Key Points
- Role Play AI personas debut in October for interview and soft‑skill practice
- AI grading automatically evaluates code, essays, and video responses
- Peer‑review scoring receives AI enhancements for faster feedback
- Integrity Checks include AI‑based proctoring and a locked browser
- Proctoring has cut misconduct by 95% and plagiarized submissions by 90% since May
- Course Builder now offers AI tools for all partners to design and scale courses
- New milestones, nudges, and recognition moments aim to boost learner motivation
- Educators retain final decision‑making authority on flagged integrity cases

AI Role Play for Interview Practice
Coursera is adding a feature called Role Play that will launch in October. The tool uses AI personas to simulate realistic interview and workplace scenarios, allowing learners to practice job‑related soft skills. Users can engage in back‑and‑forth dialogue with the AI, receive live, actionable feedback on delivery, and customize the personas to match specific course objectives. The environment provides a safe space for students to build confidence and refine key interactions before entering the job market.
AI‑Driven Scoring and Feedback
The platform is expanding AI‑enabled assessment capabilities. New AI scoring will automatically grade complex assignments such as coding exercises, essays, and video responses using AI‑generated rubrics. Peer‑review grading will also benefit from AI enhancements, streamlining the evaluation process for educators. Additional features like milestones, nudges, and moments of recognition are being introduced to help keep learners motivated throughout their courses.
Integrity Checks and Proctoring
To address academic misconduct, Coursera is rolling out Integrity Checks that include AI‑powered proctoring and a locked browser that restricts access to external applications during assessments. Targeted authenticity checks further reduce the misuse of AI. While the proctoring system is driven by AI, educators retain final authority over any flagged incidents. Coursera reports that its proctoring solution has cut misconduct by 95% and reduced plagiarized submissions by 90% since May.
AI‑Powered Course Builder for Educators
Coursera’s Course Builder is being opened to all partners, giving educators AI tools to design and scale courses quickly. The AI‑powered course designer assists with content creation, while integrations with Role Play and AI‑graded questions enhance the overall learning experience. Currently available to select partners and enterprise customers, the features will be refined based on feedback before broader rollout.
Overall Impact
These initiatives collectively aim to improve skill mastery, provide personalized practice environments, and uphold academic integrity on a global online learning platform. By leveraging AI across multiple facets of the learning journey, Coursera seeks to deliver a more engaging, efficient, and trustworthy educational experience for both students and educators.
Source: cnet.com