Increasingly, MOOCs are being offered in languages other than English.At 15, it seems unlikely Priya Prabhakar would know much about college.
But the rising high school sophomore has already taken six college courses from some of America's best universities, earning high marks in everything from poetry to computer programming.
Prabhakar, from Chennai, India, is one of thousands of students across the globe taking massive open online courses. And she can't get enough of them.
"I'm a curious person," says Prabhakar, who has already signed up for at least four more courses. "I have interests in many different fields and subjects." As a student contemplating her future career, she says MOOCs are great at fulfilling her curiosity about a variety of topics.
[Learn the basics of MOOCs.]
For decades, American-style higher education was out of reach for millions of international students. But now, thanks to MOOCs, students no longer have to hop on a plane and pay thousands of dollars in tuition to get a taste of the U.S. college experience.
Acing a MOOC won't help you earn a U.S. degree – yet. Most American universities won't accept transfer credit for the courses.
But that doesn't mean the classes aren't worthwhile. MOOCs can still inspire people, lead to additional job skills and impress future employers or admissions deans, experts say. Below are several reasons why international students might consider taking a MOOC.
1. The courses are free. To take a course from a world-renowned Harvard professor in the past, students likely would have had to shell out thousands of dollars. These days, students can watch that same professor lecture and follow his syllabus without spending a dime.
Students should note, though, that some MOOC providers charge fees to students who want to earn a certificate showing they successfully completed the course or to take a test proving their mastery.
2. The courses may be in your native language. Most MOOCs are offered by American professors and taught in English. But that is quickly changing.
"MOOCs are increasingly an international phenomenon," says Andrew Ng, cofounder of Coursera, the largest of the MOOC providers.
About 60 percent of Coursera's students are from outside of the United States. To keep that figure high and growing, Ng says the company is always looking to expand its offerings.
In the last few months, Coursera has added a limited number of courses taught in Italian, German, Chinese, French and Spanish.
Leaders of edX, another one of the major MOOC providers, have said they plan to offer more classes in different languages in the future, though English is the sole language now. Udacity, the third major player, states on its website that its courses offer subtitles in many different languages, including Spanish, Chinese, French and Portuguese.
3. MOOCs can inspire. Some international students take MOOCs simply for the joy of learning.
[Discover tips for studying in the United States.]
Tamara Duli, a Serbian undergraduate student at the International University of Novi Pazar studying English language and literature, says she's taken four Coursera classes on poetry, Greek and Roman mythology and other topics – just for her own enrichment.
Although the course work can be a bit much to handle on top of her regular school assignments, she says the classes are worth it in terms of the knowledge and inspiration she's gained.
"I have already enrolled in nine other courses," she wrote in an email. "I became utterly addicted. I just hope I'll manage them all."
Students such as Duli who are stirred by MOOCs may go on to do great things for their countries and communities, says Paul Corey, president of science, business and technology at Pearson, an education services company.
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