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New AI-powered innovations on Coursera: Role Play for Authors, Course Builder for Partners, Skills Tracks for Enterprise, and more

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New AI-powered innovations on Coursera: Role Play for Authors, Course Builder for Partners, Skills Tracks for Enterprise, and more

By Patrick Supanc, Chief Product Officer 

Today at our annual conference, Coursera Connect, we announced several new and expanded AI-powered product capabilities designed to better serve our learners, partners, and customers. These innovations will help learners master the right skills to grow their careers, enable partners to create high-quality and engaging content, and empower employers to drive better outcomes with their learning programs.

Role Play: Building essential skills through real-world practice

Launching next month, Role Play is a new course activity that enables learners to build job-ready skills and practice soft skills through dynamic, back-and-forth interactions with AI personas: 

  • Author-controlled and customizable — Educators and partners can design realistic scenarios, assign roles, and help learners practice key skills that align with course objectives.
  • Build learner confidence and career readiness — Learners receive personalized, actionable feedback and are better prepared to apply their skills on the job.
  • Serve employer and institutional needs — Role Play offers a new, scalable way to develop and assess in-demand skills like leadership and collaboration.

Expanding Course Builder to Partners
Course Builder is our GenAI-powered authoring platform, enabling institutions to use AI to design courses at scale. Since its launch in 2023, Course Builder has helped our enterprise customers to launch over 4,000 new private enterprise courses and reduced median course creation time by 87%. 

We’re now excited to make Course Builder available to our educator partners, helping them build and scale high-quality content for Coursera’s global learning catalog at a much faster pace. Every feature has been designed with speed, simplicity, and pedagogical excellence in mind, and built on insights from Coursera’s extensive learner base. New and enhanced features include:

  • Authoring from Scratch with just a course idea — no outline or material required.
  • Course Ingestion of existing materials with standard formats like Common Cartridge.
  • Instructional Design Guidance from an AI-powered coach.
  • Hands-on Learning integrations, like Dialogue and Role Play.
  • AI-graded questions to power your assessments.*

These new features are currently available to a select number of partners and enterprise customers. We will continue to refine them based on feedback before making them broadly accessible.*

Enabling Smarter Assessments and Supporting Learner Motivation
Effective learning requires both rigorous evaluation and sustained momentum. These new capabilities give educators scalable ways to assess higher-order skills while helping learners stay motivated through timely feedback and milestones.

  • AI-Graded Questions — Design open-ended assessments across formats like essays, code, and video. AI-generated rubrics and automated scoring save time and ensure fairness.
  • AI-Powered Peer Review — Enhance the peer review process with AI scoring and immediate feedback. Learners can reattempt assignments to improve scores, and gain deeper insights.
  • Helping Learners Maintain Motivation and Momentum — Support good learning habits with new session-level milestones, timely nudges, and moments of recognition to help boost completion rates.

Safeguarding Academic Integrity
Employers want learning tied directly to the roles and tasks of their teams — and they need proof that those skills transfer on the job. That’s why verified skill assessments matter: they show real mastery, not just course completion. Over the last year, we’ve enhanced our academic integrity features, and since May, have proctored over 15,000 exams — reducing plagiarized submissions by 90% and overall misconduct by 95%. We’re expanding these tools to uphold rigor and consistency at scale:

  • Coursera Proctoring & Locking Browser — In the GenAI era, it is critical for instructors to have the ability to monitor webcam, microphone, and screen activity. Browser locking can restrict access to external applications or resources, maintaining fairness during high-stakes assessments.
  • Course Profiles — New Course Profiles will make it easier for institutions to enforce consistent integrity standards across their programs. These centralized settings enable key academic integrity features at scale to protect the credibility of their learning and credentials.

Announcing Skills Tracks – a tailored, data-driven learning solution
We’re also excited to announce Skills Tracks, a data-backed learning solution mapped to specific occupations that guides learners from foundational knowledge to expert proficiency through verified skill paths. Powered by Coursera’s Career Graph, Skills Tracks precisely map the relationships between jobs, skills, and learning content. Key features include:

  • Tailored learning – Combine content from leading universities and industry partners with your own materials to match company tools, workflows, and priorities.
  • Verified credentials – Learners advance through real-world assessments that prove skills are mastered, not just completed.
  • Business goals alignment – Ongoing tracking and updates keep learning current with market needs and directly tied to business performance.

Starting today, four Skills Tracks are available: GenAI, Software and Product, IT, and Data, with more to follow. Each Skills Track offers a structured learning experience that clearly defines the critical skills and courses employees need at each role and experience level. Click here to read the announcement. 

We have also made significant strides in increasing global access and reducing language barriers to learning: 

  • We now have 5,600 courses available in up to 26 languages. This means over half our catalog is now available in multiple languages — enabling more than 50% of the world’s population to take a course in their native language on Coursera. 
  • By the end of the year, we’ll expand AI dubbing to nearly 1,000 courses across five languages — bringing world-class instruction to more learners in more languages than ever before.

We’re excited to build the foundation for learning in the age of AI. By combining powerful technology with trusted content, we’re ushering in a new era of opportunity — one where every learner can prove their skills, every institution can scale its impact, and every organization can keep pace with change.

Watch Coursera CEO, Greg Hart’s keynote at Coursera Connect 2025 for demos of these new capabilities here.

Learn more about Skills Tracks here.

Read about our Content announcements here.

Unpack the Math of Packing With Steven Strogatz and The New York Times

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Invite students to explore how bees, soda cans and big data all solve the same problem: not enough space.

Accessories

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If You Could Create Your Own School, What Would It Be Like?

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Inspired by a school in the Bronx with a basketball-themed curriculum, we invite you to imagine your own ideas for what school could be.

Word of the Day: permutation

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This word has appeared in 17 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?

Weekly Student News Quiz: Bad Bunny, Typhoon, Broadway

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Weekly Student News Quiz: Bad Bunny, Typhoon, Broadway

Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful storm so far this year, has killed over 20 people and caused massive evacuations and power outages across the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and China.

What is the difference between a typhoon and a hurricane?

What’s New at Codecademy: AI Programming with Lovable & Intro to AI Agents

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What’s New at Codecademy: AI Programming with Lovable & Intro to AI Agents

Welcome to our centralized hub for all new course launches and updates at Codecademy. Here, you’ll find an up-to-date record of what’s new so you can easily discover fresh learning opportunities, figure out who a course is best suited for, or just jump right in and start. 

We’re always launching new courses and fine-tuning our learning environment so you can stay ahead of emerging tech trends and build the skills that are in demand right now. Bookmark this blog and check back regularly — we’ll update this anytime there’s a new launch you need to know about.

Use the links below to skip to the week or update you’re interested in. 

Want to see all our courses in one place? Browse the catalog to find courses and paths, filter by level and topic (or sort by “Most recent” to see the newest launches). You can also chat with the AI Learning Assistant to build a learning plan that helps you reach your goals.  

September 29, 2025

What’s new

Intro to Lovable AI

Describe what you want in plain English, and watch Lovable AI build it. In this course, you’ll create and deploy a real To-Do app without memorizing syntax or wrestling with frameworks. We’ll explore the generated code together, use Agent mode for bigger edits, and push your app live to the web. You’ll walk away with actual deployment experience, smarter prompting skills, and a realistic understanding of what AI development tools can (and can’t) do.

Who it’s for

This course is for anyone who’s ever thought “I wish I could build that” but got stuck at the coding part. Whether you’re switching careers, working in a non-technical role, or just curious about AI development tools, you’ll learn to turn ideas into actual web apps using plain English. No programming experience needed — just bring your ideas and a willingness to experiment. Perfect for upskillers, entrepreneurs, and anyone who wants to prototype without the traditional coding learning curve.

What’s new

Intro to AI Agents

Cut through the AI agent hype and learn what makes these systems actually autonomous. We’ll break down the building blocks (like retrieval systems, tool integration, and API connections) and show you how agents differ from basic workflows. You’ll explore real workplace applications, learn when agents are worth the effort (and when they’re not), and build the foundation to create your own agentic systems. No coding required, just strategic thinking and curiosity about what’s possible.

Who it’s for

Tired of nodding along when people mention “agentic AI” at work? This is for product managers, analysts, marketers, and ops folks who need to separate signal from noise. You’re dealing with complex decisions and wondering if autonomous systems can really help. We’ll show you the strategic side — when to deploy agents, when simpler tools work better, and how to think about implementation without writing code yourself.

August 28, 2025

What’s new

Learn Advanced C++

Our most advanced level C++ course will help elevate your programming skills to a professional level. Delve into advanced topics like operator overloading, lambda expressions, and preprocessor directives. These skills are essential for creating efficient, modern C++ code, and they’re applicable in industries like systems programming, game development, and high-performance computing.

Who it’s for

This course is intended for developers who are already familiar with basic and intermediate C++ concepts, including classes, functions, and pointers. If you’re prepared to advance your C++ knowledge and craft production-ready code, this path is for you. This new course is perfect for aspiring systems programmers, game developers, and people aiming for roles in embedded software engineering and quantitative finance.

Learn Java Developer Tools with VS Code

Ready to elevate your Java development workflow? Learn Java Developer Tools with VS Code teaches you to use VS Code’s powerful capabilities for professional Java development. You’ll master essential debugging techniques including binary search debugging and JDB, implement robust unit testing with JUnit’s Jupiter framework, and set up a complete local development environment that mirrors real-world professional settings. These skills are essential for back-end developers, software engineers, QA engineers, and technical leads across industries including fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, and enterprise software development.

Who it’s for

Built for experienced Java developers and technical professionals who want to optimize their development process and work more efficiently. If you’re comfortable with intermediate to advanced Java concepts and ready to transition to professional-grade tooling, this course bridges the gap between academic learning and industry practice. Perfect for developers preparing for senior roles or those looking to enhance their debugging and testing expertise.

August 8, 2025

What’s new  

Learn Reinforcement Learning with Gymnasium 

Our new intermediate course introduces you to reinforcement learning (RL) using OpenAI’s Gymnasium library. You’ll learn to build intelligent agents that learn through trial and error in dynamic environments. With practical projects like training agents to solve challenges, you’ll develop essential RL skills for AI-driven industries. This course bridges theory and practice, helping you master techniques behind self-learning systems. 

Who it’s for  

This one’s perfect if you’re already comfortable with Python and ready to take your AI knowledge to the next level. It’s a smart choice for professionals in robotics, game development, and industrial control systems, or anyone working on complex projects with delayed feedback or high-dimensional spaces.  

Learn How to Build AI Agents  

Tackle the foundational skills needed to create agentic workflows and autonomous agents. You’ll gain hands-on experience in building the core components of agents using Python and Jupyter Notebooks, ultimately integrating these elements into a cohesive, functioning system.  

Who it’s for  

This course is designed for intermediate learners who are ready to move beyond basic AI and specialize in autonomous systems. With solid Python knowledge and some data science experience, you can advance your skills in agentic workflows. Get ahead of the curve and learn the concepts that are driving the current AI agent revolution.  

July 28, 2025

What’s new 

We’ve added 40+ new learning paths to our catalog, including prep for intermediate and advanced certification exams (think AWS Certified DevOps Engineer and Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate) as well as skill-building for specific tools like Snowflake and Terraform.  

There are now 35 certification prep paths for intermediate and advanced certifications in AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, CompTIA, Oracle SQL, CBAP, and more. 

  • New Microsoft certifications  
  • New CompTIA certifications  
  • New Google certifications  

The remaining 9 new skill paths focused on applied learning in IT, DevOps, and data engineering.

Who these paths are for 

Our new paths are designed to support you on your career journey with professional, certification-focused training. From cloud architecture and data engineering to DevOps, cybersecurity, business analysis, or IT project management, you can find a route that helps you advance and specialize. These paths are best for: 

  • Mid-career professionals seeking to deepen expertise and gain relevant credentials. 
  • Teams aiming to upskill in cloud, data, security, and DevOps. 
  • Anyone who wants to earn certifications from leading providers like AWS, Microsoft, and Google Cloud. 

Last updated: August 2025

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Word of the Day: salubrious

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