Frequently Asked Questions
Course Overview
Q. Where will important news and updates be posted?
A. Be sure to check Course Info frequently. Important news, updates, and corrections will be posted here throughout the course.
Course Deadlines
Q. I just enrolled but I see that the course ended on November 15, 2016. Am I too late?
A. Although the official run of the course has now ended, the course materials are still available in archive mode. Discussion boards (including THREADS) have been disabled, as has the certificate option.
Q. Will there be another run of JuryX?
A. The team is planning to offer another run of the course, but dates are not available yet.
Course Certificates
Q. How do I earn a certificate?
A. Certificates are not offered for archived courses.
edX Discussion Boards
Q. I need help using the edX discussion boards. What resources are available?
A. edX has created the following resources to help with discussion board usage.
Q. Why can't I post to the discussion boards?
A. The discussion boards have been disabled as part of the course archiving process.
THREADS
Q: What is THREADS?
Originally designed and developed by Professor Nesson and Tyler Vigen, one of his students at Harvard Law School, for use in on-campus law classes, THREADS, an online discussion tool, seeks to facilitate a richer, more meaningful dialogue in the classroom by pseudonymizing the online persona, thus allowing learners to approach each question (or “thread”) without any pre-conceived notions of identity.
See the THREADS overview page for more information.
Q: When will we use THREADS?
A: THREADS will be used in Week 2, Week 3, and Week 5.
Q: How do I access THREADS?
A: THREADS activities will appear inline in edX after a video or prompt text. THREADS activities will always be identified as "Pre-deliberate in a Large Group."
Q: Does THREADS require any special software or downloads?
A: You do not need to download anything to use THREADS. However, you might need to change your internet browser privacy data settings to allow for site-data storage and third-party cookies.
Q: What browsers support THREADS?
A: THREADS has been tested using current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer.
Q: Chrome is asking me for a hostname pattern. What should I enter for THREADS?
A: Please use the following hostname pattern value:
[*.]harvardx.harvard.edu
Q: Can I use THREADS via the edX mobile app?
A: No, the mobile app does not support THREADS at this time.
Q: How do I get help with THREADS?
A: There are several resources available:
- An overview video of THREADS will show you how to access and use the discussion tool.
- A troubleshooting video will show you how to resolve some common technical issues.
- This troubleshooting page outlines some common browser setting issues and how to resolve them.
- If the video and troubleshooting page do not resolve the issue, try using a different browser.
- As a final option, post a question in the technical help forum, and the course team will assist you. Please do not contact edX with inquiries regarding THREADS.
Q: How are pseudonyms assigned?
A: Pseudonymns are randomly assigned. The list of available pseudonyms consists of place names and animal names.
talkabout
Q: What is talkabout?
talkabout is a synchronous online discussion tool developed by a team at Stanford University and The Design Lab at UCSD. talkabout extends the functionality of Google Hangouts to include scheduling, notifications, and other planning features.
Q: When will we use talkabout?
A: talkabout will be used in Week 4 and Week 6.
Q: Am I required to use talkabout?
A: No, talkabout is optional. The course team will open an edX discussion forum space during Week 4 and Week 6 for those who wish to participate via text only.
Q: What do I need in order to use talkabout?
A: In order to participate in a synchronous small-group deliberation during Week 4 using talkabout, you will need:
- A Google account (such as Gmail, YouTube)
- The latest version of the Google Hangouts plug-in
- A microphone and camera (NOTE: You can disable the camera from within Google Hangouts, if you prefer not to provide video)
- You do NOT need to manually create a talkabout account. One will be created for you the first time you try to access talkabout from the edX system.
Q: When will talkabout activities take place?
A: Times will be announced a week prior to each round of talkabout sessions.
Q: What do I do if I can't attend during the scheduled times.
A: If you cannot attend these times, please use the discussion board option or organize your own deliberation. We apologize for not being able to offer more times. The global reach of this course makes it very difficult to schedule times that work for everyone.
Q: How do I sign up for a talkabout time?
A: If you wish to participate, please log in to talkabout using the "Launch talkabout" button that appears in the JuryX course.
This will launch a message asking if you want to share your edx email with talkabout. This is required in order for edX to create a talkabout account for you.
Once you access talkabout, you will be asked to accept their terms of usage.
After you accept the terms, register for one of the four times offered by selecting the "Join In!" button.
Q: How do I get help with talkabout?
A: Post a question in the technical help forum. talkabout also has a separate FAQ for users.
Report Your Work
Q. How do I submit an answer?
A. Click on your selected answer. Then press "Submit." If it's correct, a green check will appear. If it's incorrect, a red X will appear.