By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge
Wesley Engers has an unusual hobby: beta testing online courses from well-known colleges and universities. He doesn’t get paid, but he helps improve the quality of courses by catching mistakes in quizzes and pointing out befuddling bits of video lectures, which can then be clarified before professors release the course to students. “I find it much more engaging than reading a book,” says Engers, a 29-year-old data scientist, when asked why he does it. “And I do enjoy giving back and trying to contribute to a community and help future students.” He’s one of about 2,500 volunteer beta testers for Coursera, and part of an expanded quality-control effort the company started in the past year.
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