I was becoming frustrated with looking for free competencies that matched my professional goals. I had visited Coursera much earlier in my search for credits, but I decided to revisit it. The second time around, I found some project-based courses (fewer than 10 but nonetheless free), and a few of them were courses that I was actually excited to take. I ended up completing four free project-based microcredentials on the Coursera platform.
Unlike the first microcredential that I completed (read the blog post), Coursera provides users with project certificates immediately upon complete of the final quizzes for each course.
Microcredential – Promotional Videos Using Canva
Free, Immediate Credentials
- Name: Create a Promotional Video Using Canva
- Issuing Organization:
- Description of Learning Outcomes and Competencies:
- Learn to create a promotional video, along with a script, and to style the video (backgrounds, fonts, images and animations) to make the video more appealing to audiences or customers.
- Alignment with my professional goals:
- From what I’ve observed, resources created by experts and educational leaders can often go unnoticed. Contributions to improving education can only be effective if shared. By creating promotional videos and other engaging content, educational leaders can significantly increase their institution’s online visibility and reach, as well as the reach of their individual work. This can attract a wider audience and potentially lead to increased positive impact.
- Timeline for Completion (estimated):
- This microcredential guides the user through creating a Canva promotional video from a blank template. Coursera does not require that the project be submitted for course credit.
- Additionally, the user must complete a final quiz with a score of at least 80% correct. (The quiz can be retaken, though there is a limit on the frequency.)
- Coursera estimates that the guided project takes approximately 1.5 hours to complete. However, if the user is trying to apply the concepts directly to their own content (i.e., create a draft of a video that they might actually use for their own work), this project could take 5 or 6 hours.
Microcredential – Formulas & Functions (Excel)
Free, Immediate Credentials
- Name: Using Basic Formulas and Functions in Microsoft Excel
- Issuing Organization:
- Description of Learning Outcomes and Competencies:
- Use Excel in Microsoft Office 365 to write and correctly apply formulas for simple calculations (add, subtract, multiply, and divide) as well as SUM, SUMIF, and average functions to company data.
- Alignment with my professional goals:
- In a recent project that my group hopes to soon publish, we needed a way to analyze our collection of quantitative data, both accurately and efficiently. Excel and its spreadsheet alternatives, such as the free Google Sheets product, offer built-in functions that are quite easy to use, but one needs some basic training to successfully implement these resources. Further, once a person learns the basic functions, almost all of the spreadsheet programs use the same functions.
- Timeline for Completion (estimated):
- This microcredential requires the user to complete a guided project, with video tutorials.
- Afterward, the user must complete a quiz with a score of at least 80% correct. (I believe users are limited to two attempts within an eight-hour window.)
- Coursera recommends that users allow two hours to complete the project. However, learners can skip through parts that they already know, or, alternatively, spend more time on parts that with which they are unfamiliar. In my opinion, two hours would be more of a maximum timeframe.
Microcredential – Google Ads
Free, Immediate Credentials
- Name: Google Ads for Beginners
- Issuing Organization:
- Description of Learning Outcomes and Competencies:
- Learn to set up a Google ad, research keywords, target audiences, and use the tools and settings available to optimize ad campaigns.
- Alignment with my professional goals:
- As I mentioned regarding the Canva microcredential, research only matters if it is shared. I personally enjoying sharing my work via this website and other online venues. However, if I want my work to have a more significant impact, Google Ads might be one option for increasing my audience when publishing a work or initiative.
- Timeline for Completion (estimated):
- This microcredential guides the learner through the entire process of ad creation.
- The user must show 80% proficiency (given multiple attempts) on an exam at the end.
- While I earned the microcredential credit in a little longer that Coursera’s estimated two hours, I did not finish my project fully. I was trying to create an ad that would be as true to my work as possible, and it is clear that creating a quality ad campaign is time-consuming. If you need the credit in just a couple of hours, you will need to do as I did and just try the features enough to understand them without trying to create a complete project. Still, I learned a lot through this course and will return to it.
Microcredential – Intro to Excel
Free, Immediate Credentials
- Name: Introduction to Microsoft Excel
- Issuing Organization:
- Description of Learning Outcomes and Competencies:
- Use Excel in Microsoft Office 365 to manipulate data, and become familiar with very basic Excel data analysis formulas.
- Alignment with my professional goals:
- Excel and its spreadsheet alternatives are essential assets for collecting and analyzing data efficiently. As I conduct research and analyze results, it is important that I am able to navigate spreadsheet features with ease.
- Timeline for Completion (estimated):
- This microcredential guides students through a learning project using Excel.
- Afterward, the user must complete a quiz with a score of at least 80% correct. (Multiple attempts are allowed, though limited within a certain timeframe.)
- Coursera recommends that users allow 1.5 hours to complete the project. While users already familiar with Excel can complete this microcredential much more quickly, newer Excel users, in my opinion, could certainly complete the training within the given timeframe.
Overall, Coursera’s guided projects were a great discovery. They were free, relatively quick to complete, but I certainly learned new skills that I can apply immediately. I call that a win!
References
Coursera. (2024). CourseRA | Degrees, Certificates, & free online courses. https://www.coursera.org/
Lorie Bell 
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