On 7 June 2023, the University of London hosted Coursera Day, UK – Coursera‘s first regional annual conference. This event brought together many of Coursera’s EU and UK industry and education partners to discuss the day’s overarching theme ‘The Future of Learning and Work’.
Sam Brenton, our Director of Online Education, welcomed attendees with opening remarks about the history of the University of London. We then heard exciting product and service updates from Coursera, including demos of Coursera Coach (a generative AI-powered virtual learning assistant), Course Builder (which uses genAI to create courses), and Coursera Hiring Solutions, a ‘skills-based recruitment service that matches industry-trained, job-ready talent with companies filling entry-level digital roles’.
In addition to these product innovation updates from Coursera, the day’s panel discussion elicited industry and HE perspectives on questions relating to digital upskilling amidst rapid change. Sam joined fellow panel members from Google Cloud, the University of Leeds, Ericsson, and Virgin Media to share strategies and reflections.
AI-complementary skills like confidence, empathy, creative problem solving, and the capacity to cope with change and ambiguity came up consistently across business and education sectors. Another key takeaway was the power of giving students experiences to cement their learning and set them up for professional success – as the University of London does with its recognition of prior learning for the BSc Computer Science.
Participants then enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions of Coursera leaders Marni Baker-Stein (Chief Content Officer), Leah Belsky (Chief Revenue Officer) and Hadi Moussa (General Manager, EMEA) before a networking drinks reception.