THE COURSE
What is UTC time?
This course uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) as the standard. The current time is shown here:
How do I pass this course?
This course requires that you gather at least 60% of the total score that can be gained with course assessment activities and assignments.
The overall grade is established by the scores you achieve for the different quizzes and assignments, and the final exam. In the list below you will find how much each of these contribute to the total score.
- 20%: Quizzes and excersises relating to the introductory hotspot lecture (4% per week)
- 40%: Assignments linked to the mini-lectures (8% per week)
- 40%: Final exam
When are assignments due?
The assignments can be submitted until the end of the course (July 20th). The exceptions are assignments with Peer assessment which have to be submitted until one week before the course end to allow for your peers to assess your work. For those the deadline is July 13th 08:00 (UTC).
How many attempts do I have to submit a quiz?
For the short quizzes you will have two attempts, larger assignments have three attempts. Only your last submitted attempt is counted to your final score (overwriting all previous attempts).
I started the course late, can I get an extension on assignments and tests?
The assignments are open till the course end (July 20th) so that should not be a problem. For special requests please consider that unfortunately, due to the volume of participants in the course we cannot make considerations on a case by case basis.
Will I be able to earn a certificate for this course?
Yes. In order to pass the course and obtain a certificate, you will need an overall score of 60% or higher.
What kind of certificate is there for this course?
This course only allows you the possibility to earn an Honor Code Certificate.
When do I get my certificate?
Your overall score will be calculated and displayed in the progress bar instantaneously. If you achieved 60% or greater as your overall score, you will receive an Honor Code Certificate after the course ends.
When does the course end?
The course officially ends on July 20 2015 at 08:00 (UTC) but the course material will still be available after that date.
Do I need to buy a textbook?
No, you will not be required to purchase a textbook for this course.
USING THE FORUM
How do I use the Discussion Forum?
The discussion forums are open to everyone in the course and follow the course (organized by module and activities for that module).
So, in a specific module, there is a general discussion forum for each section where you can talk about the concepts covered in that module.
Participation in the discussion forums is not mandatory. It is, however, highly recommended in order to maximise your learning. For certain assignments we will ask you to participate in the discussions in order to obtain points.
Check the discussion guidelines in the Welcome and Introduction section. Forum moderators will ensure that discussion rules will be kept and important issues are brought forward to the instructor.
USING EDX
For questions on the edX platform, take a look at the edX Student FAQ.
TECHNICAL HELP
I'm having trouble streaming the videos
This can be due to either the bandwidth of your internet access. You can try to download the video and watch it off-line instead. There is a link called "Download video" to the left below the videos where you can download the videos to you computer to view later.
I'm still having an issue, what should I do?
- Check the edX Student FAQ page
- Check the Technical Help thread in the discussion forum
- If you don't find your answer there, or if you find bugs or issues, please post your question in the Technical Help thread in the forum
- If you have non-technical questions, we encourage you to post them in the appropriate discussion in the forum
- Please take the time to help each other answer questions in the community