1 Million Users Signed up for HSE’s Online Courses on Coursera

The number of people subscribing to HSE’s online courses on Coursera, one of the world’s most popular online learning platforms, has reached 1 million. Users represent nearly the entire globe, with HSE courses being taken in nearly 200 countries.

HSE has collaborated with Coursera since 2014, and has attracted 1 million users to its courses over just three years. Today, Coursera offers 53 courses by HSE, more than 30% of which are English-taught. This makes HSE the top-ranking university in Russia by the number of courses offered, and sixth among all Coursera partners around the world.

The audience of the courses is international, with 70% of users in 2016 coming from outside Russia. 17% of HSE online learners are from the United States. India, Ukraine, China, Great Britain, Germany, and Canada also provide a substantial share of users. The course in Neuroeconomics attracts even more Americans, who make up to 19% of those who have registered. Remarkably, those attending HSE courses also come from such exotic locations as Curacao, Saint Martin Island, Vanuatu, Burundi, Madagascar, the Maldives, Burkina Faso, Micronesia, and even North Korea.

Countries of origin of people subscribing to HSE’s online courses on Coursera

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The most popular HSE courses by number of users in 2016 were Data Structure and Algorithms, Introduction to Machine Learning, and Game Theory. The highest rated courses are Econometrics, Philosophy of Culture, and Fundamentals of Corporate Finance.

‘HSE has fully embraced online learning as a way to expand access to its teaching to people of all ages and backgrounds all over the world,’ said Rick Levin, CEO of Coursera. ‘One million enrollments is a significant milestone for a single university on our platform, but this is only just the beginning as the demand for continued learning after college graduation swiftly rises. Institutions like HSE will be leaders in preparing people for a rapidly changing and competitive workforce throughout their lives.’

‘Online courses are one of the most promising and key areas of academic development. They significantly expand the University’s potential learner base, as well as help to promote its educational offerings. HSE consistently relies on the most up-to-date technologies and that’s why our partnership with Coursera is very important for us. We are planning to increase the number of courses and areas of studies, as well as their integration into our students’ study plans,’ noted HSE Vice Rector Sergey Roshchin.

As of today, seven Russian universities are represented on Coursera, with over 130 courses, and the total number of people attending them exceeds 1.3 million. The platform offers a variety of areas of instruction ranging from Russian literature to machine learning to robotics and genetics. The courses with the most subscribers are on data analysis, economics & finance, and mathematics.

HSE lecturers congratulate Coursera users