Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I just enrolled but I see that the course began on January 25th. Am I too late?
A. New participants are welcome at any time!
Q. When is work due? Are there deadlines?
A. The course schedule is flexible for participants. Simply work at your own pace to complete the materials. The deadline to complete work for the certificate is March 28th, 2016 at 22:00 UTC.
Q. How and when do I earn an edX certificate?
A. Participants in this course may choose to seek one of two types of certificates (or none at all). They may seek an edX Honor Code Certificate by "auditing" the course (this is one of the last courses for which edX will offer an Honor Code Certificate.) Those who wish to list the course on their resume may pay the $99 identity verification fee at any time until February 12, 2016 at 5 p.m. Boston time (22:00 UTC) to seek an edX Verified Certificate.
Those seeking a certificate of completion should complete the course materials and assignments. This includes, watching video lectures, reading texts, responding to assessment questions, and participating in discussion forums. Students who accurately complete at least 70% of the course will receive a certificate. Students who cannot complete all of the course materials and assignments are welcome and encouraged to participate in this class by engaging with the course materials to the extent that they can.
For all those meeting the requirements, certificates will be generated within a few days of the deadline for completing course materials, which is March 28 at 22:00 UTC. Your certificate should appear below the course listing in your edX dashboard.
Q. What if I decide after February 12 that I would like to upgrade to an ID Verified Certificate?
A. Unfortunately, the Verified Certificate option will be available only to those who upgrade prior to the deadline on February 12, 2016 at 5 p.m. Boston time (22:00 UTC). No upgrades will be possible after that time.
Q. Who can I contact if I have a question or problem?
A. For questions regarding the edX platform, you can contact edX through the help tab on the left side of the page. For questions about the course, go to the Help/Logistics Discussion Forum.
Q. Where will important news and updates be posted?,
A. Be sure to check Course Info tab frequently. Important news, updates, and corrections will be posted there throughout the course.
Q. How do I watch the videos?,
A. You can access all the videos for each unit in the Courseware section.
Q. For technical reasons, I can't watch the videos in Courseware. Can I download them?
A. If you look directly below the video frame, you will see a link for downloading the file.
Q. How can I follow a thread in the Discussion Board?
A. Click on the grey star icon in the top right hand corner of the post.
Q. I only want to view the threads I'm following. Is that possible?
A. In the Discussion Board, click on “Show all Discussions” at the top of the list of threads. From the drop-down menu select “Posts I'm Following”. When you are ready to see all posts again, click on “Posts I'm Following”. From the drop-down menu select “Show All Discussions”.
Q. How can I follow a particular person in the Discussion Board?
A. The edX platform does not currently offer this function. But there is a way for you to see threads with contributions by a specific participant. Just click on that person's username near the top of a post or reply. That link opens a page where you can view recent activity by the participant. You can use your browser to bookmark this page.
Q. I posted a question in the Discussion Board. How will I know if someone responds?
A. When you start a new thread, it will automatically be marked as a discussion to follow. You can get updates about all the threads you follow by going to the Discussion Board Home and clicking on the check box for “receive update”. You only need to do this once. After that, you will receive a daily email digest about activity from posts you are following.
Q. I found a post that I think is inappropriate. What should I do?
A. You can “flag” the post. A Course Staff member will review these flagged posts.
Q. I'm experiencing technical problems that appear to be related to the platform (new posts won't appear in the Discussion Board, I'm getting 404 errors, etc.). What should I do?
A. Please use the Help tab on the left hand side of the screen to report this problem directly to the edX team.
Q. I'm experiencing a problem related to content in the project (I found an error in the transcript, I'm having a problem with a question, video, text, etc.) What should I do?
A. Please take a screen shot and notify the Course Staff by posting in the Discussion Board.