Is online job training for all? Experimental evidence on the effects of a Coursera program in Costa Rica

Rafael Novella, David Rosas-Shady and Richard Freund

Journal of Development Economics, 2024, vol. 169, issue C

Abstract: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are frequently viewed as a tool for democratizing education and job training. However, their effectiveness is largely untested. We report on the first randomized evaluation of a job training program offering cost-free access to curated, short Coursera MOOCs and certificates. We find low course completion rates (10%), with males and wealthier individuals more likely to complete a course. Personalized reminders did not increase treatment take-up over a simple, standardized email reminder. Treatment has no significant effect on labour market outcomes roughly two years after the program. However, we find marginally significant evidence that treatment increases post-secondary education enrolment by 11%. Evidence on mechanisms suggests that this may be operating partially through the program motivating individuals who lacked sufficient skills to pursue further specialization.

Keywords: Job training; Online courses; Human capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I26 J01 J24 J62 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:deveco:v:169:y:2024:i:c:s0304387824000348

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2024.103285

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