Abstract
The use of massive open online courses as one of the main resources for non-formal education in the Republic of Kazakhstan is discussed in the article. The purpose of the article is to describe the organization of non-formal education for the students of the educational program “Pedagogy and psychology” and determine its effect on students’ academic performance. To demonstrate the data collected throughout the research process, a number of pedagogical methods as theoretical and comparative analysis, testing, content analysis and pedagogical experiment were utilized. The description of organization of non-formal education at the university aims at providing a comprehensive overview for readers the ways to understand and compare the key concepts and organization stages in the field of non-formal education. 4 massive open online courses on the Coursera platform were included into the educational process as non-formal education. Moreover, the courses content, strategies and assessment effected on students’ learning outcomes and their academic performance in general. The results of empirical study illustrated that massive open online courses offered by Coursera improved students’ academic performance by 15.6% and gave them the opportunity to pursue their goals outside the classroom, moreover, fostered the development of their metacognitive skills. Keywords:non-formal education, professional development, personal development, Coursera, academic performance, university students.