Frequently Asked Questions
What time zone is shown in the course?
In order to coordinate with peers from around the world, this course uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The current time is shown here, and you can use this site to convert to your own time zone.
How do I pass this class? How do grades work?
In this course, we have shifted the emphasis away from grades. What’s important is the effort you put in and the experiences you have. This especially means engaging with the community of your peers and making assignment work personally meaningful. These goals don’t lend themselves to automated evaluation, but benefit greatly from discussion and reflection. For this reason, the course has you focus on peer evaluation and the honor system to earn your certificate.
At the end of each part's content, there will be a Completion Checklist for you to keep track of activities, assignments, and readings completed. The more you do, the more you will get out of the course, but you should also feel free to tailor your experience in the course to your own interests and goals.
You can view your progress on the Progress page (located on the top navigation bar). You must complete 60% or more of the assigned work to complete this class and indicate that by filling out the appropriate checklists by the course end date June 30, 2020 at 11:00 PM UTC. However, you will not receive a certificate unless you go through the verification process.
Questions about certificates?
View the Want a Free Certificate? page (located on the top navigation bar) to learn about receiving a free certificate, including what to do if you paid for a certificate before the coupon code was available.
When are assignments due?
Each assignment in this course builds off the last. To help you manage your time, we have provided suggested deadlines for completing the assignments and posting them to the forum for feedback. However, you can turn in your assignments and review your peers' assignments up until the last day of the course.
When does the course end?
The course officially ends on June 30, 2020 at 11:30 PM UTC and certificates will be generated soon after the end of the course.
Where should I go if I have questions?
- If you need technical help using the edX platform, click Help, located on the top right corner of the browser screen.
- If you have other questions, you can email the course staff at equitymit503@gmail.com. We'll do our best to help you out, though we can't guarantee a timely reply given the massive nature of this course.
- The MITx Commitment to Accessibility: If you have a disability-related request regarding accessing an MITx course, please contact equitymit503@gmail.com as early in the course as possible. Requests are reviewed via an interactive process to meet accessibility requirements for learners with disabilities and uphold the academic integrity for MITx.
How can I find out more about XQ?
Find out more about the XQ Institute, an organization devoted to creating a movement to re-imagine American public high schools, by visiting their website xqsuperschool.org.