Course FAQs
What are the dates of the course?
The course will run from 28 January 2019 to 14 April 2019. There will be 9 weeks of content followed by 2 catch up weeks at the end of the course. In order to be eligible to purchase a certificate, all assessments must be completed by 14 April 2019.
How long will this course take?
Though it varies from person to person, the course may require 4 to 6 hours of effort per week. This includes watching all the video chapters for the module, completing the accompanying reading, and taking the quiz.
How is the course graded?
In this course, you will be graded broadly via two categories - The End of Module Quizzes and course participation and pre-course and post-course survey.
There are 9 quizzes that correspond to the 9 weekly module topics. Each week, a new quiz will be posted under the Course tab. After you submit your quiz, you can view your grade report under the Progress tab in the top menu.
7 out of 9 End of Module quizzes will account for 70% of the final grade, each with equal weight. Your two quizzes with the lowest scores will be dropped from your final grade. 20% of the grade will be allocated for participation in the activities and discussion forum. 10% of the grade is for pre-course and post-course survey.
In order to successfully complete the course and be eligible to purchase a verified Certificate signed by Aromar Revi, you will need an overall 70% average in the course.
Is this course free?
Yes. There is no course fee associated with the materials and content of this course -- it is open to all. There is a fee associated with the certificate, however.
Are there any prerequisites for the course?
While there are no pre-requisites for the course, some basic knowledge of English is advisable. Although we will be offering subtitles in a few other languages, those may not cover your local language for now. Historically, the people who have taken this course on Sustainable Cities, come from a variety of disciplines. 60% of our students were working as urban practitioners or in a related industry and nearly 35% were current students in Master’s degree relating to urban planning or sustainable development. There were also people from over 117 countries, with native languages other than English.
What resources will I need for this class?
A strong internet connection will be helpful, but we will try to ensure materials are available for slower bandwidths as well. The course is optimized to run on the most recent versions of most browsers, and Google Chrome and Firefox have been shown to work the best with the platform. No other computer programs or books are required. All the readings will be provided on this platform.
What kind of background do I need for this course? Do I need an urban background?
The course is open to all and is accessible to students without prior background or experience in the topics; you do not need to have studied urban planning or development beforehand. However, the content within the course is dense and complex, structured at a higher level, so we expect most of our students to be at an undergraduate or masters level.
Can I take this class for university credit?
No. While we encourage faculty from various institutions to incorporate this material into their own courses, you cannot take this course on its own for university credit.
Whom do I contact with questions?
You can email the course team at cities@sdgacademy.org with any questions about the material or assignments. For technical questions about the platform, please contact EdX.