Coursera Pedagogy Principles

Note: This article is also hosted in our Partner Resource Center.

Coursera’s Pedagogy Principles incorporate findings from peer-reviewed educational research and learning science. We base our platform technology and education philosophy on mastery learning,¹ which focuses on the importance of feedback in learning and promotes the mastery of a topic before moving on to more advanced materials.² Quality education that supports mastery learning requires the tight alignment of learning objectives, instructional materials, and assessments.³

Use backwards design⁴ by creating learning objectives and assessments first in order to align content with instructional materials.

All content on Coursera must include these Pedagogy Principles:

• Learning objectives to clearly define⁵ the desired outcomes and skills for learners.^{6, 7}  Your learning objectives may be what completes a statement like "By the end of the course or video, you will be able to…"
• Assessments to measure learner progress⁸ and mastery of the objectives. Examples of assessments are quizzes, peer reviews, and programming assignments.
• Instructional materials to scaffold the learning path⁹ by helping learners build their skills and knowledge step by step as they work towards mastery.¹⁰ Examples of instructional materials are videos, readings, and labs.

Content requirement: Learning objectives

When creating content on Coursera, use backwards design⁴ (i.e., begin with the end in mind) by writing measurable, action-oriented learning objectives. A learning objective describes what learners will be able to do by the end of a unit of learning.⁵ Learning objectives help learners see the value of an online learning experience, sustain motivation and achievement,¹¹ and help them practice metacognition skills.¹²

Identify clear and measurable learning objectives for all units of learning offered on Coursera, including degree programs, Specializations, courses, modules, lessons, videos, etc.

Learn more about Bloom’s taxonomy.

Content requirement: Assessments

Assessments measure learners’ skill acquisition.³ Effective assessments allow learners to practice concepts introduced in instructional materials, provide feedback on their progress, and evaluate their mastery of learning objectives. Each assessment should offer an opportunity to demonstrate achievement of at least one learning objective. Choose assessment types that best fit your learning objectives.

Successful online learning experiences incorporate formative (practice) assessments, summative (graded) assessments, and helpful feedback to the learner.^13,14 Frequent practice opportunities also reinforce long-term memory and help learners master the materials.¹

Content requirement: Instructional materials

Key takeaway: Content includes instructional materials to teach learning objectives.

Content offered on Coursera should incorporate some form of instruction to facilitate the learning objectives. Instructional materials are content items that systematically teach information.³ The most commonly used instructional materials on Coursera are videos. You can also use readings, interactive plugins, and other items to facilitate instruction to learners.

Instructional materials should scaffold the learning path by helping learners build their skills and knowledge step by step as they work toward mastery. We recommend defining your learning objectives and designing the assessments to test those objectives before creating your instructional materials.

References