The Coursera Podcast

We sat down with Sayasat Nurbek, the Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, to discuss how the widespread adoption of online learning is helping to bridge the skills gap in his country. Minister Nurbek shares his personal journey and passion for education, as well as the initiatives he has led to reshape Kazakhstan's higher education system. In this episode, Sayasat and Arunav cover: The challenges of upskilling and reskilling a workforce, including the need for English language proficiency, quality faculty, and advanced infrastructure. Transforming education through strategic partnerships with international universities and online learning platforms like Coursera. Personalizing the learning journey for students to facilitate lifelong learning +++ Interested in furthering your own education online? With Coursera Plus, you’ll have unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs from world-class universities and companies like Yale, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Sign up for Coursera Plus today.

We sat down with Jeff Hollan, Head of Applications and Developer Platform at Snowflake, to discuss how product design is changing and how developers are scaling up their skill sets to make the most of AI. From enhancing collaboration to unleashing new levels of imagination, Jeff’s insights will inspire you to see AI as your new creative and technical partner. In this episode, Jeff and Arunav cover: Balancing Innovation and Technical Debt Enhancing Accessibility and Creativity with AI The Role of AI in Personal Productivity Building Diverse Teams in the Age of AI An update on Snowflake's Northstar learning program on Coursera ++ Snowflake's Northstar Builder Education program on Coursera aims to reach millions of builders and help them develop skills in data and AI. With this program, you can learn at your own pace with online courses, join Snowflake for in-person training events near you, and earn badges to show off your new skills.

Steam propelled the original Industrial Revolution; electricity powered the second; automation and machines engineered the third; and intelligent computers are shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Like the revolutions that preceded it, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has the potential to raise global income levels and improve the quality of life for populations around the world; but along the way, almost every industry in every country is being disrupted. Fariz Jafarov, Executive Director of the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Azerbaijan, sits down with us to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by this disruption, and how Azerbaijan is responding to better prepare the country’s workforce for the future.

We sat down with Dr. Jules White, Professor of Computer Science at Vanderbilt and Director of the university’s Initiative on the Future of Learning & Generative AI, to discuss the rise of GenAI and the importance of prompt engineering in utilizing large language models like ChatGPT. He emphasizes that GenAI is not just a passing trend but a fundamental skill that everyone should learn. Dr. White also shares: Best practices for incorporating GenAI into higher education and the workplace Beginner-friendly prompts for everyday use of ChatGPT Advice for business leaders on optimizing talent and tech agility +++ Dr. White created one of the first and largest online courses for prompt engineering. Together with a second free course on advanced data analysis of ChatGPT, his courses have reached more than 250,000 students worldwide. Interested in learning how to use large language models for personal, professional, and academic tasks? With Coursera Plus, you’ll have unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs from world-class universities and companies like Yale, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Sign up for Coursera Plus today.

Despite the fact that most cosmetics are targeted to and bought by women, did you know that men have an outsized influence on how they are made? In the US alone, women make up less than half of cosmetic chemists. This disparity deepens when looking at STEM as a whole, where women represent only one-quarter of the overall workforce. We sat down with Dr. Rolanda Wilkerson, an in-house cosmetic scientist at OLAY and the Senior Director and Fellow of Skin Care at Proctor and Gamble, to chat about her experience as a woman of color in her field and the work she is doing to drive more women to pursue careers in STEM. Dr. Wilkerson works closely with dermatologists, clinicians, and beauty scientists to research, develop, and report on the latest and emerging skin and hair science and technologies. Some of your staple products may be a product of her work! She also illuminates the inspiration behind Introduction to Cosmetic Science and Ingredients, a brand new Specialization from OLAY and the first in a series of STEM courses from the brand that reflects their commitment to doubling the number of women in STEM and tripling the number of women of color in STEM by 2030. +++ Interested in exploring this Specialization? With Coursera Plus, you’ll have unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs from world-class universities and companies like Yale, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Sign up for Coursera Plus today.

As CEO of Coursera, an online learning platform with 142 million learners and hundreds of millions of course enrollments, Jeff Maggioncalda has a unique view of what’s happening around the world in edtech, higher education, and the future of work. We sat down with him to discuss: 🔮 The implications of GenAI on online learning and education 🔑 Navigating the GenAI conundrum to drive innovation and productivity at your organization 📈 What leaders should keep in mind when developing a concrete GenAI strategy 🍎 Jeff’s debut as an educator on Coursera with Navigating Generative AI: A CEO Playbook 🧠 Using GenAI as a thought partner in your day-to-day life +++ With Coursera Plus, you’ll have unlimited access to Navigating Generative AI: A CEO Playbook and 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs from world-class universities and companies like Yale, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Sign up for Coursera Plus today.

We sat down with Andrew Ng—Co-Founder of Coursera, Founder of DeepLearning.AI, Managing General Partner at AI Fund, Founder & CEO of Landing AI, Chairman Adjunct Professor at Stanford University, and one of the world’s most prolific and renowned AI experts—to discuss: ✅ Best practices for incorporating generative AI into your organization 📎 When is generative AII appropriate or not appropriate to use at work? 👥 How generative AI will impact workers as it continues integrating into workflows 🔮 Andrew’s outlook on the future of AI in education and work Over 8 million people have taken Andrew’s AI courses on Coursera—the most popular being the groundbreaking AI for Everyone. And now the sequel, Generative AI for Everyone, has attracted over 100,000 learners in just two months, making it Coursera's fastest-growing course of 2023. +++ With Coursera Plus, you’ll have unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs from world-class universities and companies like Yale, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Sign up for Coursera Plus today.

We sat down with Alexis Abramson—a mechanical engineer, the thirteenth Dean of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, and co-founder of Edifice Analytics. Degrees as a credential, particularly from top institutions, continue to be a major driver of long-term economic mobility. Offering them online creates unprecedented access for learners to gain from these prestigious programs. However, fully online degrees from Ivy Leagues are relatively uncommon —but Dartmouth is changing that. In this conversation, we go behind the scenes of how Alexis and her team created Dartmouth’s very first fully online degree—a Master of Engineering in Computer Engineering—from building equity in admissions to crafting a program as engaging and valuable as a traditional on-campus experience. We also cover her outlook on how universities are adapting to prepare students for the changing tech landscape, and what excites her most about the future of engineering. From virtual assistants to virtual reality, intelligent systems are embedded in our everyday lives, and it is critical that engineers in our world understand both the technology and the human impact. You can begin your engineering journey today by checking out Dartmouth’s Master of Engineering in Computer Engineering—available now on Coursera. +++ With Coursera Plus, you’ll have unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs from world-class universities and companies like Yale, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Sign up for Coursera Plus today.

Vishal Gupta, a Professor in Organizational Behavior at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, shares his profound insights on leadership. He discusses how mastering self-leadership and empathetic communication can elevate your influence as a leader. He draws fascinating parallels between leadership principles and The Mahabharata, addressing ethical dilemmas faced today. Gupta also emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence in fostering workplace relationships, and explores the evolving landscape of higher education in India, advocating for greater accessibility and technological integration.

We sat down with Dr. Laurie Santos, a renowned professor of psychology at Yale University and the host of the popular podcast The Happiness Lab. Her course on evidence-based strategies for happiness, The Science of Well-Being, became the most popular in the university’s history and has developed into a global phenomenon, with the online version garnering more than 4.5 million enrollments on Coursera. In this conversation, Laurie tells us what the science of psychology says about how to make wiser choices and live a life that’s more fulfilling. She also explains how being happy with your life differs from being happy in your life, and how balancing the two is key to overall happiness. We also cover how we can help our kids, and ourselves, adjust our own expectations about happiness. Episode Resources: The World Happiness Report The Happiness Lab Podcast Interested in exploring Dr. Santos’ course? With Coursera Plus, you’ll have unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs from world-class universities and companies like Yale, Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Sign up for Coursera Plus today.