Product design question

How would you improve Coursera?

Practice this question out loud. An AI interviewer asks it, follows up like a real interviewer would, and scores your answer. Type or speak.

What this question tests

Product improvement fundamentals for an ed-tech platform: can you pick a real pain point (completion rates) over a list of feature ideas.

Define the core problem in online learning generally: low course completion rates due to lack of accountability and momentum.
State an assumption: Coursera's completion rate is likely well below 50% for free/audit learners, based on known MOOC industry patterns.
Propose a fix: structured cohort-based pacing with light social accountability (peer check-ins, deadlines) rather than fully self-paced content.
Consider a secondary lever: better content discovery/personalization so learners pick courses matching their actual goal and skill level.
Prioritize completion over discovery, since a mismatched course is often the root cause of both problems.
Define success: completion rate lift and downstream certificate/credential completion.

Targets completion rate, the best-known weakness of self-paced online courses, instead of a generic 'add more courses' answer.
Proposes a concrete mechanism, light cohort pacing/accountability, grounded in known behavioral patterns for online learning.
Distinguishes free/audit learners from paying, credential-seeking learners, since their motivations differ.
Ties the fix back to Coursera's business model (credential completions drive paid conversions and reputation).

Proposing a laundry list of unrelated feature ideas instead of targeting completion rate specifically.
Ignoring the difference between free/audit and paid, credential-motivated learners.

How would you design accountability without making the platform feel less flexible?
How would you measure whether the cohort model actually improves completion versus just annoying self-paced learners?