<p>I've been doing some courses on Coursera just for the fun of it. However, I was wondering if the completion of these courses (the free versions) would be something I should include on my college apps? </p>
<p>Is there any way you can prove you took it?</p>
<p>Sure! It’s something that shows you’re motivated, can learn independently, can handle college-level work, etc. </p>
<p>I don’t think without any evaluation component that it shows that you can do college work. I think it just shows interest. I wouldn’t put it before EC’s.</p>
<p>To prove that you took it you get a completion certificate, the coursework is graded by actual professors but you don’t get college credit unless you pay for it. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to do so. </p>
<p>This is the kind of thing that a teacher or GC can highlight in a rec letter, e.g. “Sally is so self-motivated that she has successfully completed three online courses in underwater archaeology. Her passion for this subject brings a new dimension to our history class discussions.”</p>
<p>What are the Coursera course titles/subjects? </p>
<p>Right now I’m taking “Introduction to Mathematical Thinking” which is a course administered by Stanford </p>
<p>Sometimes, if the MOOC aligns with a CLEP test that one can take, you can use your CLEP score to “prove” you’ve mastered the material (even if you’re not intending to seek college credit through CLEP). CLEPs cost about $100 per test. Here’s the CLEP test list: <a href=“http://clep.collegeboard.org/exam”>http://clep.collegeboard.org/exam</a>. They tend to be pretty basic and not exotic, as some MOOCs are. </p>