Learners Beware of Coursera Support Team Alleged Acts of Deception

Rasheedah Fagbayi, a renowned creative writer, poet, and founder of Pan Africa Trade Fair and Sister Embellishments Nigeria, has recently come forward with her concerns regarding the negligence of Coursera, an online learning platform. Fagbayi, who is known for her dedication to promoting education and empowerment, has taken to the internet to voice her frustrations and call for justice.

In a heartfelt message to her fellow learners, Fagbayi shared her own personal experience with Coursera’s support team. She revealed that she had registered for the “Specialization in Digital Marketing and E-commerce” program on October 17th, and has successfully obtained six certificates so far, all issued by the Global Director in Career and Certificates, Amanda Brophy. Currently, she is in the process of completing her seventh course, which will qualify her for the program’s seventh certificate.

However, Fagbayi’s journey with Coursera has been far from smooth. Over the past five months, she claims to have been victimized by the platform, experiencing what she describes as the worst possible customer service. According to Coursera’s website, if a learner stops their subscription and then resubscribes, they should be able to continue learning from where they left off. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Fagbayi.

In her third course, her subscription was unexpectedly canceled in January 2023. Although she promptly resubscribed in February, she was shocked to find that all the data pertaining to her activities, quizzes, and weekly challenges had vanished from the Coursera platform installed on her devices. Fagbayi immediately lodged a complaint with the Coursera Support Team, hoping to rectify the issue. However, she was met with resistance and was informed that the support team did not have any saved data.

Fagbayi had taken the precaution of capturing screenshots of all her work, but the Coursera Support Team refused to accept this evidence. Despite providing email screenshots and other supporting materials, they showed no willingness to rectify the problem. Frustrated and disappointed by their dishonesty and deceitful behavior, Fagbayi felt compelled to redo everything from scratch.

To her dismay, the ordeal did not end there. When Fagbayi began her sixth course, she discovered that Coursera had fabricated lies, claiming that her hard-earned certificates had been wiped away from their system. Outraged by this blatant deception, she threatened to take legal action against the platform and expose their actions to the online community, including the 70% of potential customers who rely on the internet for their educational needs.

In response to Coursera’s continued arrogance, Fagbayi took matters into her own hands. Armed with screenshots of her achievements, activities, quizzes, weekly challenges, and certificates, she exposed Coursera’s attempt to hinder her from obtaining the certificate for the entire program upon completion of the seventh course. The “Specialization in Digital Marketing and E-commerce” requires learners to complete seven courses in total.

Fagbayi urges her fellow learners to take precautions by documenting their work through screenshots to avoid falling victim to Coursera’s discrimination and deception. She pledges to use the knowledge she has acquired from the courses she has completed to expose the incompetence, deception, and prejudices of Coursera’s Support Team, not just within her own case but also for online learners globally. Fagbayi believes that while Coursera may take away certificates, they cannot take away the knowledge and transferable skills learners have gained.

Despite the frustrations and setbacks she experienced, Fagbayi commends the quality of the Google program offered through Coursera. The video tutorials presented by professional Google instructors were delivered in a manner that made the courses easy to understand. Fagbayi proudly highlights that she obtained her certificates based on merit, with her lowest grade being 86%, surpassing the required cutoff of 80%. Nevertheless, she remains traumatized by the prejudice  she encountered within Coursera.

Raising concerns about the possibility of Coursera’s intentions behind wiping learners’ certificates from their system, Fagbayi questions whether it is merely another ploy to extract more money from learners. The cost of the courses is relatively cheap, at only 14 USD, considering the knowledge one can acquire. However, Fagbayi’s experience has cast doubts on the credibility of these certificates.

In a final plea, Fagbayi implores learners to spread the word about Coursera’s deception. She highlights the alarming potential impact if 100,000 learners were pressured into resubscribing for courses they have already completed, resulting in a significant financial gain for Coursera through fabricated lies. While she herself has no intention of redoing courses one to two, Fagbayi is determined to utilize online platforms to ensure that Coursera’s conversion rates are reduced.

Rasheedah Fagbayi, a Nigerian woman of integrity and a law-abiding citizen, emphasizes that her decision to enroll in the program stemmed from the realization that survival in the digital world requires basic knowledge in digital marketing and e-commerce. With over 20 years of experience in traditional marketing and sales, Fagbayi had been running her own successful businesses and sought to expand her expertise. However, her encounter with Coursera has left her deeply disheartened.

In her quest for justice and equity, Fagbayi’s message resonates with learners globally, urging them to be wary of Coursera’s support team’s  deception. As she continues to champion the cause for fair treatment and integrity in online education, Fagbayi remains committed to her mission of empowering learners and promoting education across Africa and beyond.