considered a

valid form of education equal to parts of

traditional college degrees.

Coursera conducts regular competitive analyses and performs internal analyses of its strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. These analyses provide valuable insights into the

company's positioning compared to its competitors. The sub-areas analyzed are based on detailed

information about various criteria, and the team identifies key learning points from the diﬀerences

identified. Based on these learning points, recommendations and alternative courses of action are

Description and appraisal in Detail

derived and integrated into the strategic development of the company's service and product

oﬀerings.

Coursera is a learner-first and learner-centric platform for career advancement. The key learner

segments for Coursera are Career Starters (15-19%), Career Switchers (24-35%), Career Advancers

(21-34%), and Enthusiasts (8-13%). The first two are composed of job-seekers: Starters want to

learn skills to land their first professional job, and Switchers want to switch to a diﬀerent role by

developing new skills. Moreover, Starters and Switchers represent most of the learners on

Courseraʼs platform, with the proportion of starters being even higher for other regions outside the

Coursera considers lifelong and lifecycle learning in positioning courses on the Coursera platform.

We aim to reach learners early in their careers and oﬀer them aﬀordable, job-relevant content, skills

learning, and credentials to help them start or advance their careers. Courseraʼs lifelong learning

ecosystem (see Table 4) shows the three pillars of the companyʼs strategy: the connections made

between learners and educators, industry, or university partners, the one between learners and

institutions, and the one between educators and institutions.

In this context, Courseraʼs partnership with Google connects learners and educators to solve a

particular learner problem: learning new skills to either land their first professional job or switch

to diﬀerent roles. When further assessing the learnerʼs pain points, Coursera has found that entry-

level Professional Certificates from globally renowned brands that are highly job aligned generate

very strong Product-Market-fit (PMF). The internal analysis supports this aﬀirmation, considering

that entry-level Professional Certificates are currently the largest driver of revenue globally (2022).

Extensive research has been conducted to define what partners would be better suited (what

companies learners would want to learn from) and what content is highly demanded on the job

market. Through that process, Google was identified as a thought leader and expert in areas of high

job growth.

Sample figures: Career Starters in US approximately 31 %, in India 44%

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 4: Courseraʼs lifelong learning ecosystem

Appraisal:

The panel appreciates the very structured and holistic approach of the job market analysis. The

position in the education and job market is reviewed, and the courses’ competitiveness analyzed

and documented. Course completion-tracking studies are undertaken, analyzed and confirm the

desired position of the courses’ completers.

The way in which the courses are integrated into Coursera’s overall strategy and relate to the other

offers of Coursera is plausibly described. The courses pursue qualification objectives which

correspond to the course provider’s concept and strategic planning.

Exceptional

Exceeds

quality

requirements

Meets

quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality re-

quirements

n.r.

Strategy and Objectives

1.3

Positioning of the courses

1.3.1

Positioning of the course in the education

and job market, and the

professional field

(“Employability”)

1.3.2

Position of the course within the

institution’s overall strategy

Description and appraisal in Detail

2 ADMISSION

Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

The target group for the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is beginner-level learners

who want to develop job-ready skills, tools, and a portfolio for an entry-level Data Analyst, Junior

Data Analyst, or Associate Data Analyst position. This program does not require any prior

experience.

Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate

The target group for the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate is

beginner-level learners who want to develop job-ready skills, tools, and a portfolio for an entry-

level Marketing Coordinator, E-commerce Associate, Paid Search Specialist position. This program

does not require any prior experience.

Google IT Support Professional Certificate

The target group for the Google IT Support Professional Certificate is beginner-level learners who

want to develop job-ready skills, tools, and a portfolio for an entry-level IT Specialist, or IT Support

Specialist position. This program does not require any prior experience.

Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate

The Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate is designed to provide IT

professionals with in-demand skills - including Python, Git, and IT automation - that can help

advance their career. The Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate can help

prepare learners for a variety of roles in IT, like more advanced IT Support Specialist or Junior

Systems Administrator positions. Familiarity with basic IT concepts, like operating systems, files

and processes, networking and data management will be required in further courses. For learners

with no IT background at all, Coursera recommends taking the Google IT Support Professional

Certificate, but it is not required to enroll in this program. Coursera and Google recommend

participants to have Python installed on their computer. They also need a computer where they can

install Git.

Google Project Management: Professional Certificate

The target group for the Google Project Management Professional Certificate is beginner-level

learners who want to develop job-ready skills, tools, and a portfolio for an entry-level Project

Manager, Project Coordinator, or Project Assistant position. This program does not require any

prior experience.

Google UX Design Professional Certificate

The target group for the Google UX Design Professional Certificate is beginner-level learners who

want to develop job-ready skills, tools, and a portfolio for an entry-level User Experience (UX)

Designer, UI Designer, or Interaction Designer position. This program does not require any prior

experience.

Description and appraisal in Detail

To enroll in each of the Google Professional Certificates, learners must subscribe to the Coursera

platform and enroll in their preferred course from the course description page on the Coursera

website. To enrol, learners must 1) open the page for the course they want to enroll in, 2) click

enroll and 3) choose the preferred payment option

. After enrolling, learners must agree that they

will be required to provide a government-issued ID to earn a certificate for completing learning

content, after which learners can navigate to the beginning of the course through the learning

management system and begin learning asynchronously. To enroll in the course, learners must have

access to a computer or mobile device and internet connection. Learners who enroll in the courses

must be proficient in English

As the online platform provider, Coursera has a contract with Google to host its content. When

enrolling in a course, learners agree to Coursera's terms of use and access hosted content through

the Coursera platform. The learner's parent relationship is with Coursera, and as such, Coursera

holds their data as the controller. Content and instruction are from Google and owned by Google.

Coursera's role is to (a) aid in sharing best practices for teaching online, (b) recruit learners, (c)

foster engagement between learners and the hosted content, and (d) to serve as the main point of

organizational contact to ensure a successful learning experience through learner support services,

educator support services, and technical support.

Legal Relationship between Coursera and Google

Coursera and Google have contractual documentation in place to govern the provision and hosting

of content on the Coursera platform. The documentation sets out the parties' agreement on matters

such as material licensing, intellectual property rights, marketing, content production and content

review responsibilities, course appropriateness rights, functionality and accessibility, and

responsibilities for both the content and platform. There are relevant provisions agreeing on terms

for liability, termination events, and the teach-out to protect learner interests upon termination.

The agreement also contains relevant provisions for data and information security protection to

safeguard the protection of personally identifiable information.

The parties are agreeing on clear permissions for Google to permit participation in creditworthiness

reviews through a participation agreement. These agreements are held on a confidential basis.

Legal relationship between Coursera and Learners

Coursera sets out terms of use in relation to learners that use the platform. The terms contain key

information and provisions on areas such as the extent of a learnerʼs license when using Coursera

services, content oﬀering and credit granting, security standards, the use of third-party content,

and modification permissions. There are also boilerplate terms related to liability and disclaimers.

See information on payment in chapter “Details on the institution”

English is the default language for all Professional Certificates, although for some courses there are

variants available in other world languages or with subtitles. Learners are informed about the available

language versions on the course page and can choose the one that suits them best.

Description and appraisal in Detail

The terms of use are available online

. In addition to the contractual terms of use, the document

also includes key policies which help clarify material terms for learners on the platform:

● Acceptable Use Policy - which sets out activities that learners are and are not allowed to do on

the platform.

● Copyright and Trademark Policy - this protects intellectual property in the content and platform

● Payment and Refund Policy - this policy sets out details on refund, and cancellation in line with

Coursera’s consumer law obligations

● Honor Code - this code is published to protect academic integrity standards and links to a

plagiarism policy. Coursera notes that this Honor Code has undertaken a substantive review

and is about to be updated (see self-report p. 20).

Google and Teaching staff

All instructors are Google employee subject matter experts (SMEs) with a professional background

and expertise in the subject area of instruction with relevant or noteworthy skill sets to the

curriculum they are teaching. They were recommended by VP and Director-level leadership and

vetted by certificate leads through interviews and work product (e.g., case studies, design

portfolios, textbooks authored). In addition, they were supported by instructional designers with

expertise in adult learning and by Coursera's pedagogical training. Google subject matter experts

develop and review all of the material in each certificate program.

Appraisal:

The choice of the specific target group is based on the strategic objectives of the certificate course.

All courses aim at specific target groups with no prior expertise or formal requirements (see also

chapter 5) but targeted at specific career aspirations and job profiles.

Admission guidelines have been defined and are coherent (e.g., proficiency in English). They take

into account the specific characteristics of the target groups (e.g., job seekers and job switchers).

They support the achievement of the course objectives. Admission guidelines also include

information on the requirements in terms of technical equipment.

The contractual relationship between Coursera and the content partner (Google) on the one hand

and the learners on the other hand, as well as between content partner and teaching staff is set

down and documented. Rights and obligations of contractual parties have been established and are

known to all relevant parties. Transparency and legal certainty exist.

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Admission

2.1*

Focus on the target group

2.2*

Admission conditions

2.3*

Legal relationship

https://www.coursera.org/about/terms (last call August 7, 2023)

Description and appraisal in Detail

3 IMPLEMENTATION

3.1 Structure

Entry-Level Professional Certificates require no degree or experience in the area to take the

program or obtain a specified entry-level job role. For example, a learner with a high school diploma

and no degree or work experience can take an Entry-Level Professional Certificate and be

considered for related roles upon completion. Like all content on Coursera, Professional

Certificates include Courseraʼs Pedagogy Principles (see chapter 3.4).

Each Google Professional Certificate program contains “courses”, which contain weekly

“modules”

(four to six lessons) that progressively build on concepts taught previously. Each

module contains weekly learning objectives. By completing the weekly content for each module in

order, learners can achieve the learning outcomes required to progress to the subsequent module.

Google Professional Certificates on Coursera:

● Include eight to 13 courses designed to be completed in in three to five months (workload

of ten hours/week).

● Include career-relevant, hands-on projects to showcase to potential employers on the

learnerʼs resume and in interviews.

● Include a partner-branded Professional Certificate, which Coursera issues and the partner

delivers, from the partner dashboard to learners who successfully complete the program.

● Provide career-readiness resources, so the learner knows how to prepare for the job role.

Learners should be expected to complete an Entry-Level Professional Certificate in 80-200 hours

of total engagement time. Each course in the Entry-Level Professional Certificate must include

approximately 10 hours of total learner engagement time per week (e.g., watching videos, reading

materials, completing assessments).

To help learners prepare for an entry-level job, Coursera and Google emphasize that they should

get ample practice and hands-on learning time to learn the skills they need for the role. Each course

should also include a job-relevant project at the end of each course to help learners demonstrate

their skills and build their resumes for potential employers. Coursera summarizes Entry-Level

Professional Certificate Content Specifications as follows:

“Course” in Coursera terminology is a learning unit within the certificate program covering a certain

content topic. A course (topic) is split into “modules” (in Coursera terminology) which is a weekly learning

unit, thus “module” being Coursera´s terminology for the smallest learning unit within the “course” and the

“program” (as a whole), see glossary.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 5: Entry-Level Professional Certificate Content Specifications

Entry-Level Professional Certificate Content Specifications

Content

Structure

4+ courses per Entry-Level Professional Certificate

4+ modules per course (10-16 hours of total learner engagement time per course)

3+ lessons per module in a course

1 graded assessment at the end of each module

30+ min of hands-on learning in each module (Optional for Course

1) 1 cumulative hands-on project at the end of each course

80-200 hours of total learner engagement time across the Professional Certificate

Learning

Objectives

4+ per Entry-Level Professional Certificate

program 4+ per course

4+ per module

1 per instructional item

1 evaluated by each graded assessment

All course learning objectives are applied through the hands-on project

All learning objectives uploaded to the Coursera platform and incorporated directly into instructional

materials

Assessments

16+ graded per Entry-Level Professional Certificate Program

4+ graded per course, including at least one hands-on

project 1+ graded per module

1+ practice per instructional item

Graded and practice assessments align with a learning objective or career

skills 30 minutes of learner time per practice assessment

30+ minutes of learner time per graded assessment Graded

assessments appear at the end of each module

Graded hands-on project appears at the end of each course

All assessments include detailed feedback

Instructional

materials

Identify the Professional Certificate target audience, prerequisites, related job role, and associated

certification (if applicable) in a video, a reading, and landing pages

Include a “Welcome to the course” in a video and a reading

Include module descriptions on the Coursera platform

1+ hour of video (4-7 min each) per module

30+ minutes of hands-on learning time per

module 1 hour of readings per module

1 discussion prompt per course

Description and appraisal in Detail

Best Practices

Scaﬀold the learning path

Promote active learning withpractice

Explain with visuals and metaphors

Provide career information

Google Professional Certificates have been developed from the ground up to ensure employability

for a specific target occupation and to build skills, abilities, and competencies to be job-ready.

1. Learning Outcomes

Derived from the respective JTA (job task analysis, see chapter 3.5), a basic idea of the learning

objectives has been developed by Googleʼs instructional designers and a team of subject matter

experts. Each Professional Certificate has therefore defined learning objectives to be achieved

at the top level, whereby both the EQF recommendations on competence acquisition have been

applied, and the descriptions of the respective learning objectives have been formulated based

on the recommendations of Bloom's taxonomy.

In addition, the overarching learning objectives for the respective certificate are broken down

further toward individual learning outcomes for each “course” and for each weekly “module”.

The quizzes and assessments are aligned with the learning objectives at the weekly “module”,

“course”, and certificate levels.

2. Workload

To determine the workload, each sub-element is analyzed within the pre-structured weekly

learning plans, and the length (e.g., videos or reading) is determined. The learning and

processing times determined in this way are finally summarized at the level of the Professional

Certificate. In this way, learners know the total workload in the respective certificate and the

weekly learning times for each element. It is possible to set individual learning time targets

and days on which Coursera and Google remind the user of their learning goals in the app or

the browser, thus continuously motivating learners to participate. The workload at all levels is

documented and systematically displayed before and during learning.

3. Recommendations for ECTS credit allocation

Referencing the methodology and principles from the ECTS User’s Guide 2015 and utilizing the

application of the workload calculation, Coursera and Google aim to show a defined ECTS credit

recommendation that corresponds appropriately to the workload and learning objectives for

the individual certificates. One ECTS credit should correspond to 25 hours of workload. The

individual workload per module may vary depending on the task and exceed the initially

determined reference time. The workload analyses provide a regular check, but in case of doubt,

a slightly higher eﬀort for a task should be assumed rather than less learning time. Coursera

Description and appraisal in Detail

and Google consider this by using the lower end of the range

and showing a corresponding

ECTS credit recommendation value.

4. Non-Allocation for single educational components (on module/course level)

Although the Professional Certificate comprises smaller units, the respective “courses” and

“modules”, Coursera and Google refrain from distributing ECTS credits at this level. This

approach follows the application in higher education institutions. For example, a module in the

field of tertiary education, similar to an entire certificate, extends over four to six months. The

ECTS credit allocation assigned to one module at higher education institutions should,

according to many national recommendations

, not be less than five ECTS credits as a rule. A

different allocation than full ECTS credits should be avoided unless the general program design

can compensate for the sensible full ECTS credits per semester. In addition, the corresponding

course unit should conclude with an examination performance, which justifies the acquisition

of the ECTS credits. In the case of the Professional Certificate, this is the Final Project, often

also called the Capstone Project.

5. 60 ECTS credits allocation per year

The Professional Certificates are part-time continuing education programs intended to enable

the acquisition of competencies and skills part-time. The weekly learning performance is geared

towards this circumstance, with a maximum workload of approximately ten hours per week for

three to five months.

6. ECTS credit documentation

The use of ECTS credits is facilitated and quality enhanced by supporting documents like the

course catalog and the certificate supplement via Credly. The use of Credly has proven to be an

exceptional fit because learners have the permanent ability to store their achieved digital

credits in one secure place. In addition, Credly provides prospective employers with the ability

to verify that the individual earned the Professional Certificate, thus enabling a certificate

authenticity check. In addition to badges, Credly provides learners with a transcript that

Registration Oﬀices a HEIs can utilize.

i.e. the possible range of hours allocated per ECTS credit: 25-30

As an example, they refer to the recommendations for action of the University Rectors' Conference in Germany

(HRK), such as the recommendation on "Designing modularization" from February 2016.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 6: Credly Sample page

7. Certificate supplements

A Certificate supplement documents the courses and the associated qualifications. The

acquired skills, the earning criteria for the certificate, the learner, the content, the issuer, the

course description, and the certificate details (when and where obtained) are documented

transparently and through Credly in a safe space that still allows for authenticity checks for

external parties.

For each certificate program, Coursera and Google provided a plan including learning objectives of

the program, the “courses”, and the “modules”, the learning projects, and an overview and

biographies of the teaching staff

After enrolment, learners must agree that they will be required to provide a government-issued ID

to earn a certificate for completing learning content, after which learners can navigate to the

beginning of the course through the learning management system and begin learning

asynchronously.

See also chapter 4.1 and glossary

Description and appraisal in Detail

Learners attend the course by viewing lectures, completing readings and quizzes, responding to

discussion prompts, and completing hands-on labs and programming assignments. Each Google

Professional certificate has a minimum passing score of either 70 % or 80 % that learners must

meet in order to pass graded quizzes and complete the qualification for the Professional Certificate.

All Coursera learners must adhere to the Coursera Code of Conduct, Honor Code, and Terms of Use.

Detailed conditions of participation and assessment regulations, such as quiz attempt rates,

passing grades, and identity verification, are described to learners within each Google Professional

Certificate program at the start of each assignment as they navigate throughout the course content.

In addition, learners are informed where they can go in case of doubt about discrepancies and how

the grading appeal procedure would look like in these cases.

Coursera aims to ensure the feasibility of the programs’ workload by a suitable curriculum design

and a plausible calculation of workload of under ten hours of study a week to complete the course

within the suggested three to five months (see Table 7: Sample weekly plan). Learner enrolment is

voluntary and self-guided. Learners will complete the content asynchronously at a pace that meets

the demands of their personal schedules. Assessment deadlines are generated based on a

personalized schedule that begins when a learner enrolls in a course. If learners miss two

assessment deadlines in a row or an assessment deadline by two weeks, they will see a “reset

deadlines” option in their grades page. Learners can then switch to a new schedule for the course

with updated deadlines and can utilize this option as many times as needed. This does not remove

progress made in the course. If a learner cancels their Coursera subscription and then reactivates

it, their deadlines will automatically reset.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 7: Sample weekly plan

Description and appraisal in Detail

Discussion forums are accessible for enrolled learners, where they benefit from:

● Support from fellow learners which are moderated,

● Interaction with classmates, shared resources, and help answer questions about course

materials or assessments,

● Asking questions, debating ideas, and identifying classmates who share the same goals.

Appraisal:

The courses’ structural elements are convincingly described and motivated. The course structures

serve to promote the objectives and the learner' acquisition of knowledge and competences in line

with the given objectives.

By giving an analysis of the approach towards ECTS credit allocation, Coursera and Google have

proven comprehensive examination of the ECTS guidelines. The following ECTS elements: principle

of modularization, credit points and workload specifications, have mostly been implemented. The

guidelines for workload calculation are clearly and understandably deduced. The course

descriptions provide detailed descriptions of intended learning outcomes and the information

defined in the ECTS Users’ Guide

. Certificate supplements document the courses and the associated

qualifications in a transparent and coherent manner.

As for the workload calculated by Coursera and Google and intended ECTS credits to be awarded,

the conversion would be as follows:

Table 8: Workload calculation and intended ECTS credit assignment

Course Learning

hours

Learning

hours/25

ECTS credits

Intended

ECTS credit

assignment

Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

187 7,48 7

Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional

Certificate

166 6,64 7

Google IT Support Professional Certificate 137 5,48 5

Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate 113 4,52 5

Google Project Management Professional Certificate 152 6,08 6

Google UX Design Professional Certificate

234 9,36 9

See chapter 3.2, Table 9: Google Entry-Level Professional Certificates: Course contents and learning hours

Description and appraisal in Detail

According to the ECTS Users’ Guide

, workload is an estimation of the time the individual typically

needs to complete all learning activities such as lectures, seminars, projects, practical work, work

placements and individual study required to achieve the defined learning outcomes in formal

learning environment. Based on the generally valid rounding rules (4,5 equals up to 5 equals up to

5,4) the panel notes that workload calculation and ECTS credit allocation is plausible for all six

programs.

The panel notes that Coursera and Google did not provide proof of a process of reviewing the

workload including taking into account learner feedback and the courses’ success rate. During the

assessment conference learners confirmed that the calculated workload was feasible, however, a

question whether the actual workload of the whole course corresponds with, is lower or higher than

the estimated workload (including teaching time, self-study time and examination) is missing in

the course completer survey.

Therefore, the panel recommends the following condition:

For each of the six courses, Coursera and Google implement a learner workload evaluation

system which includes a systematic control loop from the completion survey to the analysis

of the results and the taking of appropriate measures.

The panel recommends harmonizing learning hours on the basis of the calculation of 25 h per ECTS

credit, by developing respective course structures for 125 h (5 ECTS credits), 150 h (6 ECTS credits),

175 h (7 ECTS credits) or 225 h (9 ECTS credits), also taking into account the panel’s review

recommendations in terms of content (see chapter 3.2) and methodology (see chapter 3.4).

The panel points out that a more coherent allocation of workload hours per ECTS credit throughout

the courses may facilitate ECTS recognition. ECTS recognition and comprehending the assignment

to EQF-levels may also be facilitated by classification of competencies according to taxonomy

levels. The panel also notes that the information defined in the ECTS Users’ Guide is spread across

several pages on the course website only registered users can access. Furthermore, the panel points

out that listings of literature recommendations in module/course descriptions are not mandatory

by regulations of the ECTS Users’ Guide 2015 but have become quite common and therefore may

also add to facilitating ECTS recognition. In order to facilitate the intended ECTS credit recognition,

the panel therefore recommends summarizing the information defined in the ECTS Users’ Guide in

one publicly accessible sheet or course description, the classification of learning objectives in

taxonomy levels, listing recommended literature in the course/module descriptions (see also

recommendation chapter 3.2) and communicating to learners and completers that the combination

of the Professional Certificate in combination with proof of relevant professional experience may

also facilitate recognition of ECTS credits.

There are transparent conditions of participation and assessment regulations. The courses’

characteristic structural features have been implemented.

Apart from the missing implementation of learners’ feedback into the evaluation of the workload

(see condition, second part), the feasibility of the courses’ workload is ensured by a suitable

curriculum design, by a plausible calculation of workload, by an adequate number and frequency

ECTS Users’ guide 2015, page 10

Description and appraisal in Detail

of assessments, by appropriate support services as well as academic and general learner

counselling.

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Implementation

3.1

Structure

3.1.1

Structure of the course

3.1.2*

Application of the „European Credit

Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)“

and modularization

Condition

3.1.3*

Conditions of participation and

assessment regulations

3.1.4*

Feasibility of study workload

3.2 Content

The course contents are as follows:

Table 9: Google Professional Certificates: Course contents and learning hours

Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate (8 “courses”

)

Module Number

Module Title

Learning Hours

Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere

Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions

Prepare Data for Exploration

Process Data from Dirty to Clean

Analyze Data to Answer Questions

Share Data Through the Art of Visualization

Data Analysis with R Programming

Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study

Total Learning Hours

187

In the following tables, Coursera uses the term “modules” for what is elsewhere called “courses”, see

glossary

Description and appraisal in Detail

Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate (7 “courses”

)

Module Number

Module Title

Learning Hours

Foundations of Digital Marketing & E-commerce

Attract and Engage Customers with Digital Marketing

From Likes to Leads: Interact with Customers Online

Think Outside the Inbox: Email Marketing

Assess for Success: Marketing Analytics and Measurement

Make the Sale: Build, Launch, and Manage the E-commerce Stores

Satisfaction Guaranteed: Develop Customer Loyalty Online

Total Learning Hours

166

Google IT Support Professional Certificate (5 “courses”

)

Module Number

Module Title

Learning Hours

Technical Support Fundamentals

The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking

Operating Systems and You: Becoming a Power User

System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services

IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts

Total Learning Hours

137

Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate (6 “courses”

)

Module Number

Module Title

Learning Hours

Crash Course on Python

Using Python to Interact with the Operating System

Introduction to Git and GitHub

Troubleshooting and Debugging Techniques

Configuration Management and the Cloud

Automating Real-World Tasks with Python

Total Learning Hours

113

Description and appraisal in Detail

Google Project Management Professional Certificate (6 “courses”

)

Module Number

Module Title

Learning Hours

Foundations of Project Management

Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project

Project

Planning: Putting It All Together 29

Project Execution: Running the Project

Agile Project Management

Capstone: Applying Project Management in the Real World

Total Learning Hours

152

Google UX Design Professional Certificate (7 “courses”

)

Module Number

Module Title

Learning Hours

Foundations of User Experience Design

Start the UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate

Build Wireframes and Low-Fidelity Prototypes

Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts

Create High

-Fidelity Designs and Prototypes in Figma 39

Responsive Web Design in Adobe XD

Design a User Experience for Social Good & Prepare for Jobs

Total Learning Hours

234

Google’s Professional Certificates adhere to Coursera's best practice guidelines for Quality in

Online Learning and other manuals on online teaching pedagogy and course structures. Each week

is comprised of individual content units that incorporate both theoretical and practical

components. The theoretical components include readings and videos, while the practical elements

are always aligned with the previously covered knowledge. This approach enables learners to

assess their progress not only through small quizzes throughout the learning process but also

through practical exercises that allow them to apply what they have learned. For example, learners

will learn how to complete the UX design process from beginning to end, including: Empathizing

with users; defining user pain points; coming up with ideas for design solutions; creating

Description and appraisal in Detail

wireframes, mockups, and prototypes; testing designs through usability studies; and iterating on

designs based on feedback. Furthermore, learners can discuss their approaches in the forum and

upload their work at the end of each unit. As a result, there is a continuous and eﬀective interplay

between theoretical learning and practical application.

Intercultural content is appropriately included in the courses where necessary (e.g. content on

country specific regulations on data transfer in Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate and

content on international teams and change management in different cultures in Google Project

Management Professional Certificate).

The Professional Certificates courses are targeting at providing participants with the essential

knowledge and skills required to perform well in their intended job role, including proficiency in

relevant software, programming languages, tools, and systems. The Professional Certificates also

oﬀer an overview of current industry trends. Through practical, hands-on exercises, learners will

develop their methodological competence and practical experience using various business tools

and industry best practices.

The courses adopt a methodological approach to learning, enabling learners to acquire practical

skills through exercises and projects. Learners will have the opportunity to apply their newly

acquired skills in practical settings, preparing them for entry-level positions in the workforce.

The in-depth methods build on the basic knowledge acquired earlier in the course and enable the

planning and use of complex methods for evaluation and assessment. Learners will deepen their

knowledge through projects and practical exercises, including the final capstone projects.

The following types of assessments and examinations are included in Google Professional

Certificates to assess learning outcomes:

● Discussion prompts (formative): Discussion prompts allow for active reflection and

engagement among learners in a public forum on Coursera. Discussion prompts oﬀer a low-

stakes opportunity for learners to reflect on what they have learned, connect new

knowledge to prior understanding, and benefit from discussions and feedback.

● Practice Quizzes (formative): Ungraded quizzes, or practice quizzes, are used to help

leaners monitor their own learning. They answer the question: Is this learner successfully

learning what he or she is expected to learn? When a new concept is introduced, it is

typically tested in an ungraded quiz.

● Self-Review (formative): The self-review activities allow learners to put the course concepts

they are learning into practice by doing an activity or solving a problem. Learners can check

their own work using an Exemplar (an expert-created version of the activity introduced in

the self-review); this helps learners develop insights and check their own understanding.

● Peer-reviewed assessments (formative): The peer review activities allow learners to put the

course concepts they are learning into practice by doing an activity or solving a problem.

In a peer review, learners complete an artifact, review, and grade each otherʼs work, and

receive qualitative and quantitative feedback from other learners. During the assessment

conference Coursera and Google specified the concept of peer review, which is a two-sided

process: In a peer review all learners are obliged to assess and to let their project be

Description and appraisal in Detail

assessed (by at least three peers). The quality of the assessment is also evaluated by the

learners.

● In-video Quizzes (IVQ, formative): In-video quizzes are ungraded quiz questions that

appear while learners watch a video. IVQs reinforce key concepts, serve as a check-in with

the learner, and review video content with a question that is not difficult or surprising. IVQs

typically appear close to the content they reference and are not grouped at the end of a

video.

● Plugins (formative): Plugins are interactive, hands-on activities that encourage learners to

practice specific tasks and help them apply knowledge they have gained in the course.

There are five main types of plugin activities: drag & drop, multiple choice, infographic,

matching, and flip card.

● Graded quizzes (summative): Graded quizzes are used to monitor educational outcomes.

They answer the question: Has this learner demonstrated that he or she can complete this

task?

Learners are given transparent information about established plagiarism standards and regulations

regarding the conduct of digital assessments on the Coursera platform (Coursera Honor Code).

Appraisal:

The curricula adequately reflect the qualification objectives of the courses. The contents of the

courses are well-balanced, logically connected, and oriented towards the intended learning

outcomes. The lectures and seminars on offer are related in such a manner, that they help the

learners to achieve a great development in their qualification. They are systematically oriented

towards the requirements of a dynamic job market.

In the courses, theory and practice are linked. Knowledge delivery and practical contributions

complement each other to develop the learners’ competences.

Within the limited scope of the courses in terms of workload, international contents are

appropriately integrated according to the courses’ qualification objectives and strategy. The panel

states that intercultural aspects are lived by the instructors. The practical training of intercultural

aspects contributes to the learners’ capacity to act in an intercultural environment. As Coursera

and Google rated international and intercultural contents as “not applicable” (see self-report, p.

32), the panel recommends re-evaluating the communication of international and intercultural

aspects in the course descriptions.

The acquisition of methodological competences is ensured. It is set down as a learning objective

in the module descriptions.

Due to the limited duration and the focus of the programs the integration of academic work and

science-based teaching was rated by Coursera and Google as not applicable. However, during the

assessment conference, learners and completers revealed remarkable aspirations as to further

qualifications and the possibilities of aiming at (further) academic qualifications throughout their

career. The panel therefore recommends serving those aspirations by not only listing recommended

Description and appraisal in Detail

literature (see recommendation chapter 3.1), but additionally providing a guided process into the

work with further literature. With respect to the condition in chapter 1.1, the panel would like to

point out that a there is also a relationship between EQF level and ability for academic reflection.

All assessments, as they are defined for the courses, are suited in format and content to ascertain

the intended learning outcomes as well as the identity of the examinees. The requirements are in

accordance with the desired qualification level. The course provider has established plagiarism

rules and regulations regarding the conduct of digital assessments. Leaners are given transparent

information about these regulations. During the assessment conference learners and completers

expressed criticism of the current implementation of the peer review assessments. They felt that

safety mechanisms do not work in the case where a learner rates a peer-assessment to be unfair.

The panel therefore suggests considering implementing additional feedback tools for learners

regarding the peer-reviews.

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Implementation

3.2

Content

3.2.1*

Logic and conceptual coherence

3.2.2

Integration of theory and practice

3.2.3

International and intercultural contents

3.2.4

Methodological competence

3.2.5

Academic work and science-based

teaching

3.2.6*

Examinations

3.3 Transdisciplinary qualifications and soft skills

The Professional Certificates cover guidelines for collecting, presenting, analyzing, and

interpreting data using appropriate methods. The programs cover various methods such as

analyzing processes, assessing data, and measuring success. Content covers content on how to

visualize and present data findings in dashboards, presentations and commonly used visualization

platforms, how to provide end-to-end customer support (ranging from identifying problems to

troubleshooting and debugging), how to gain skills required to succeed in an entry-level IT job,

how to practice strategic communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder management through

real-world scenarios. And – following design processes – empathize with users, define pain points,

ideate solutions, create wireframes and prototypes, test and iterate on designs.

In the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, for example, learners are also taught how to

communicate results to different stakeholders. In the Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce

Professional Certificate learners are taught how to build e-Commerce stores, analyze online

performance and grow customer loyalty.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Appraisal:

Although Coursera and Google considered this criterion as “not applicable“, the panel would like

to emphasize that they see evidence of fulfillment of this criterion in all courses. Within the limited

scope of the courses in terms of workload, the learners acquire appropriate transdisciplinary

qualifications in accordance with the qualification objectives. This is supported by means of

suitable didactical and methodological measures.

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Implementation

3.3

Transdisciplinary qualifications and soft

skills

3.4 Didactics and Methodology

Courseraʼs platform is built for Mastery Learning, a pedagogical model that allows and requires

learners to demonstrate mastery of learning objectives before moving forward to learn subsequent

information. The platform organizes content into modules, setting scheduled milestones for their

completion, which requires learners to demonstrate mastery of the learning objectives over time.

According to Coursera, Data analysis from thousands of courses shows that well-designed, high-

quality content includes both formative and summative assessments with elaborative feedback to

support learners as they work toward mastery of the defined learning objectives (see self-report,

p.35).

Courseraʼs platform structures content to facilitate Mastery Learning by requiring instructors to set

key learning objectives at the program level, course level, and modular levels.

The practical application of Courseraʼs “learners first” strategy begins with eﬀective content and

program development. Coursera strives to partner with leading content providers to help learners

succeed by completing individual courses or certificate programs. Its real time monitoring of

learner progress is an essential element to support all content providers and learners enrolled in

hosted content of all its courses and programs. As defined by Coursera Professional Certificate

Content Specifications (see chapter 3.1, table 5), the six Google Professional Certificates include

hands-on projects that help learners hone and apply the concepts learned throughout each course

in the asynchronous video lectures, readings, discussion posts, and quizzes.

For example, in the Google Project Management Professional Certificate, learners are instructed

through various teaching methods, including discussion prompts, lectures, peer reviews, practice

and graded quizzes, readings, and hands-on projects. Learners are encouraged to actively

participate in the learning process and engage with other learners through discussion prompts,

peer reviews, and applied learning projects. In the final capstone course of the Google Project

Description and appraisal in Detail

Management Certificate, learners practice applying the project management knowledge and skills

acquired so far through completing a project management capstone.

Through the Project Management Capstone course, learners will:

● Complete a project charter, filling out key information including a project summary,

SMART goals, scope, benefits, and costs.

● Examine project documentation and conduct research to identify tasks for a project and

organize those project tasks and milestones in a project plan.

● Develop eﬀective stakeholder reports by applying storytelling strategies to describe data.

● Determine quality standards and evaluate against those standards to ensure that the

project is achieving the required level of quality.

By the end of the Google Project Management program, learners will have developed a portfolio of

project management artifacts that will demonstrate the skills learned throughout the entire

program, such as the ability to manage stakeholders and teams, organize plans, and communicate

project details. These artifacts can exhibit career readiness when applying for jobs in the field. To

further prepare learners to interview for project management jobs, learners will reflect on past

projects, develop an “elevator pitch,” and anticipate common interview questions.

Formative and summative assessments with feedback-corrective features are used to measure

progression towards those objectives. Instructors can embed practice and feedback directly in the

learning path using various proprietary tools, including in-video questions, quizzes, technical labs,

and other exercises. Providing frequent opportunities for feedback and active learning helps the

learners track their progress towards mastery. Feedback is also used for summative graded

assessments, which are available to learners at the end of each course module. Whereas practice

assessments are low-stakes formative opportunities that provide feedback explaining why a

response is correct or incorrect, learners demonstrate mastery of the learning objectives by passing

each weekʼs summative assessment. Mastery learning embraces “failure as feedback” to the

learning process; allowing multiple attempts on graded assessments. A learner cannot earn a

completion certificate until they demonstrate mastery of the learning objectives by passing all

graded assessments in a course or program.

All course materials for Google Professional Certificates are included within the course content on

the Coursera Platform. Learners do not need to purchase supplementary literature that Google has

not produced and provided itself, therefore, no external content is integrated in the course

structure. Datasets for hands-on labs are provided in the “Resources” section of the LMS in CSV

format for learners to export to their desktops and use for analysis in practical exercises. Welcome,

and learning/lecture videos for each week are hosted under the “Course Material” section of the

LMS with transcriptions. Under “Course Materials”, learners will also find readings, practice

quizzes, and graded assignments in the order they should be reviewed. Within the LMS, there is a

section for learner notes and discussion forums.

Within the LMS, each week of course material begins with a module description and a clear outline

of learning objectives that should be met throughout the week of study. The lectures, readings,

hands-on projects, and quizzes in each week help learners meet the weekly learning objectives.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Appraisal:

The didactic concept of the courses is systematically oriented towards the course objectives. It is

orientated towards the learning outcomes of each course, module, and towards the target group.

A mix of different teaching and learning methods (Videos, quizzes, labs), depending on the

contents and curricular requirements, is applied in the courses/single modules. The panel

appreciates the innovative and creative approaches Google uses in line with Coursera’s

methodological standards to enable the learners to progress faster and more intensely in their

learning, as well as support them during the self-study phases. Leaners are encouraged to take an

active role in the learning process (e.g., by peer-review).

The accompanying course and learning materials are oriented towards the intended learning

outcomes and correspond to the required qualification level. They are up to date easily accessible

for the learners. The course and learning materials are very user-friendly, but do not encourage

learners to engage in further independent studies (see recommendation chapter 3.2). General

standards for materials guide the teaching staff and support the quality of the lecture.

During the assessment conference, learners and completers expressed that as course contents were

highly inspirational and useful, they felt the demand to interact with instructors aside from the

provided custom forums and discussion prompts (see chapter 4.1). The panel therefore

recommends considering enriching the concept of the asynchronous MOOCs by options of

synchronous teaching formats, like live lectures or real-time interactive formats.

Exceptional

Exceeds

quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Implementation

3.4

Didactics and methodology

3.4.1*

Logic and transparency of teaching and

learning methodology

3.4.2*

Course and learning materials

3.5 Skills for employment / Employability (Asterisk Criterion)

75 % of Google certificate graduates report a positive career outcome (e.g., new job, promotion, or

raise, see self-report p.38) within six months of completion.

To ensure course instruction aligns with job market demands and promotes course graduatesʼ

employability in the professional field, Coursera and Google align on job role requirements to

create learning outcomes in a subject area that leverages Googleʼs areas of expertise as an

organization. This is formally done through a Job Task Analysis (JTA) in the curriculum development

phase of creating a course. Within the Job Task Analysis, Courseraʼs Teaching and Learning, Content

Strategy, and Content Production Services teams work with Google to identify target job titles to

Description and appraisal in Detail

identify the primary job title that the Professional Certificate prepares learners for, as well as

alternative titles that can be used to describe the target role. In addition, they estimate the number

of entry-level job openings available on the market that do not require a college degree, along with

the average starting salary of an entry-level candidate entering the targeted role. The Coursera

Teaching and Learning team and the Google team staﬀ conducted a gap analysis and an

environmental scan together, and reviewed audience research, jobseeker insights, and market

analysis data to inform course and program development decisions.

The content team of Google conducts job field and learner analysis and creates research-based

learner personas. The content development team at Google held curriculum design sessions in

partnership with SMEs to align on learning outcomes, create learning objectives, and build syllabi

for each course in the Professional Certificate programs.

The nature of self-responsible online learning also promotes the individual development of

organizational skills, specifically concerning time management. These essential skills are integral

to asynchronous online learning experiences; due to structure and learning methods, learners are

guided in this process to reach the intended level of competence. Analyzing problems and making

decisions are competencies that learners require and develop in diﬀerent course units of the “Entry-

level Professional Certificates”.

Through labs, interactive practice activities, and/or final capstone projects, learners' skills are

further developed through ongoing practical application of the theories and models learned.

Completers of the Professional Certificates are intended to have up-to-date specialist knowledge

and methodological skills in the corresponding qualification areas of the job requirements on which

the certificates are based. They already have practical experience in the application of this

knowledge. They have demonstrated their reliability through their self-motivated and committed

learning and successful completion of the courses. The completers practical experience facilitates

their entry into the world of work or support their career switch into a new industry or job type

upon completion of the certificate. Detailed work samples or portfolios could already be built up in

some certificates.

Example: Job-Task Analysis methodology: Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Coursera and Google performed a Job Task Analysis (JTA) in the curriculum development phase of

the UX Design Professional Certificate. Through the JTA, Coursera and Google identified and

assessed role descriptions and key required skills of the entry-level roles of User Experience (UX)

Designer, UI Designer, Interaction Designer, which informed course learning outcomes. In addition

to identifying learning outcomes through in-demand skills and job-relevant role descriptions, the

teams took into account the number of job openings in the past twelve months, the number of job

openings not requiring a college degree, the number of job openings requiring zero to two years of

work experience, and the number of job openings not requiring a college degree. The role

description for an entry-level UX/UI Designer is as follows:

● Assist with technology design to make products easier for people to use.

Description and appraisal in Detail

● Determine user preferences and assess the process that users follow to access product

functions; develop and test new design models, and incorporate findings into improved

product design.

● Research the behavior of internet users and consumers, compile information about the

target audience for a site, and develop website layout, design and technology features that

improve accessibility and value for users.

● Partners with internal departments to develop an understanding of concepts and business

requirements.

● Applies user centered design methodology to develop an understanding of and serve as

the advocate for the end user.

● Consults with software and content developers to understand and accommodate technical

constraints and reflect appropriate content format and search functionality in the designs.

● Develops wireframes, sitemaps and other design renderings which define the user

interface form, function, navigation, interaction, and basic screen layout.

● Work closely with internal departments to bring products to market, develop and grow

business opportunities, and enhance the customer experience.

● Must have a portfolio demonstrating relevant experience.

This course is designed to ensure that graduates are employable by teaching and assessing key

learning outcomes for skills required by the User Experience Design profession. This includes the

skills of UX Wireframes, Prototyping, Website Design, Graphic Design, User Research, Interaction

Design, Project Management, Web Application Development, Process Design, Product Management,

UI Design, JavaScript, Visual Design, and Adobe Suite. In addition, once learners complete this

course, they have access to job placement support through the Completer Community on Coursera.

This includes a suite of resume and interview prep videos, downloadable resume templates, free

virtual interview practice, a job board with relevant local, regional and national roles, and forums

to connect with other learners and inspiring learner stories.

A similar methodology to this example was applied for the other courses. Coursera provided JTA for

all programs under consideration, utilized to align the learning objectives of Professional

Certificates to required skills for related job openings.

Learners completing Google Professional Certificates on Coursera can also avail no charge access

to Googleʼs employer consortium with more than 150 companies - like Bank of America, Walmart,

Hulu, Intel, GE Digital, PNC Bank, and Google- that consider Google Career Certificate graduates

for their roles. In addition to expert-led training and hands-on projects designed to prepare

learners for a job, learners get access to

an interview practice tool, mock interviews and resume

building workshops, and career coaching sessions.

In addition, once learners complete the courses, they have access to job placement support through

the Completer Community (“Professional Certificate Career Resources”) on Coursera. This includes

a suite of resume and interview prep videos, downloadable resume templates, free virtual interview

Description and appraisal in Detail

practice, a job board with relevant local, regional and national roles, and forums to connect with

other learners and inspiring learner stories.

Appraisal:

The contents focus on achieving the qualification objectives and have a clear profile. Employability

in accordance with the qualification objectives and the defined learning outcomes is promoted,

adding a benefit for course completersin the respective occupational field.

In addition, the courses are systematically aligned with the expected requirements of a dynamic

labor market. For this purpose, the course provider uses evaluation results (course completers,

employers). The panel highlights that the development of specific job market related skills by a

content partner (Google) that itself sets global standards for the application of these skills, is a

unique selling proposition. The panel also highlights that the Professional Certificate Career

Resources also provide country specific profiles (e.g. Job Search Guide).

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Implementation

3.5*

Skills for employment / Employability

Description and appraisal in Detail

4 RESOURCES AND SERVICES

4.1 Teaching Staff of the courses

Courseraʼs Pedagogy Principles incorporate findings from peer-reviewed educational research

and learning science. Coursera bases its platform technology and education philosophy on

Mastery Learning (see chapter 3.4), which focuses on the importance of feedback in learning

and promotes the mastery of a topic before moving on to more advanced materials.

Quality education that supports Mastery Learning requires the tight alignment of learning

objectives, instructional materials, and assessments. Instructors and curriculum developers

use backward design by creating learning objectives and assessments before content and

instructional materials. All content on Coursera must include these Pedagogy Principles:

Table 10: Coursera Pedagogy Principles

A Google Senior Instructional Designer (equivalent to the program manager) oversees content

production from end to end and partners with internal Google SMEs and stakeholders to ensure

quality of learning materials. Each Google Professional Certificate is developed by a team of subject

matter experts, teaching experts, content creation experts/staff, technical content writers, and

program managers and instructional designers. Subject Matter experts and Instructors of the

programs are selected based on their professional working experience and academic expertise with

regards to curriculum design. They also need technical competencies to create certificate content.

Google instructional designers partner closely with subject matter experts (SMEs) with direct

experience working in the job field of the certificate. Together they identify key skills and job-

related outcomes, best practices, tools commonly used in the profession, and opportunities for

hands-on practice.

Description and appraisal in Detail

The Google team of SMEs, teaching experts, content creation and instructional designers work

collaboratively within the framework of the general project management to operationalize the

predefined learning objectives, divide them into units and logically sequenced learning elements,

and collect and prepare the corresponding materials through internal cooperation. They prepare

materials in the form of videos, reading units, discussion boards, quizzes, and activities as outlined

by the Coursera Pedagogy Principles. On the Coursera platform within the course description page

learners find information on instructor’s backgrounds and qualifications.

Instructors for the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate include eight subject matter

experts and course developers/instructional designers with expertise in data analytics, finance

analytics, program management and research. Instructors for the Google Digital Marketing and E-

commerce Professional Certificate include seven subject matter experts and course

developers/instructional designers with experience in product marketing, digital marketing and

sales. Instructors for the Google IT Support and IT Automation with Python Professional Certificates

include 13 subject matter experts and course developers/instructional designers with expertise in

site reliability engineering, technical risk, privacy engineering, program management, privacy,

security and compliance, and technical solutions architecture. Instructors for the Google Project

Management Professional Certificate include six subject matter experts and course

developers/instructional designers with expertise in program management and technical program

management. Instructors for the Google UX Design Professional Certificate include eight subject

matter experts and course developers/instructional designers with expertise in user experience

design, user experience research, and interaction design.

According to Coursera and Google (see self-report p. 43), the teaching staﬀ members' and subject

matter expertise, practical experience, and pedagogical and didactic qualifications have undergone

thorough assessment and documentation, thus supporting the certificate's quality profile and

practical orientation. Significant emphasis is placed on the practical experience of the teaching

staﬀ, the instructors have accumulated years of professional experience, averaging twelve years.

As a provider of application-oriented education, Coursera and Google recognize the value of

practical experience in teaching the required practice-oriented knowledge credibly. Therefore,

instructors are continuously assessed through the feedback mechanisms (see chapter 6.2).

All instructors for the Google Professional Certificates are subject matter experts by training, job

role, or research for each topic at Google. Google selects instructors that provide a global presence

and have a range of real-life experience. Instructors have provided evidence of previous academic

training, such as a diploma or bachelor's degree.

Coursera also oﬀers further staﬀ development and qualification measures, including training and

best practices through the Coursera Classroom teaching and learning opportunities.

To provide transparency, the following table displays the qualification and expertise distribution

among instructors for the Google certificates:

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 11: Google Professional Certificates instructors’ qualifications

Qualification

Number

Percentage

as Diploma or Bachelor

69%

as Master

26%

as Ph.D.

as professional experts

42/42

100%

The Coursera Teaching and Learning team includes pedagogy experts with graduate degrees in

Cognitive Science, Computer Science & Engineering, Education, Instructional Design, and

Neuroscience as well as AI engineers, software developers and marketing professionals. This team

has developed extensive resources on best practices for online education, based on Courseraʼs own

data from millions of learners and learning science research.

The Coursera Teaching and Learning team is available from the second project phase, the start of

course development, with advice and practical help as well as many useful tips, manuals, and best

practice tips, is involved in intensive QA work to ensure the quality of the learning units and, in

case of doubt, checks each learning element individually for quality and function. Even though the

function is more of an advisory nature, there are explicit veto rights during implementation and

before go-live to initiate changes before the first learners come into contact with the materials. The

Teaching and Learning Team is involved in all phases of the project.

If Google decides to work with third parties, the tasks will be carried out in regular consultation

between the three parties. In the event that the provider does not yet have the appropriate

resources internally or has contact with third party providers, Coursera has a preferred vendor list

to recommend providers who have already gained experience with Coursera and the necessary

didactic concepts and to carry out the development together with them.

Both in terms of the content provided and via cross-checking with Coursera's internal subject

matter experts and the experts from Google, regular checks and reviews are carried out to ensure

that only qualified personnel are working and that the result is subject to standard quality control.

In addition, Coursera Classroom resources are available to all content providers. In addition to the

numerous manuals and guidelines, systematic onboarding about Coursera, the use of the platform,

the available tools and much more takes place here. There are courses such as "Getting Started

with Coursera", "Coursera Administrator Training", "Build and Enterprise Guided Project", and

"Technical Assessment Basics".

Learners are supported and coached by instructors and teaching staﬀ through a variety of

proprietary tools in the learning path, including in-video questions, quizzes, technical labs, and

other exercises. Providing frequent opportunities for feedback and active learning helps the learner

track their progress towards mastery. Feedback is also used for summative graded assessments,

which are available to learners at the end of each module of a course. Whereas practice assessments

are low-stakes formative opportunities that provide feedback explaining why a response is correct

Description and appraisal in Detail

or incorrect, learners demonstrate mastery of the learning objectives by passing each weekʼs

summative assessment. Outside of feedback related to formative and summative assessments,

instructors can create engagement opportunities with learners through custom forums where

learners can engage with instructors by asking questions and answering discussion prompts.

Learners and instructors can also engage via email messaging in the “Messages” section of the

Learning Management System.

Appraisal:

The qualifications and experience of the course management as represented by the Google Senior

Instructional Designer correspond with the requirements of the course. Google’s course

management is responsible for the quality of the course as a whole (content and methodology),

following Coursera’s Content Specifications and Pedagogy Principles and in close co-operation with

Coursera.

The subject-specific, pedagogical and didactic qualifications of the teaching staff correspond with

the requirements of the courses. Special characteristics of the target group are considered. The

teaching staff has above-average business experience (evidences in their CVs) and according to

learners and completers, uses it in a clearly visible and valuable way in their teaching activities.

Having checked the biographies of the teaching staff and talked to representatives during the

assessment conference, the panel highlights the relevant practical experience of all teaching staff

within Google of five to 20 years as a unique selling proposition. The panel also highlights that

Google assigns teaching staff with a dedicated international background.

By providing assessment procedures for the pedagogical training of the content partner’s (Google)

instructors, Coursera verifies the pedagogical qualifications and competence of the teaching staff

by means of established procedures. Coursera also provides pedagogical training opportunities for

the content partner’s (Google) instructors.

It is systematically ensured that the teaching staff cooperate internally for the purpose of tuning

the course components towards the overall qualification objectives (see also chapter 6). There are

regular meetings of all those teaching in the course. In addition, projects are conducted

cooperatively. An integrative approach is practiced.

The structure and number of teaching staff (instructors) correspond with the requirements of the

courses. Support of the learners is an integral part of the services provided by the teaching staff.

Support is offered on a regular basis and serves to help participants learn successfully. Due to the

nature of the MOOC approach, the role of an instructor focusses on the development of course

content and interaction within the course (videos, in-video questions, quizzes, assessments,

technical labs, discussion forums, etc.). The support of the learners during the course is mainly

limited to technical and legal aspects regarding the course organization of the course environment

(although instructors can create engagement opportunities with learners through custom forums or

via email). As already mentioned in chapter 3.4 the panel has gained the impression from learners

and completers that they would appreciate some more active interaction with on-screen-instructors

(see recommendation chapter 3.4).

Description and appraisal in Detail

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Resources and Services

4.1

Teaching Staff of the courses

4.1.1*

Course management

4.1.2*

Structure and number of teaching staff in

relation to curricular requirements

4.1.3*

Teaching staff’s qualifications

4.1.4*

Teaching staff’s pedagogical /didactic

qualifications

4.1.5

Practical experience of the teaching staff

4.1.6

Internal cooperation

4.1.7*

Learner support and coaching

4.2 Process organization and administrative support for learners and

teaching staff (Asterisk Criterion)

Coursera oﬀers learner support and educator support designed to empower learners, educators,

and administrators to do what they need to do on the Coursera platform. The Learner Help Center

aims to help learners with questions they have on the Coursera platform from finding courses to

take, to participating in their chosen course, to troubleshooting technical issues as needed. The

Learner Help Center is exclusively for Coursera learners before, during, and after their course

participation and completion. Learners can reach the Learner Help Center 24/7 (includes 24-hours

live chat support and clientsupport@coursera.org responding within one hour) and get assistance

in the following areas:

● Account settings, login issues, and notification preferences. Here, learners can get help

with setting up their Coursera account, changing account settings and password

troubleshooting, changing email notifications, and using the Coursera mobile app.

● Payments and subscriptions. Here, learners can receive help with payments for their

courses, apply for financial aid or scholarships, learn about their subscription details, and

receive information about promotions and free trials.

● Enrollment options. Learners can receive help enrolling or un-enrolling in a course and

finding courses to take.

● Grades, peer reviews, assignments, and labs. Learners can receive help with

troubleshooting the submission of peer-reviewed assignments, taking quizzes and

assignments, checking grade details, understanding how to complete programming

assignments, in-browser coding, and common issues with Coursera Labs.

● Sharing and verifying Course Certificates. Learners can access guides on how to

Description and appraisal in Detail

download and share course certificates, verify their identity, and solve problems with

course certificates.

● Coursera Policies and Program Terms. Learners can access accessibility statements

accommodations for learners with disabilities, third-party policies, code of conduct, honor

code, age restrictions, General Data Protection Regulations, and more.

● Course content, including videos, discussion forums, and common course issues.

Learners can receive help troubleshooting problems with the Coursera platform, learn about

recommended browsers and devices, receive assistance with video settings and subtitles,

report problems within a course, and receive help with course content in discussion forums.

Learners can also report abuse in forums here.

Learners receive a first response in chat support in under two minutes, with a full resolution in

under 15 minutes.

The Coursera Educator Resource Center, exclusive to Coursera instructors, is a place for both self-

service and on-demand support to ensure the success of the digital classroom. Instructors can reach

the Educator Resource Center 24/7 and get support in the following areas:

● Platform onboarding & best practices. View articles, instructional videos, and frequently

asked questions on Coursera terminology, production milestones, partner communication

channels, recommended browsers, and Coursera Pedagogy Principles.

● Creating course content. View resources on creating and organizing instructional material

in lessons and modules through course authoring tools, digital course content management,

templates for importing and exporting course outlines, video recording, and formatting

guidelines, importing and exporting content assistance, reading item management, and

more.

● Developing eﬀective assessments and managing learner submissions. Learn how

assessments on Coursera work, how to set and adjust grading formulas, how to add new

assessment items, auto-graded questions, and question variations, peer review

assignments, how to manage quizzes, staﬀ graded assignments, and discussion prompt

management. This section also includes information on programming assignments, team

assignments, high-touch grading features, question banks, proctored assignments, and

academic integrity.

● Building custom learning content and programming assignments. Instructors can learn

about how to create custom programming assignments, lab activities, and coding labs.

Learn about developing, managing, and adding plugins, in-browser coding, and managing

and configuring code blocks.

● Viewing tips for launching, branding, and marketing content. Through this resource,

instructors can learn how to launch a new course, set a target launch date, marketing

recommendations, improve search engine optimization, how to beta test, and how to reach

https://www.coursera.support/s/article/360050668591-Accessibility-Statement?language=en_US (last

call August 7, 2023)

Description and appraisal in Detail

new learners in the Coursera community.

● Managing their course staﬀ, landing pages, and other settings. Instructors can learn

how to manage staﬀ roles and permissions, how to copy a course, how to invite group

members, manage landing pages and brand assets, update and manage course certificates,

and how to create and manage private sessions.

● Interacting with learners through discussion forums and announcements. Here,

instructors can learn how to leverage Coursera discussion forums, send course

announcements and messages, recruit mentors to help support learners, and schedule live

events.

● Tracking content performance with data dashboards and exports. Instructors can learn

how to leverage course dashboards, download grade books, manage organization

dashboards, and export data.

● Finding content and accessibility policies. Here, instructors can review content policies,

platform changes, sharing and research policies, data privacy information, and copyright

guidelines.

All employees have access to all learning opportunities on the platform, and partners, like

employees, have additional access to Coursera Classroom Resources and Coursera Administrator

Training.

Appraisal:

The panel was impressed by the feedback management in terms of process organization and

administrative support. The main processes and responsibilities are described. The administrative

staff operates as service provider for both learners and teaching staff, contributes to the further

development of the course in cooperation with the relevant groups and prepares for the learner’s

needs in advance. The administrative contact is regularly available to help with enquiries and acute

problems and questions. The course provider offers continuous professional development for the

administrative staff. Opportunities of electronic service-support are intensively and effectively

applied.

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Resources and Services

4.2*

Process organization and administrative

support for learners and teaching staff

Description and appraisal in Detail

4.3 Networking

Learners are supported in creating and maintaining networks through discussion forums monitored

by Google subject matter experts. In discussion forums, learners receive support from one another

on course-related topics and create and maintain networking opportunities. Discussion forums

benefit learners by providing a space for interaction with classmates, sharing resources, and help

to answer questions about course materials or assessments. They are used for asking questions,

debating ideas, and identifying other classmates who share the same goals so they can pursue

networking opportunities and conversations.

In addition, all Professional Certificate completers receive access to the Professional Certificate

Community, which not only provides further peer support, but also oﬀers a range of career services,

resume support and interview practice.

Google Career Certificates also include content that teaches learners how to set up a professional

network and maintain connections that will be helpful to their career, such as professional social

media profiles, elevator pitches, and personal portfolios and websites.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 12: Coursera Professional Certificate Career Resources

Appraisal:

Promoting networks is part of the didactical approach of Mastery Learning. The learners are

supported in creating and maintaining networks by measures Coursera and Google provide to them

like peer review assessments. The panel points out that the felt/subjective unjustified grading

during peer-review assessments (see chapter 3.2) may lead to impeding network creating and

maintaining.

Exceptional

Exceeds

quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Resources and Services

4.3

Networking

Description and appraisal in Detail

4.4 Cooperation with academic institutions or enterprises (Asterisk

Criterion for cooperation courses)

Cooperation of Coursera with all content partners for Professional Certificates (i.e. Google in this

case) follows a general pattern Coursera has developed:

Coursera´s content strategy teamʼs core initiatives are divided into a three-pronged approach:

1. Identify: Identify in-demand jobs and skills, and translate them into relevant content and

credentials, and a sourcing strategy to meet learners’ needs,

2. Advise: Leverage data and domain knowledge to advise other internal teams and external

partners on content to add to Coursera, and

3. Innovate: Collaborate on or incubate new content types (e.g., projects), emergent domains

(e.g., health), and launch strategic eﬀorts to ensure continuous content output. The content

strategy team utilizes relevant databases (both public and private) while simultaneously

working closely together with a network of enterprises and organizations as well as with

academic institutions and university partners to analyze needed skill sets and

qualifications that have an impact on the career readiness of learners. The knowledge and

competencies acquired in the course are mutually recognized and confirmed through

intensive on-platform and oﬀ-platform analysis and form the initial set of required learning

objectives.

Cooperation with the content partners:

Having established the foundation for the in-demand course the content strategy team assesses

potential partners to provide the respective course with the help of an established evaluation

process and judging the readiness of the potential partner to deliver the required learning contents.

Moreover, part of this iteration is researching the right topic to be matched with the right content

partner. For that, brand perception, international reach, the companyʼs overall strategy,

employability, size, among other metrics, are taken into consideration. To ensure that the courses

provided by Coursera and the content partner fulfill set quality standards (blueprint), both maintain

active cooperation with relevant networks, enterprises, and other organizations. Target and

outcomes are fixed in a Course Term sheet and later form the basis of the contractual agreements

between Coursera and the content partner.

Quality Assurance in Implementation:

During implementation, either the key account manager (program responsibility) or a dedicated

implementation success manager ensures that all work streams according to Coursera’s blueprint

for high-quality courses, are being well informed, kicked oﬀ, have their relevant action items and

keep their deadlines in order to complete the production process of the course to a level where the

beta testing can start (see also chapter 6).

Initial launch and further cooperation:

Description and appraisal in Detail

Feedback from the beta testing is discussed with Google and changes are recommended. After the

last QA test has successfully been achieved, content can go live on the platform. The cooperation

is followed up by Coursera’s Industry or University Partner success teams and enables Coursera to

stay abreast of current trends and technologies and to develop courses and teaching materials

accordingly. In addition, Coursera participates in research projects and events to gain valuable

insights and further enhance teaching and learning quality. All cooperation is documented in detail

and regularly evaluated. The course provider regularly reviews and updates the agreements to

ensure that all activities contribute to developing the learnersʼ qualifications and skills. After the

initial start yearly success meetings are conducted between Coursera and its partners and past

performance as well as goals for the next year are discussed and action items agreed upon that will

then again feed the PDCA quality cycle of the Coursera QA process (see also chapter 6).

Feedback loop:

After the content is launched, Coursera starts receiving feedback from learners and from the content

partner (Google) itself. Therefore, both the quantitative performance data as well as the qualitative

information received is taken into consideration for future content mapping by Coursera’s content

strategy team making sure that they can collaboratively learn from their mistakes and celebrate

their successes (see also chapter 6).

Appraisal:

The panel acknowledges an effective and professional co-operation between Coursera and Google.

Cooperation with the content partner (i.e. Google) is aligned with the strategy of the course and

actively promoted for example, by means of regular project work involving those who contribute to

the courses in responsible positions to discuss the further development of the programs. The

cooperation is actively pursued and has a clear impact on the conception and implementation of

the courses. Such cooperation has a formative impact on the curricular contents and on the profile

of the completers.

The agreements forming the basis of the cooperation with Google are documented. All such

activities contribute to the development of the learners’ qualifications and skills. Coursera ensures

that the quality standards are met. Processes to enable this are coordinated closely with Google.

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality re-

quirements

n.r.

Resources and Services

4.4(*)

Cooperation with academic institutions or

enterprises (asterisk

criterion for

cooperation courses)

Description and appraisal in Detail

4.5 Technology and Facilities

4.5.1 Technical organizational unit

For the work of the technical organizational unit to enable and support the implementation of

digital teaching see description of the Coursera Educator Resource Center in chapter 4.2. Coursera

regularly maintains and updates the Educator Resource Center and the Coursera platform with

guides on various innovative technologies and tools for teaching, digital classroom management,

assessment management, and learner management so that instructors can create a seamless digital

learning experience for learners.

4.5.2 Teaching and Learning platform (Asterisk Criterion)

The Coursera platform is designed to enable learners to discover the right content and credentials

by domain (e.g., business, technology, health), by skill (e.g., Python, statistics, data visualization),

and by job role (e.g., data analyst, marketer, engineer). Once learners enroll in a course, the unified

technology platform is designed to enable them to learn more eﬀectively to advance in their careers

and earn credentials to signal their learning to prospective employers.

The learning experience includees:

● Courses with video-based lectures, in-video quizzes, notes and highlights, readings,

assessments, peer reviews, and group projects;

● AI-driven learning features such as In-course Coach, Smart Review Material, and Goal

Setting to help learners stay motivated and making progress;

● Coursera Labs with hands-on projects that teach practical skills using real-world tools such

as Python, Jupyter Notebooks, VS Code, R-Studio, and many other desktop and cloud-based

applications fully in-browser with no software or data downloads;

● A mobile app that is designed to enable course downloads for oﬀline learning, regarded to

be especially important for leaners with limited or intermittent internet connectivity or

power; and

● Localized learning experiences including localized homepage, payment options, local

partnership, and content discovery.

Learners enroll in their preferred course by clicking “Enroll” and subscribing to Coursera through

the course description page. After enrolling, learners can view all course

content by module and

week, continue to the course and begin navigating the Coursera platform. Within the platform, there

is a navigation bar that contains sections including Course Material, Grades, Notes, Discussion

Forums, Messages, and Course Information. All tools and multimedia files are integrated into the

Coursera platform, and the entirety of teaching and learning activities in Coursera courses occurs

within the Coursera platform.

● Course Material: In this section, learners can navigate throughout the weekly learning

material. Each week begins with a summary overview, introductory videos, an overview of

the learning objectives, video lecture, readings, and assignments, and ends with a summary

For Coursera terminology program/course/module, see chapter 3.1 and glossary.

Description and appraisal in Detail

of the week.

● Grades: In this section, learners can view the quiz or assessment item, their completion

status, the due date, the weight of the quiz or assessment item, and their grades.

● Notes: Learners can utilize the Notes section as a digital notebook, where notes are

collected throughout the duration of their study.

● Discussion Forums: Instructors can create custom forums to provide a space for learners

to interact with one another. Learners can share resources and help answer questions about

course materials or assessments. This section holds all discussion forums for the course by

week, where learners can discuss the weekʼs modules or respond to assigned prompts.

Discussion forums can also be used to ask questions, debate ideas, and find classmates

who share their goals. Forum guidelines are available for reference in the Discussion

Forums section of the LMS.

● Messages: In the Messages section, learners can read messages from the instructor,

organization, or Coursera support. Instructors can send messages to learners to

communicate important updates and information. They can send course announcements to

all learners who meet certain criteria, like those who are currently enrolled or have

completed the course. Instructors can also send announcements only to learners in a

specific private course instance.

● Course Information: In the Course Information section, learners can view a course

description and course details, view instructor information, and review the syllabus.

In addition to the above features of the Coursera platform, learners can access the Learner Help

Center, and Instructors are able to access the Educator Resource Center, directly through their

respective LMS instance.

In order to enable learning outside the homepage, i.e., without constant access to the internet,

learners have the possibility to download all videos, the corresponding transcripts and toolboxes

to their own computers and to read and edit the materials offline.

In addition, Coursera oﬀers a learning app for download via all common app stores. Learners can

keep track of their current learning status, view and download the relevant elements of the current

week or the entire course, and watch videos directly in the app. The app also oﬀers the possibility

to receive learning reminders as a notification and to be reminded of learning at self-determined

times. Only the software-supported labs require learning on a computer.

Another feature was made available with the last update. With the new "audio only" mode,

participants can now listen to only the audio track of selected videos.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Accessibility

Coursera’s mission is to provide universal access to the world's best education. They are committed

to achieve the goal of maintaining access to the website and mobile applications to all learners,

including those with disabilities via the following:

● Coursera strives to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) 2.1 AA

published by World Wide Web Consortium.

● All course lecture videos oﬀer closed captioning. Learners may flag issues while watching

lecture videos and are encouraged to submit support tickets for content that is not

captioned appropriately. Coursera is committed to address the matter promptly.

● Courseraʼs videos are available to learners at any time which allows learners to get a head

start on the course.

● An independent accessibility consultant periodically reviews the platform. Potential

accessibility issues are identified so that Coursera can address such issues and take any

remedial actions deemed necessary.

● Coursera developers engage in training and projects relating to accessibility that both

educate and improve the accessibility of their products as they are being developed.

● Coursera has published accessibility guidelines for content providers and contractually

requires that content providers comply with their independent obligations under

applicable accessibility laws.

● Coursera manages an email alias where incoming accessibility support tickets from

learners are addressed.

The Learner Help Center has resources for learners with disabilities

Data Protection

Data is collected by Coursera from the learning management system and platform in a variety of

ways for learning analytics and course performance. Large amounts of data can be processed, as

Coursera courses are open to unlimited learners. Coursera has built product features that give

learners more control over their data. Coursera has also contracted with third-party vendors to

perform certain specialized tasks, including processing personal data.

These vendors fall into the following categories:

● Hosting. The Coursera platform is hosted on third-party servers.

● Analytics/Marketing. To improve Coursera and the content oﬀered, Coursera uses various

third-party analytics and marketing tools to refine oﬀerings, understand learner habits,

optimize the platform, and tailor marketing eﬀorts.

https://www.coursera.support/s/article/208280056-Accommodations-for-learners-with-

disabilities?language=en_US (last call August 7, 2023)

Description and appraisal in Detail

● Customer Support/Communication. To provide customer support, Coursera uses third-party

tools and services to communicate and respond to questions promptly.

Coursera has implemented a series of changes to bring policies and procedures into GDPR

compliance. Coursera has updated the Terms of Use and Data Protection Addendum, Privacy

Policies, and Cookies Policy

to be more transparent about how Coursera uses learner data. In

accordance with GDPR, Coursera has changed the age of consent for residents of EEA (European

Economic Area) to use the services

4.5.3 Data Analysis System

Data is collected by Coursera from the learning management system and platform in a variety of

ways for learning analytics and course performance. Large amounts of data can be processed, as

Coursera courses are open to unlimited learners. Some ways Coursera collects learner feedback

include:

● Numeric course ratings

● Thumbs-up or thumbs-down feedback (likes and dislikes)

● Problem reports on individual content items in the course

● Written feedback (e.g., content reviews and post-course stories)

Ratings and stories provide instructors with direct feedback from learners. This is especially

valuable in helping instructors improve the learner experience. Based on this feedback, instructors

can revise materials and fix errors.

Coursera collects data and summarizes feedback in the form of self-service dashboards. Instructors

can view a variety of dashboards to assess course performance, learner performance, and

organizational performance. Below are examples of what kind of data is collected within the various

dashboards:

● Course summary dashboard: The Course Summary Dashboard is the first-course dashboard in

the Analytics tab of the Course Overview page. It provides a snapshot of some key metrics for

the course, such as basic retention, daily and monthly engagement, feedback and ratings, and

more. This data can help Coursera and Google staff (Senior Instructional Designer, subject

matter experts, instructors) to gain more insight into the learner experience of the course to

make improvements to the course content. Data in the Course Summary Dashboard starts being

captured after a course's description page is launched and as soon as visitor information is

available.

● Course content feedback dashboard: The Course Content Feedback Dashboard is where one

can find comments from learners in a live course, see feedback that learners have submitted for

specific course items, and investigate any problem reports. Dashboard data becomes available

about 15 days after a course opens to learners. Learner feedback data (such as likes or dislikes

https://www.coursera.support/s/global-search/age%20restrictions?dataCategory=LHC (last call August

7, 2023)

Description and appraisal in Detail

on course items) and problem report data (such as comments and reports on problems on

course items related to technical issues, content improvement flags, and oﬀensive content

flags) are included in course content feedback dashboards.

● Quiz grades dashboard: The quiz grades dashboard includes an overview of basic quiz metrics,

including graph distribution and submission data, as well as detailed question-level data for

learner quiz responses.

● Institution dashboard: The institution dashboard provides comprehensive data across an

institution or organizationʼs Coursera content so that the Google can track and analyze the

performance of the content Google has on the Coursera platform. Institution dashboards

include an overview of key metrics such as enrollments, completions, and engagement,

institution reach and demographic data, and revenue disbursement.

● Gradebook exports: Gradebook exports supplement the grading data in the quiz grades

dashboard and the Gradebook Manager. They come in the form of a CSV file containing rows for

learners per course and columns for information like the grades learners have received on their

assessments, their submission times, their overall course grade, and whether learners have

earned a Course Certificate. Course-level grade book exports include grading data for an entire

course across all sessions and course versions. All required assessments in a course are

included in the exports, and hashed identifiers are shown in place of any personally identifiable

information (PII) to protect learner privacy. Group-level grade book exports include grading

data for learners in a group or private session. Grading data for all required assessments in a

course are included in group-level exports, as well as the names and email addresses of

learners.

4.5.4 Technical support for learners (Asterisk Criterion)

Apart from the administrative support that learners receive from the Coursera Learner Help Center

(see chapter 4.2) learners can also reach the same hotline for technical support

. The Learner Help

Center includes 24-hour, live chat support for immediate issues. Learners can email

clientsupport@coursera.org or submit a form through the Learner Help Center “Contact Customer

Support” portal to receive help over email. Coursera technical support usually responds to requests

by email within 24 hours and responds to chat support immediately.

Coursera supports learners in using technologies and tools to enable digital learning and increase

digital skills through the various articles, tutorials, videos, and help resources available in the

Learner Help Center. The Learner Help Center aims to help learners with questions they have on the

Coursera platform from finding courses to take, to participating in their chosen course, to

troubleshooting technical issues as needed.

4.5.5. Access to required literature

By enrolling in the course content through the Coursera platform, learners receive access to a

number of course items, including lecture videos, readings and labs. Materials are aligned with the

https://www.coursera.support/s/learner-help-center-contact-us?language=en_US (last call August 7,

2023)

Description and appraisal in Detail

course content and learning objectives and are kept up to date within the Coursera learning

management system.

Appraisal:

The technical organizational unit enables and supports the implementation of digital teaching.

Teachers have sufficient advisory and support services available. The technical organizational unit

follows trends and enables teachers to implement innovative technologies and tools in teaching

beyond the standard.

The teaching platform is clearly structured and designed to be user-friendly. It is stable and

scalable and there are no disruptive impulses when using it. It offers sufficient possibilities for

embedding text, audio, images, graphics, animation, multimedia files and social media. Leaners

can navigate smoothly through the teaching units. The teaching platform offers sufficient

opportunity for collaborative learning.

Coursera has access to a data analysis system and sufficient technology or resources to process

large amounts of data.

Learners can reach the technical support of Coursera easily. Questions regarding digital teaching

and the teaching platform are answered quickly. Coursera ensures that learners are able to handle

the technologies and tools.

Coursera provides access to all necessary literature, articles and information within the course. The

information is aligned with the course content and up to date. A concept for the course’s continuing

development (update) is available. To further develop the courses and serve learners’ aspirations

the panel recommends systematizing access to subject-specific databases like IEEE (Institute of

Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality re-

quirements

n.r.

Resources and Services

4.5

Technology and Facilities

4.5.1

Technical organizational unit

4.5.2*

Teaching and Learning platform

4.5.3

Data analysis system

4.5.4*

Technical support for learners

4.5.5

Access to required literature

see also recommendation in chapter 3.2 for a guided process into the work with further literature.

Description and appraisal in Detail

5 DOCUMENTATION

The Google Professional Certificates are documented and publicized through the Coursera platform.

Learners can access the entirety of the course description and learning objectives before enrolling

in the course through the course description pages. Learners can access all course data and content

by enrolling in Professional Certificates at the following points of registration:

● Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate:

https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-

data-analytics

● Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce Professional Certificate:

https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-digital-marketing-

ecommerce

● Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate:

https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-it-

automation

● Google IT Support Professional Certificate:

https://www.coursera.org/professional-

certificates/google-it-support

● Google Project Management Professional Certificate:

https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-project-

management

● Google UX Design Professional Certificate:

https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-ux-

design

All course content, including lectures, projects, readings, assessments, and assignments are

accessible for interested parties within the Coursera platform. The coursesʼ content, curricula, and

assessment schemes are documented on the course and module description pages accessible by

the stated web address.

In addition to course documentation through the Coursera platform, Coursera’s academic policies

and procedures related to accommodations for learners with disabilities, age restrictions,

accessibility, honor code, general data protection regulations, international restrictions, and third-

party tools are constantly updated and made publicly available .

It is planned that after successful initial certification, additional information will also be made

available on the course homepages about ECTS credit documentation.

Last call August 7, 2023

https://www.coursera.support/s/learner-help-center-coursera-policies?language=en_US, last call August

7, 2023

Description and appraisal in Detail

Appraisal:

The courses’ contents, curricula, and assessment schemes have been suitably documented and

published. Therefore, the basic quality requirements as described in the assessment guide are met

regarding the current state of documentation.

However, for the planned documentation on the program homepages about ECTS documentation

the panel team emphasizes the following issues to observe:

1. Documentation of ECTS crediting has to be included on the respective course description

and include: number of credits awarded

, requirements for awarding credits and workload

assigned to the course (see condition chapter 3.2).

2. Documentation of ECTS crediting has also to be included on the respective certificate

issued by Coursera and Google. Documentation has to include number of credits awarded

and workload assigned to the course (see condition chapter 3.2).

3. The EQF level assignment must not communicate EQF levels others than what has been

confirmed by the FIBAA certification committee after condition chapter 1.1 has been met.

4. When course completers apply for recognition of ECTS credits at a HEI, the HEI is obliged

to examine recognition and to justify if ECTS credits are not or only partially accepted.

However, the HEI is not obliged to the recognition of ECTS credits. Documentation on the

Coursera Homepage therefore must not evoke the impression that HEIs are obliged to give

(full) recognition. The panel also points out that as there are no formal admission

requirements for the Professional Certificates, course completersmay also be required to

catch up on formal admission requirements of the HEI (e.g. school-leaving certificate

level).

Based on these requirements, the panel team recommends the following condition for the planned

documentation of ECTS credit award of the Coursera hosted Professional Certificates from Google:

Coursera and Google ensure correct documentation about the ECTS credit recommendation

and recognition on the homepage, in the program descriptions and in the certificates issued

after certification, considering ECTS credit recognition obligations by HEIs, EQF levels

assigned, number of credits, requirements for achieving credits and workload assigned to

the courses.

Exceptional

Exceeds quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

5.*

Documentation

Condition

For the sake of readability, “awarded” is used here. Coursera does not “award” credits, but issues an

ECTS credit recommendation

Description and appraisal in Detail

6 QUALITY ASSURANCE

Coursera´s quality assurance system follows the systematics of the closed control loop

according to the PDCA model (Plan, Do, Check, Act) and along the content life cycle. Coursera

designed a system to ensure that content on the platform is high quality, relevant, accurate,

and up-to-date and that the learning platform and technology are reliable and accessible to all

learners.

Table 13: Coursera Quality Assurance System

Quality means

● Coursera aims to systematically include learners' needs and wishes and the labor

market's demands in the oﬀerings' content and organizational design.

● Coursera aims to break down its mission statement (see chapter “Details on the

institution”) and educational profile to the level of the individual course utilizing

subject-specific content standards for teaching.

● Coursera aims to develop the products strictly following its pedagogical

requirements and policies to allow customers the best possible learning outcomes.

● Coursera aims to constantly improve its oﬀerings by subjecting newly developed

products to a yearly review with the university or industry partners.

● Coursera aims to develop mutually beneficial relationships with cooperation

partners and other interested parties like governments, learners, companies, and

universities.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Google Professional Certificates

The Coursera-led Teaching and Learning team partners with Google to use a data-driven multi-step

research and development process to ensure content is aligned with best practices for successful

online delivery. The Google staﬀ, including subject matter experts, teaching and learning experts,

and behavioral scientists, a program manager/instructional designer and assessment creation

subject matter expert, led the program creation process by selecting and guiding specific subject

matter experts with relevant skills globally to create content and provide recommended resources

to map to the overall Coursera blueprint (see chapter 4.1) and Job Task Analysis (JTA, see chapter

3.5). Each SME provided new or existing content that would teach the learner the skill required to

meet the learning objectives of each course/module and also provided feedback on the graded

assessments and knowledge checks to test each learnerʼs knowledge.

Together, the Coursera Teaching and Learning team and the Google staﬀ worked to conduct a gap

analysis and an environmental scan, and reviewed audience research, jobseeker insights, and

market analysis data to inform course and program development decisions.

Extensive internal cooperation is required between Coursera stakeholders and Google stakeholders

in preliminary research for in-demand content, curriculum development, content production,

testing, and instruction. Google and Coursera collaborate closely across the following phases:

Research, Course Development, Production, Beta Testing, and Evaluation and Improvement.

Phase 1: Research

Courseraʼs Content Strategy team identifies content topics to host on the platform based on learner

demand, labor market data, and global workforce needs. The Coursera Content Strategy team works

cross-functionally to generate target content lists for diﬀerent learner audiences by developing

roadmaps to provide an end-to-end content strategy approach and key strategic content

recommendations to improve metrics such as enrollments, learner retention and completion, and

career outcomes.

Content Strategy categorizes content based on product definitions (entry-level or advanced

Professional Certificates) as they relate to job roles. The criteria for the job role include:

● Target role with role summary and minimum qualified candidate description

● Target audience

● Key certification(s) if any

● number of jobs total

● number of jobs openings not requiring undergraduate degree

● number of jobs openings requiring zero to two years’ experience

● percentage of workers in the role without a four-year undergraduate degree

Description and appraisal in Detail

Phase 2: Course Development

Entry-level Professional Certificates that are hosted on the Coursera platform are assigned a Senior

Program Manager and a Technical Account Manager from Coursera to provide project management,

content production, and launch support to assist in course development. Entry-level certificates

also benefit from additional pedagogical support from the Coursera Teaching and Learning team

(see chapter 4.1).

Googleʼs learning design team uses the ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate)

model. After the job-task (JTA) and learner analysis (see chapter 3.5) the team hosts a multi–day

design sprint with the goal of defining the key skills and concepts to be taught in the certificate

and the learning outcomes. Skills are aligned to the JTA and industry standard, then mapped to

courses. Once skills mapping is complete, the content team develops learning objectives and

designs a detailed syllabus that outlines the topic areas and assets that will be included in the

certification. This syllabus and the learning objectives are used throughout the content building

process to guide the content team in development of all course assets. All content undergoes a

thorough review by SMEs and specialized SMEs for topics such as DEI (Diversity, Equity and

Inclusion) and accessibility. Assessments are aligned to learning objectives and designed in

accordance with best practices for assessment design.

During the content creation process, the Coursera Teaching and Learning team and Courseraʼs

product teams worked alongside Google to develop learning objectives, create the syllabi for each

of the modules in the Professional Certificate programs, and align learning outcomes and platform

features.

Mastery learning is followed by mapping instruction and assessments (formative and summative)

to these established learning objectives. To ensure completeness and alignment to specific job

roles, the learner objectives are validated against the skills in the Jobs Task Analysis (JTA, see

chapter 3.5).

Phase 3: Production

The Coursera and Google course team included several SMEs from Google, including:

● Instructors, who teach the course. They need to fill out a public "instructor" profile.

● An instructional designer, who helps transform the curriculum into an online learning

experience. They design learning activities that support mastery of the course topic(s).

● Subject matter experts who work in the fields for which the certificate program is

preparing learners.

The team decides which goals and outcomes learners need to achieve by the end of each module

which includes the design of the graded assessments that measure whether learners achieved the

learning objectives. Coursera's platform supports many assessment types that measure course

topic mastery such as graded quizzes and final examinations.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Coursera and Google used a variety of modalities in its courses to teach and interact with learners

including:

● Video with in-video questions,

● Ungraded assessments to provide practice opportunities for learners to apply their newly

learned skills,

● Discussion forums,

● Supplemental readings.

Phase 4: Beta Testing

When the course is ready, Coursera conducts beta testing and the technical quality assurance (QA)

process. After a week of technical QA, the course will launch to millions of learners around the

world.

During beta testing, a defined group of learners gain free early access to an unlaunched program.

In exchange, they review course materials and leave comments, flags, suggestions, and feedback.

Coursera’s Teaching and Learning team analyzes the feedback and sends a report with concrete

recommendations. This provides a specific learners’ perspective for course teams and

opportunities for improvement in the courses before it reaches millions of learners. It is also seen

as opportunity to test new methods, materials, and creative assessments.

Coursera recruits beta testers from a pool of dedicated Coursera learners who are part of Coursera’s

beta testing community. They voluntarily give their time to provide feedback to content providers.

Learners can join the beta testing community in two ways:

● Invitation: Top learners who complete a course in a relevant or related topic are invited

to become beta testers.

● Signing up: Learners can sign up on their own through the Coursera platform and join

the beta testing community.

The beta testing community receives a weekly update with a list of courses being tested that week.

Testers choose courses they are interested in, and receive early access to those courses. On

average, a single course attracts between 25-100 beta testers.

Beta testing runs for one week. After that, the Coursera Teaching and Learning team analyzes the

feedback to create a comprehensive report, which helped Google identify and address content

quality issues specific to the course. The report was sent to Google within 1-3 business days after

the test ends and is divided into three sections:

● High Priority: these must be addressed prior to course launch (e.g., errors in quiz

answers, clarifying peer review instructions)

● Quick Fix: small improvements that should be made before launch (e.g., typos, adding

a discussion prompt, adding a sub-forum)

Description and appraisal in Detail

● Deeper Dive: in-depth or labor-intensive changes that can be incorporated after launch

(e.g., making changes to videos)

Beta testers also provided reliable predictions of the course rating, which helps to benchmark plans

for future improvements to ensure positive learner experiences.

Phase 5: Evaluation and Improvement

Courseraʼs real-time monitoring of learner progress is an essential element to support all content

providers and learners enrolled in hosted content of all its programs. It is common for the Coursera

Teaching and Learning team to provide partners feedback with pedagogical recommendations

during quarterly business reviews.

Coursera collects program feedback from learners in several ways (see below): All collected course

feedback is reflected in the course dashboards which only Google and their instructors can view.

Based on this feedback, materials are revised, and errors fixed. This direct feedback from learners

is valuable in helping to improve the learner experience in the course.

Coursera collaborates closely with Google to execute on a number of items related to student

services. These services include but are not limited to: monitoring all course forums and Slack

channels on a regular basis to answer student technical questions, reviewing student progress in

certificate progression, identifying at-risk students, or students that may demonstrate behaviors

that indicate they may not be on a path to being successful in pursuit of their program, and

generating automated and personalized communications to support successful engagement and

completion. These include in-course pop-ups, learning reminder and nudge emails, and app

notifications. They generally fall into categories such as motivation help, pain-point help, and

dropout intervention. By providing timely response to student inquiries through Courseraʼs scaled

services communication tool within one business day, Coursera is able to support the learner

community with their diverse needs and questions.

In addition to automated in-product retention support, Coursera provides staﬀ support via:

● Program Support Dashboards, which are created using learner behavior data (e.g.,

assignments attempted/passed, activity in course, and platform behavior) and by

highlighting students at risk of not progressing successfully through a course, term, or

program; and

● Student Support Dashboards, which enable course staﬀ to track student progress within a

specific course.

Prior to publishing programs Google conducts QA reviews and beta testing to ensure high quality

standards are met and any problems are ironed out before courses go live. Google also monitors

course ratings and learner reviews on an ongoing basis and endeavors to update courses annually.

In addition, the Google team gains further insights about how the content is being interpreted and

identifies ways to improve the content by monitoring discussion forums on the Coursera platform,

listening to organic social conversation from learners, and gathering feedback from ecosystem

partners like nonprofits, universities, and employers who oﬀer the Google Career Certificates.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Content life-cycle-management

The quality assurance process starts with identifying highly in-demand skills and job requirements.

It is followed by a rigorous vetting process for the instructors and content creators to ensure they

are SMEs with the appropriate qualifications and experience.

Once the content has been created, it is reviewed by a team of SMEs, instructional designers, and

quality assurance professionals to ensure that it meets the standards set by the learning provider.

Feedback from learners is incorporated into the process to identify improvement areas and ensure

that the content meets their needs.

Coursera claims its quality assurance system ensures that the learning platform and technology are

reliable, user-friendly, and accessible to all learners. This ongoing evaluation includes regular

testing and updates to address any issues or bugs that may arise.

Coursera's "learners first" strategy emphasizes eﬀective content and program development to help

learners succeed in completing individual courses or certificate programs. To achieve this, Coursera

provides real-time monitoring of learner progress to support all learners and Google. For

information on the various learning analytics data collection, see chapter 4.5.

Coursera collects course feedback from learners in several ways:

● In-course

○ Thumbs-up or thumbs-down feedback (likes and dislikes) in the course and

○ Problem reports on individual content items in the course.

● After Program completion

○ Numeric program ratings and

○ Written feedback (e.g., content reviews and post-course stories).

To aid the content development and instructional team in acting on feedback and data, Coursera

has provided the following prompts:

● Do any items have a large number of reports or dislikes? These likely show points of

learner confusion or frustration. Try iterating on these items to improve the learner

experience.

● Do any items have a large number of likes and positive reviews? What do learners love

about these items? Can these aspects be incorporated into other items or throughout

the course?

● Are learners sharing more insight about these content items on the discussion forums?

As part of this approach, the Coursera Teaching and Learning Team conducts quarterly business

reviews with Google to provide pedagogical feedback and recommendations based on the learner

results, course performance, and feedback received on the diﬀerent levels. Each course element is

linked to a discussion forum, allowing learners to engage with other participants or directly pose

questions to the Google or Coursera team. Learners can provide feedback at the end of each learning

unit, including the option to report errors or flag content issues such as problems with video, audio,

Description and appraisal in Detail

oﬀensive content, or subtitles. They may also suggest improvements or additions to the content.

This flagging option opens a dialogue box:

Table 14: Screenshot - Item level feedback

At the end of each course, learners are encouraged to rate the module on a 5-star scale and

provide individual feedback to the teacher. If the learner does not provide feedback directly,

an email is sent with a gentle reminder to encourage them to contribute to improvement.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 15: Screenshot – Course level feedback

Table 16: Screenshot – Feedback to the teaching staff

Upon certificate completion, learners are asked to evaluate the entire program, including all

courses. All evaluations and feedback are made available to Google and discussed in quarterly

sessions with all relevant stakeholders from Google and Coursera to identify necessary

measures for improvement.

Additionally, learners are asked to identify the relevant skills they have learned in the program,

selecting from a provided list, or adding their own. This information is used to improve future

program oﬀerings and ensure learners are gaining the desired skills and knowledge.

Proprietary information not publicly known about internal processes

Description and appraisal in Detail

Table 17: “Course”

level completion feedback

During the quarterly meeting mentioned above, the Google SMEs also discuss suggestions for

updating content, adding exercises or other adjustments. All participants have the same data basis

through the collected student feedback. The SMEs then can suggest and address improvements in

„course“ meaning program according to Coursera terminology, see glossary

Description and appraisal in Detail

discussions with the Teaching and Learning Team at Coursera. The points discussed in this meeting

are documented, worked through, and implemented within the framework of a defined project plan.

Completers are surveyed after six months to determine their overall satisfaction with the course

and whether it met their individual career goals and expectations. Evaluations are carried out

across all product areas to gauge whether learners' career aspirations and desired changes are

being realized. While an employer survey on a large scale is currently unfeasible due to the vast

number of learners, feedback is solicited and channeled to the relevant teams, enabling valuable

input to be collected.

Coursera employs external quality assurance measures to guarantee the quality of its courses.

Professional Certificates have been subject to quality assurance and recertification by the American

Council on Education for several years. Feedback and recommendations are incorporated into the

PDCA cycle, scrutinized in quarterly feedback meetings, and serve as a springboard for individual

course improvements and adjustments. The Content Strategy Team leverages this data to identify

skillset gaps and develop additional certificates based on the needs of companies, universities,

governments, and the external environment.

Appraisal:

There is a quality assurance and development procedure, which systematically and continuously

monitors and develops the quality of the courses with respect to its contents, processes, technology

and outcomes. Sufficient staff recourses are available and responsibilities are clearly defined.

Teaching staff and learners’ contribution to quality assurance and development procedures is

ensured (For the learner workload evaluation see condition chapter 3.1).

Evaluation by learners is carried out on a regular basis and in accordance with a prescribed

procedure; the outcomes are communicated and provide input for the quality development process.

Coursera collects a lot of feedback information and processes this into the “Learner Outcome

Report”. However, it has not become clear to the panel whether and how information of the Learner

Outcome Report is provided to the learners and completers. The panel therefore recommends

communicating current Learner Outcome Reports on the website.

Quality controls by the teaching staff and external evaluation are carried out on a regular basis and

in accordance with a prescribed procedure; the outcomes are communicated to the learners and

provide input for the quality development process. The panel suggests increasing participation of

the instructors in course development by conceiving an instructors’ feedback survey. The panel is

convinced that the procedure of the job task analysis (JTA) is an effective alternative to the

traditional method of assigning expert advisory boards for course and overall program

development.

Description and appraisal in Detail

Exceptional

Exceeds

quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Quality Assurance

6.1*

Quality assurance and development of

course content, processes, and outcomes

6.2

Instruments of quality assurance

6.2.1

Evaluation by learners

6.2.2

Quality assurance by teaching staff

6.2.3

External evaluation by course completers,

employers and others

Description and appraisal in Detail

● Quality Profile

Institution: Coursera Inc.

Content partner: Google

Continuing Education Courses:

● Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

● Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate

● Google IT Support Professional Certificate

● Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate

● Google Project Management Professional Certificate

● Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Quality Ratings

Exceptional

Exceeds

quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

Strategy and Objectives

1.1*

Logic and transparency of course

objectives

Condition

1.2

International orientation of the courses

1.3

Positioning of the courses

1.3.1

Positioning of the courses in the education

and job market, and

the professional field

(“Employability”)

1.3.2

Position of courses within the course

provider’s overall strategy

Admission

2.1*

Focus on the target group

2.2*

Admission conditions

2.3*

Legal relationship

Implementation

3.1

Structure

3.1.1

Structure of the courses

3.1.2*

Application of the „European Credit

Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)“

and modularization

Condition

3.1.3*

Conditions of participation and

assessment regulations

3.1.4*

Feasibility of study workload

3.2

Content

3.2.1*

Logic and conceptual coherence

3.2.2

Integration of theory and practice

3.2.3

International and intercultural contents

*: Asterisk Criterion

Description and appraisal in Detail

Quality Ratings

Exceptional

Exceeds

quality

requirements

Meets quality

requirements

Does not meet

quality

requirements

n.r.

3.2.4

Methodological competence

3.2.5

Academic work and science-based

teaching

3.2.6*

Examinations

3.3

Transdisciplinary qualifications and

softskills

3.4

Didactics and methodology

3.4.1*

Logic and transparency of teaching and

learning methodology

3.4.2

Course and learning materials

3.5*

Skills for employment/Employability

Resources and Services

4.1

Teaching staff of the courses

4.1.1*

Course management

4.1.2*

Structure and number of teaching staff in

relation to curricular requirements

4.1.3*

Teaching staff’s qualifications

4.1.4*

Teaching staff’s pedagogical/teaching

qualifications

4.1.5

Practical experience of the teaching staff

4.1.6

Internal cooperation

4.1.7*

Learner support and coaching

4.2*

Process organization and administrative

support for learners and teaching staff

4.3

Networking

4.4(*)

Cooperation with

academic institutions or

enterprises (asterisk criterion for

cooperation courses)

4.5

Technology and Facilities

4.5.1

Technical organizational unit

4.5.2*

Teaching and learning platform

4.5.3

Data analysis system

4.5.4*

Technical support for learners

4.5.5

Access to required literature

5.*

Documentation

Condition

Quality Assurance

6.1*

Quality assurance and development of

course content, processes and outcomes

6.2

Instruments of quality assurance

6.2.1

Evaluation by learners

6.2.2

Quality assurance by teaching staff

6.2.3

External evaluation by course completers,

employers and others

Description and appraisal in Detail

● Glossary

Coursera and report terminology

description

Professional Certificate (program);

Program

Course (entity that is subject to certification)

Course Content entity covering one topic within the program

Module Weekly learning entity, smallest learning entity

Subject Matter Expert Employee of Google (Coursera content partner) or third party

assigned by Google (Coursera content partner), who is

qualified for content development

Instructor Teaching staff that is part of the team that conceives, designs,

and produces the course