Will the coursera signature track bolster my CV? Or is it a waste?

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subterfuge0

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Hello all, this is my first post on this site!

To start off, I am taking some courses on Coursera geared towards pre-medical studies. These courses are specialized in the fields of genetics, physiology, and public health. Some of these courses offer a paid incentive called the "Signature Track." It normally costs $90, but since Coursera is still in its infancy it is being offered for $45. Here is the whole Q&A about the Signature Track if you want to read about it, https://www.coursera.org/signature/guidebook/certs-sharing. But the specific part I'm calling out is this:

Adding to your résumé or CV

Many Coursera students list their course on their résumé or CV under "Continuing Education", "Professional Development", or "Additional Coursework".

It is important to accurately represent a course on your resume or CV. Here are some guidelines:

  • Your course is a rigorous, non-credit course designed and offered by the participating University. Your Verified Certificate shows you have met the course's passing criteria and that you securely linked work to your real identity.
  • Completing a course does not mean you are enrolled as a student at any university on Coursera and you do not receive credit towards a degree from the university offering the course.

So my question is: Is it worth paying the $45 to get an online verified certificate from Duke University? Is this something I could put on my CV for medical school or even a job?

Thank you so much, and I look forward to staying on these forums for a very long time!

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I took a coursera course over the summer. It was pretty good, but I didn't pay for any cert and didn't do any homework. I just learned the material and enjoyed it. I took the course on health care in America, and it helped in interviews but I don't think anyone would care about it on a CV.

This program is brand new, like you say, so how could medical schools even know what to think of it? And there would be no grade attached. At most they judge it as a pass/fail online course from Duke, and that doesn't sound that great.
 
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I don't think anyone takes online courses seriously and courses taken isn't something I've seen on many resumes.
 
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Thanks for the replies! This definitely will steer me away from paying the $45 for the certificate. Thanks once again!
 
I find it strange that they suggest people list the course under "Continuing Education."
 
Coursera may be gaining some traction. I was comparing Med School pre-reqs today and landed on the The University of Michigan Medical School requirements page, where they link to Coursera Pre-Med Courses under a subtitle "Other Resources." Check out the following link:

http://medicine.umich.edu/medschool/education/md-program/md-admissions/requirements

Scroll to the section entitled
Prerequisites and Core Competencies for 2017 Entering Class and Beyond
 
Those Coursera classes on healthcare are pretty intriguing. Anyone know of any that are available right now?
 
Given that many med schools don't accept prereqs that are graded, credit-bearing online coursework from four-year universities where a student is enrolled for a degree, it's hard to imagine that they'd give much weight to ungraded, non-credit online courses with tens of thousands of students who sign up without meeting any qualifications or prerequisites.

The courses that I've taken on Coursera were useful (there was a good one on medical terminology that was really helpful when I started doing clinical research, and they have some good offerings to brush up on subjects like organic chem, physiology, and calc). But they were definitely abbreviated compared to what's taught in an ordinary semester and they were not all that academically rigorous, to the point where even if someone has heard of Coursera, they wouldn't find that coursework impressive.

Those Coursera classes on healthcare are pretty intriguing. Anyone know of any that are available right now?

Try here: https://www.coursera.org/courses?orderby=upcoming&lngs=en&cats=health,medicine
 
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