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25% of Coursera Courses Have Peer Reviews: Here Are the Best

An analysis by Class Central has established that, currently, 3,302 of Coursera’s 13,346 active courses (or 25%) include peer-reviewed assessments — that is, assessments manually scored by other learners.

In June 2023, our research showed that 39% of Coursera courses had peer reviews (2704 of 6,939). Coursera now has 6,407 more active courses, but the number with peer reviews has only increased by 598.

Online education tends to rely on automation when possible. When it comes to course assessments, this typically translates into courses using (or overusing) multiple-choice questions, since these can easily be autograded.

But multiple-choice questions aren’t always ideal, in particular in disciplines inherently subjective or open-ended. An equation might have one solution. But when it comes to, say, creative writing, there usually isn’t a single “right answer”.

Some learners might prefer the human touch of peer reviews. So we’ve compiled a list of the best Coursera courses that include peer reviews. We’ve broken the list down into subjects. Reference on a subject to jump to the corresponding courses:

Programming
Personal Development
Health & Medicine
Business
Humanities
Education & Teaching
Data Science
Social Sciences
Computer Science
Art & Design
Mathematics
Science
Engineering
Information Security (InfoSec)

Peer Reviews: Strengths & Weaknesses

Real peer review: 2 learners gave me 4 points; 1 gave me 2.

Peer reviews are a type of assignment used in online learning — though prior to this analysis, we wouldn’t have guessed that so many of Coursera’s courses used them.

Peer reviews on Coursera work as follows:

You complete an assignment, typically involving open-ended questions that you address by writing a few paragraphs of text. You submit it, but you don’t get a score just yet.
You score other learners’ assignments, according to a specific rubric, giving more or fewer points depending on how well the assignment addressed each rubric item. In addition, you may write comments.
You get your assignment score back, but only after (1) you’ve scored enough assignments, and (2) your assignment has been scored by enough learners.

Unfortunately, precisely because they introduce a human factor, peer-reviewed assessments come with limitations. Humans can be cunning. Our colleague @pat has written two articles about peer reviews:

The Problems of Peer Assessments at Scale: Cheating, Delays, Inconsistencies
Not Just Plagiarism: Investigating the Integrity of Peer Reviews in Online Learning.

That said, in our experience, many learners tackle these assignments earnestly, providing fair scores and useful feedback that can help one gain a better understanding of the course topic.

Some courses are now offering AI-generated peer assessment. In Pat’s experience, the scoring has been fair, but lacking feedback comments. And she had the option of asking for human assessment instead of AI. She still had to assess the required number of assignments to receive a score on her own assignments..

So if you’re looking for a good online course with peer-reviewed assessments, you can find our selection below.

Programming

Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) from University of Michigan ★★★★★(47685)
Python Data Structures from University of Michigan ★★★★★(17810)
An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python (Part 1) from Rice University ★★★★★(3389)
An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python (Part 2) from Rice University ★★★★★(59)
Introduction to HTML5 from University of Michigan ★★★★☆(52)
Object-Oriented Design from University of Alberta ★★★★☆(42)
Julia Scientific Programming from University of Cape Town ★★★★☆(33)
Design Patterns from University of Alberta ★★★★★(29)
Programming Languages, Part A from University of Washington ★★★★★(27)
Responsive Website Basics: Code with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from Goldsmiths University of London ★★★★☆(27)
C++ For C Programmers, Part A from University of California, Santa Cruz ★★★☆☆(26)
Software Architecture from University of Alberta ★★★★☆(21)
Introducción a la programación orientada a objetos en Java from Universidad de los Andes ★★★★★(18)
Object Oriented Programming in Java from University of California, San Diego ★★★★☆(16)
Introduction to CSS3 from University of Michigan ★★★★★(14)

Personal Development

Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects from Deep Teaching Solutions ★★★★★(27126)
Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential from McMaster University ★★★★★(8132)
Apprendre comment apprendre (ACA) : Des outils mentaux puissants qui vous aideront à maîtriser des sujets difficiles from Deep Teaching Solutions ★★★★★(501)
Aprender from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ★★★★★(107)
Creative Problem Solving from University of Minnesota ★★★☆☆(19)
Introduction to Public Speaking from University of Washington ★★★★☆(16)
Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success from Imperial College London ★★★★★(15)
Introduction to Negotiation: A Strategic Playbook for Becoming a Principled and Persuasive Negotiator from Yale University ★★★★★(11)
Aprendiendo a aprender: Poderosas herramientas mentales con las que podrás dominar temas difíciles (Learning How to Learn) from Deep Teaching Solutions ★★★★★(11)
Story and Narrative Development for Video Games from California Institute of the Arts ★★★★★(9)
Successful Career Development from Kennesaw State University ★★★★★(9)
Emotional Intelligence: Cultivating Immensely Human Interactions from University of Michigan ★★★★☆(9)
Teamwork Skills: Communicating Effectively in Groups from University of Colorado Boulder ★★★★★(8)
How to Get Skilled: Introduction to Individual Skills Management (Project-Centered Course) from State University of New York ★★★★☆(8)
The Art of Negotiation from University of California, Irvine ★★★★☆(8)

Health & Medicine

Understanding Clinical Research: Behind the Statistics from University of Cape Town ★★★★★(870)
De-Mystifying Mindfulness from Leiden University ★★★★★(100)
Severe to Profound Intellectual Disability: Circles of Care and Education from University of Cape Town ★★★★★(32)
Positive Psychiatry and Mental Health from The University of Sydney ★★★★★(22)
Organ Donation: From Death to Life from University of Cape Town ★★★★★(14)
Herbal Medicine from University of Minnesota ★★★★☆(11)
Community Change in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University ★★★★☆(10)
Managing Your Health: The Role of Physical Therapy and Exercise from University of Toronto ★★★★☆(8)
Introduction to Breast Cancer from Yale University ★★★★★(7)
Science of Exercise from University of Colorado Boulder ★★★★★(7)
Science Matters: Let’s Talk About COVID-19 from Imperial College London ★★★★★(7)
Living with Dementia: Impact on Individuals, Caregivers, Communities and Societies from Johns Hopkins University ★★★★☆(7)
Data Management for Clinical Research from Vanderbilt University ★★★★☆(5)
Chemicals and Health from Johns Hopkins University ★★★★☆(5)
Medical Technology and Evaluation from University of Minnesota ★★★★★(5)

Business

Marketing in a Digital World from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★★(630)
The Digital Marketing Revolution from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★★(419)
FinTech Foundations and Overview from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(252)
Preparing to Manage Human Resources from University of Minnesota ★★★★★(157)
FinTech Security and Regulation (RegTech) from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(146)
Becoming a changemaker: Introduction to Social Innovation from University of Cape Town ★★★★★(39)
Digital Marketing Analytics in Theory from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★☆(35)
Financial Markets from Yale University ★★★★☆(34)
Protecting Business Innovations via Strategy from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(30)
Mastering Data Analysis in Excel from Duke University ★★☆☆☆(27)
Digital Marketing Analytics in Practice from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★☆(23)
Foundations of Business Strategy from University of Virginia ★★★★☆(21)
Business Strategy from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★★(18)
Strategic Supply Chain Management in Turbulent Times from Technische Universität München (Technical University of Munich) ★★★★★(17)
On Strategy : What Managers Can Learn from Philosophy – PART 1 from CentraleSupélec ★★★★☆(16)

Humanities

A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment from Indian School of Business ★★★★★(502)
Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics from Leiden University ★★★★★(112)
Philosophy, Science and Religion: Religion and Science from University of Edinburgh ★★★★★(70)
Grammar and Punctuation from University of California, Irvine ★★★★☆(32)
English for Career Development from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★★(23)
The French Revolution from University of Melbourne ★★★★★(23)
Philosophy, Science and Religion: Philosophy and Religion from University of Edinburgh ★★★★☆(23)
The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 1) from Wesleyan University ★★★★★(21)
Getting Started with Essay Writing from University of California, Irvine ★★★★☆(19)
Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop from California Institute of the Arts ★★★★☆(19)
Magic in the Middle Ages from University of Buckingham ★★★★☆(16)
Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot from Wesleyan University ★★★★☆(15)
How to Write a Resume (Project-Centered Course) from State University of New York ★★★★☆(15)
English for Journalism from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★☆(15)
Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest from Commonwealth Education Trust ★★★★☆(15)

Education & Teaching

Uncommon Sense Teaching from Deep Teaching Solutions ★★★★★(477)
Uncommon Sense Teaching: Part 2, Building Community and Habits of Learning from Deep Teaching Solutions ★★★★★(114)
Uncommon Sense Teaching: Teaching Online from Deep Teaching Solutions ★★★★★(57)
Teaching Character and Creating Positive Classrooms from Relay Graduate School of Education ★★★★★(22)
Disability Inclusion in Education: Building Systems of Support from University of Cape Town ★★★★★(15)
Learning to Teach Online from University of New South Wales ★★★★☆(9)
American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★★(8)
Get Organized: How to be a Together Teacher from Relay Graduate School of Education ★★★★☆(6)
What future for education? from UCL Institute of Education ★★★★★(5)
Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Learners and Learning from Commonwealth Education Trust ★★★★☆(5)
Teach English Now! Second Language Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation from Arizona State University ★★★★★(4)
ICT in Primary Education: Transforming children’s learning across the curriculum from University of London ★★★★★(4)
Aboriginal Worldviews and Education from University of Toronto ★★★★★(4)
Blended Learning: Personalizing Education for Students from New Teacher Center ★★★★☆(4)
Teaching EFL/ESL Reading: A Task Based Approach from UCL Institute of Education ★★★★☆(4)

Data Science

R Programming from Johns Hopkins University ★★★☆☆(245)
The Data Scientist’s Toolbox from Johns Hopkins University ★★★☆☆(166)
Getting and Cleaning Data from Johns Hopkins University ★★★☆☆(58)
Introduction to Big Data from University of California, San Diego ★★★☆☆(34)
Statistical Inference from Johns Hopkins University ★★★☆☆(34)
Regression Models from Johns Hopkins University ★★★☆☆(33)
Reproducible Research from Johns Hopkins University ★★★★☆(27)
Data Visualization from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★☆☆(21)
Process Mining: Data science in Action from Eindhoven University of Technology ★★★★☆(18)
Developing Data Products from Johns Hopkins University ★★★★☆(17)
Applied Plotting, Charting & Data Representation in Python from University of Michigan ★★☆☆☆(9)
Quantitative Methods from University of Amsterdam ★★★★★(7)
Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis from Johns Hopkins University ★★★★★(6)
Graph Analytics for Big Data from University of California, San Diego ★★★☆☆(6)
Social Network Analysis from University of California, Davis ★★★★★(5)

Protecting Business Innovations via Patent from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(177)
Social Psychology from Wesleyan University ★★★★★(88)
Protecting Business Innovations via Trademark from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(87)
Protecting Business Innovations via Copyright from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(76)
Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities from Lund University ★★★★★(53)
EU policy and implementation: making Europe work! from Leiden University ★★★★★(52)
Chinese Politics Part 1 – China and Political Science from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(44)
The Science of Well-Being from Yale University ★★★★★(31)
Introduction to Sustainability from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★☆(17)
Chinese Politics Part 2 – China and the World from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(17)
Security & Safety Challenges in a Globalized World from Leiden University ★★★★★(16)
Understanding Research Methods from SOAS University of London ★★★★☆(15)
Paradoxes of War from Princeton University ★★★★☆(13)
International Law in Action: A Guide to the International Courts and Tribunals in The Hague from Leiden University ★★★★★(12)
Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ★★★★★(10)

Computer Science

Computational Social Science Methods from University of California, Davis ★★★★★(139)
Computer Simulations from University of California, Davis ★★★★★(53)
Computational Social Science Capstone Project from University of California, Davis ★★★★★(34)
Practical Machine Learning from Johns Hopkins University ★★★☆☆(27)
Fundamentals of Reinforcement Learning from University of Alberta ★★★★★(24)
Introduction to the Internet of Things and Embedded Systems from University of California, Irvine ★★★★☆(13)
The Arduino Platform and C Programming from University of California, Irvine ★★★☆☆(13)
Algorithmic Thinking (Part 2) from Rice University ★★★★☆(9)
Interfacing with the Arduino from University of California, Irvine ★★★★★(8)
Usable Security from University of Maryland, College Park ★★★☆☆(8)
Internet of Things: How did we get here? from University of California, San Diego ★★☆☆☆(6)
C for Everyone: Programming Fundamentals from University of California, Santa Cruz ★★★★☆(5)
Internet of Things: Setting Up Your DragonBoard™ Development Platform from University of California, San Diego ★★★☆☆(5)
Networking and Security Architecture with VMware NSX from VMware ★★★★★(4)
Programming Languages, Part B from University of Washington ★★★★☆(4)

Art & Design

Gamification from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★★(59)
Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics from Berklee College of Music ★★★★★(24)
Fundamentals of Graphic Design from California Institute of the Arts ★★★★☆(22)
The 3D Printing Revolution from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★★(19)
Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★☆(17)
Developing Your Musicianship from Berklee College of Music ★★★★★(16)
Introduction to Game Design from California Institute of the Arts ★★★★☆(14)
Film, Images & Historical Interpretation in the 20th Century: The Camera Never Lies from Royal Holloway, University of London ★★★☆☆(13)
3D Printing Software from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★★(12)
Roman Architecture from Yale University ★★★★☆(12)
Introduction to Typography from California Institute of the Arts ★★★★☆(11)
3D Printing Applications from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★★(8)
Ignite Your Everyday Creativity from State University of New York ★★★★☆(6)
Cameras, Exposure, and Photography from Michigan State University ★★★★☆(6)
Human-Centered Design: an Introduction from University of California, San Diego ★★★★☆(6)

Mathematics (37)

Introduction to Mathematical Thinking from Stanford University ★★★★☆(51)
Probability and Statistics: To p or not to p? from University of London ★★★★★(3)
Introduction to Complex Analysis from Wesleyan University ★★★★★(2)
Predictive Modeling and Analytics from University of Colorado Boulder ★★☆☆☆(2)
Estadística aplicada a los negocios from Universidad Austral ★★★★☆(2)
Improving your statistical inferences from Eindhoven University of Technology ★★★★★(1)
Bayesian Statistics: Techniques and Models from University of California, Santa Cruz ★★★★★(1)
Introduction to Linear Algebra and Python from Howard University ★★★★★(1)
Discrete Mathematics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University
From Data to Decisions: Making Predictions with AI from Vanderbilt University
Calculus through Data & Modelling: Vector Calculus from Johns Hopkins University
Precalculus: Mathematical Modeling from Johns Hopkins University
Calculus through Data & Modelling: Series and Integration from Johns Hopkins University
Calculus through Data & Modelling: Techniques of Integration from Johns Hopkins University
Modern Regression Analysis in R from University of Colorado Boulder

Science

Climate Change Mitigation in Developing Countries from University of Cape Town ★★★★★(36)
Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life from The University of Chicago ★★★★★(27)
Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space from University of Arizona ★★★★★(24)
Introduction to Forensic Science from Nanyang Technological University ★★★★☆(18)
Disaster Preparedness from University of Pittsburgh ★★★★☆(14)
An Introduction to Consumer Neuroscience & Neuromarketing from Copenhagen Business School ★★★☆☆(12)
Gut Check: Exploring Your Microbiome from University of Colorado Boulder ★★★★☆(10)
Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression from University of Melbourne ★★★★★(10)
Global Warming I: The Science and Modeling of Climate Change from The University of Chicago ★★★★☆(8)
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 1: Understanding Complex Problems from University of Manchester ★★★★★(8)
Greening the Economy: Lessons from Scandinavia from Lund University ★★★★☆(7)
Visual Perception and the Brain from Duke University ★★★★☆(6)
Planet Earth…and You! from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ★★★★☆(5)
A Circular Economy of Metals: Towards a Sustainable Societal Metabolism from Leiden University ★★★★★(5)
Statistical Mechanics: Algorithms and Computations from École normale supérieure ★★★★★(4)

Engineering

Fundamentals of GIS from University of California, Davis ★★★★☆(11)
Our Energy Future from University of California, San Diego ★★★★★(7)
Introduction to Systems Engineering from University of New South Wales ★★★★★(6)
BIM Fundamentals for Engineers from National Taiwan University ★★★★☆(4)
Analyse numérique pour ingénieurs from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne ★★★★☆(3)
GIS Data Formats, Design and Quality from University of California, Davis ★★★★★(2)
Global Energy and Climate Policy from SOAS University of London ★★★★★(2)
Embedded Hardware and Operating Systems from EIT Digital ★☆☆☆☆(2)
Geodesign: Change Your World from Pennsylvania State University ★★★★☆(2)
Microwave engineering and antennas from Eindhoven University of Technology ★★★★☆(2)
Robótica from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ★★☆☆☆(2)
Introduction to Embedded Systems Software and Development Environments from University of Colorado Boulder ★★★★★(1)
The hidden value – Lean in manufacturing and services from École des Ponts Paritech ★★★★★(1)
BIM Application for Engineers from National Taiwan University ★★★★★(1)
3D CAD Fundamental from National Taiwan University ★★★★★(1)