By Alex Sanchez, Product Management, Mobile Experiences and Emerging Technology at Coursera
No two learner journeys are the same. We’ve seen great diversity across learners in their preferred times, days, and learning session lengths, while some choose to learn via desktop and others embrace mobile. In other words, the flexible options provided by Coursera are being put to good use!
Regardless of your learning habits, consistency is the most important driver of long-term achievement on Coursera. The most successful learners on our platform do not take long breaks between learning sessions; even a three-day break is rare among those with high completion rates.
To help boost the success of all Coursera learners and enable learning wherever you are, we’re excited to announce that Coursera is now available in your car and via our new Amazon Alexa Skill. These new features will propel even more learners to reach their goals through devices they use everyday.
On-the-go learning
Goodbye tangled auxiliary cords! So long Bluetooth pairing problems! Coursera now supports Apple Carplay and, coming soon, Android Auto. Learners can use their in-car infotainment systems to listen to lectures, without assessments or assignments causing distractions behind the wheel. You can also skip or pause a lecture using your car’s media playback system — a much safer option than fumbling with your phone while driving.
Enroll in a course before hitting the road, then learn en route by streaming or playing an already downloaded course. With the average American commute time a little over 26 minutes one-way, this is a particularly practical tool to minimize breaks between learning sessions. On your next car ride, try AI for Everyone from deeplearning.ai, which is one of many courses well suited for learning in the car.
“Hey Alexa, when’s my next assignment due?”
A few weeks ago, the new Coursera skill for Amazon Alexa was announced at the Amazon Day One event. Today we’re excited to share that the skill is available in the Alexa Skills Store. Now you can access assignment due dates and your course progress by simply asking Alexa. In the coming months, you’ll also be able to ask for your course quiz grades.
Voice assistants, like Alexa, are being adopted faster than almost any other technology to date. Recognizing this trend, we saw a chance to increase learner success by leveraging one of the latest, most popular technologies. The skill is available to all learners with a Coursera account and Amazon Alexa-enabled device.
Constant innovation
Being able to learn anywhere, anytime has always been key to the Coursera experience. In 2014, our mobile app made it possible for people around the world to fit learning into their busy lifestyles. We’ve noticed that learners using our mobile app tend to learn in shorter, more frequent bursts than learners exclusively using desktop. The flexibility associated with mobile learning leads to more fruitful habits. Fast forward to today and more than 40% of our learners in the past year have accessed Coursera through mobile.
Each person comes to Coursera with a learning strategy unique to them, so we’re committed to technological innovation to serve these evolving needs. Our team is proud to support all learners with a variety of tools, like Coursera in the car and the Alexa skill, to complement and reinforce learning.
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