Here is a running FAQ on issues that have come up in the discussion forum:
Q: Do I have to pay to take this course?
A: No. There is no fee to take this course. However, there is a minimum fee for a ID Verified Certificate.
Q: What kind of certificates are there for this course?
A: There are two kinds of certificates available for this course. The Honor Code Certificate of Achievement certifies that you have successfully completed a course, but does not verify your identity. Honor Code certificates are currently free. The ID Verified Certificate shows that you have successfully completed your edX course and verifies your identity through your photo and ID. Verified certificates are available for a fee. For more information on certificates see here.
Q: Do I have to sign up for a certificate?
A: No. You can sign up to audit the course. Auditting a course is free.
Q: I registered to audit the class, but now I want to register for a certificate. How can I do that?
A: You can register for a certificate by going to the course on your edX dashboard and clicking 'Challenge Yourself'. The deadline has been extended due to popular demand, so you will be able to do this any time before Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015 (the day on which the HW1-5 and Lab1-5 are due).
Q: I registered for an ID Verified Certificate, but have now changed my mind and want to downgrade my certificate or only audit the course. Can I downgrade and receive a refund?
A: You have two weeks from when you registered to change your mind to receive a refund. To downgrade you must unenroll and re-enroll for the course to change your registration status, and to coordinate a refund contact billing@edx.org.
Q: How can I check my registration status for the course?
A: If you are registered with the ID Verified Certificate, you will see a "Verified" badge next to the course in the dashboard. Unfortuantely, at this time, there is no badge to differentiate between auditting and an Honor Code Certificate.
Q: What passing grade is required to earn a certificate?
A: To earn a certificate, you must achieve a grade of 60% or higher.
Q: What does a checkmark in the forum mean?
A: The check mark is controlled by forum moderators, course staff and community TAs and is an endorsement of the post to give those postings more weight and relevance.
Q: What does a pinned post in the forum mean?
A: A pinned post sticks the discussion to the top of the list of all discussions and can be done by the forum moderators, course staff and community TAs. This is done to relevant posts that we want to call attention to.
Q: What time zones are the deadlines and release date based on?
A: All deadline and material release times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). See here for converting the time where you are.
Q: Will there be any offline notes posted compatible with ereaders like Kindle, Nook, etc? What about an offline version of the textbook?
A: For version control purposes, there is no plan to have the course available offline as things can change at any time. The textbook cannot be available offline.
Q: How many times can I check my answer? Does the number of checks affect my grade?
A: You can check your answer on homeworks as many times as you like. The number of checks will not affect your grade. Just make sure to get a green check before the due date of the assignment. Exam problems have a limited number of checks.
Q: Can I take the midterm on a different day?
A: The midterm will be open from March 11th 11:00AM EST (March 11th 3:00PM UTC) to March 15th 11:59PM EST (March 16th 3:59AM UTC). Once you have opened the exam you must make your final submission within twenty-four hours of starting the exam.
Q: Can I download a full video lecture sequence at once?
A: Unfortunately this is not available at the moment. We will keep it in mind and try to make that available in the future.
Q: Where can I find companion materials to the textbook?
A: These resources can be found at this link.