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Coursera MOOCs go mobile with new app

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are not all that mobile for a technology touted for letting students learn from anywhere.

mobile-device-coursera [1]
Coursera’s learning hubs were introduced in October.

While the courses can be technically accessed from a variety of devices and computers, the sites are designed with laptop and desktop web browsers in mind.

Students can’t just pull a full MOOC experience out of their pockets while riding the bus or during a lunch break at work.

A new mobile app from Coursera may begin to change that.

“The new app, available now for iOS and soon for Android, allows students to stream course videos from the convenience of their phones, whether during the daily commute, at the gym, waiting in the grocery line, or simply when away from their desktops,” Coursera said in a blog post [2].

The app also supports course browsing, course searching, course enrolling, and quiz taking.

It is the most recent step Coursera has taken in widening access to their online courses. The platform in October partnered with institutions in 25 countries to create “Global Learning Hubs [3].”

The hubs are limited computer labs where students without internet can access Coursera courses as well as interact with other students and a Coursera facilitator.

See Page 2 for how focusing on smartphones could be a smart move for delivering education to developing countries.

The number of broadband connections in developing countries is rapidly growing.

By the end of this year, there will be 2.1 billion mobile broadband connections in the world, according to the United Nations Broadband Commission [4]. That’s an increase of 40 percent from 2012, and three times the number of fixed line broadband connections.

As mobile connection spots increase and the price of smartphones drop, Coursera’s new app, the first of any MOOC company, could be a way to open the platform up to students who live too far away from even the company’s Global Learning Hubs.

It still lacks some important features of the full-version of Coursera, however, and several courses are listed as “coming soon.”

“Courserians wishing to take part in the discussion forums, read supplemental materials, or complete assignments will need to visit Coursera [5],” the company said.

Follow Jake New on Twitter at @eCN_Jake [6].