How can I benefit from MOOCs?

COLLEGE CREDIT

Some MOOCs offer transferable college credit¹, and there are more planned. For example, Arizona State University has partnered with edX to create Global Freshman Academy to offer full university freshman-level courses for credit. If you add the Verified Certificate option and pass, you can receive credits which are transferable to any university. Some universities accept MOOC certificates offered by other universities as credits for their own studies.

_{¹Inapplicable to The University of Tokyo.}

RESKILLING AND UPSKILLING

The world of work is changing, and this constant evolution requires a workforce that’s more agile than it has ever been. Reskilling and/or upskilling are essential to keep up. While reskilling involves teaching current employees new skills to prepare them for new or alternative roles, upskilling involves developing the skills these employees already have.

MOOCs offer professional certificates from the world’s leading companies and institutions, including Google, Meta, IBM, and more. No prior experience or college degree required to enroll. MOOCs are an excellent low cost and low risk way to learn new skills or freshen up existing skills to make yourself more marketable as a job candidate.

As qualification is highly valued in Japan, it is fair to say that MOOCs certification, open badges and verifiable credentials would be widely adopted in the near future.

MOOCS IN LIBERAL ARTS

MOOCs not only equip learners with relevant, immediately useful knowledge and skills, but also work with liberal arts and support lifelong learning. While it is important to study a particular subject in line with your goals, exposure to a subject you are not normally familiar with can help broaden your understanding or explore new interests. MOOCs allow you to be free from the stress of GPA² and focus on learning.

_{²The GPA, or Grade Point Average, is a number that indicates how high you scored in your courses on average.}