How much time do I need to spend on the course? The estimated study load for this course is about 8 hours for an average learner.
Do I need to watch each video in a specific week? No, you can watch the videos whenever you like and progress through the modules at your own speed.
Can I still finish all assignments when I start later in the course? Yes, you can. Your final assignment in Module 6 should be submitted by 14 November 2019 (23:00 UTC). The module exams and the reviews of the submissions of others in Module 6 must be finished by 28 November 2019 (23:00 UTC).
The important course dates shown at the course homepage show a different time than the ones I read here and in the syllabus. Which are the correct times? In your edX account settings, you can select the time zone that you want course dates and times to appear in. If you did not select a time zone, course dates and times display in the time zone that your browser settings specify. In the course syllabus, all dates and times display in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). See the edX Learner Guide.
Assignments
What kind of assignments does this course offer?
Multiple choice questions: throughout the course, allowing you to test yourself and practice what you have just learned.
Module exams: at the end of each module, assessing your understanding of the course material of that module.
Leadership Action Plan: develop your action plan step-by-step in each module.
Peer review assignment: in Module 6.
Can I write my answers in a language other than English? No, the official language of the course is English. All course materials are provided in English, and all communication, including answers, posts, and assignments, need to be written in English.
What if I am having trouble with a question? May I discuss this with others to get some help with solving the problem? There are many assignments to practice. You can use these to discuss with your fellow learners in the discussion forum. Do not share any answers for the graded assignments. These will be removed from the forum. See the edX Honor Code.
After I submitted my answers to a question with checkboxes, an asterisk was shown and I received the feedback ‘This answer is partially correct’. What does this mean? In this course, partial credit is used for checkbox questions. This means that whenever you submit an answer that is partly correct, you still receive credit. You get points for selecting a correct answer as well as for not selecting a wrong answer.
Peer review assignment
Why can I not click on Submit for my assignment in the peer review assignments? The submit button will become active once you type something in the response box. If you need more time, you can select Save Your Progress to save a draft of your responses, and then come back later. See the edX Learner Guide.
Should I include works cited with my response to the peer review assignment, and if yes, in which format? You can choose to do so in any format you like.
How many peers do I have to review in the peer review assignment? In the peer review you will have to review the work of three other learners; you will receive feedback from two learners. However we would like to ask you to assess more peers to make sure everybody will be graded, especially in the last weeks.
What to do if I feel I am being treated unfairly in the peer review? Reviewing is the responsibility of your peers. The community consists of highly capable and motivated people, so we trust that this will be done fairly. Also, edX uses a calculation method that results in a fair mark even in case of outliers. See the edX Learner Guide.
Verified Certificate
When do I receive my Verified Certificate? Once you have a minimum average grade of 60% and meet the peer review requirements, your certificate becomes available on your dashboard and the course Progress page. See the edX Learner Guide.
I am trying to upgrade to a Verified Certificate but I am having difficulties with the identity verification process. Can you help me? Make sure that you are using a supported browser, or try switching from one browser to another browser. To take photographs, the webcam uses Adobe Flash Player. You might need to install or update this application. See the edX Learner Guide.
How do I know whether my verification is approved? If you have enrolled in the verified certificate track for a course, your dashboard provides the status of your ID verification. See the edX Learner Guide.
How do I change sessions? Most of our WageningenX MOOCs offer multiple sessions of the course. This means that you can select the period in which you would like to follow the course in advance. After you join a course session, you can change to another session or leave the session within 14 days, as long as you have not completed the course. See the edX Help Center for more information on the specifics of this edX policy.
Can I still get a refund? To receive a refund in a verified track course, you must unenroll from the course within 14 days after your purchase date or 14 days after your course starts (whichever comes later). This is still possible up to a maximum of 180 days after your payment. See the edX Help Center for more information on the specifics of this edX policy.
Technicalities
Which browser can I use when working on this edX course? We advise you to use Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer 11. See the edX Learner Guide.
How can I download the transcripts? Below each video, there's an option to download the video’s transcript. You can choose between a SubRip (.srt) file or a text (.txt) file. You can open files of either type in a text editor such as Notepad. See the edX Learner Guide.
Online Courses App
Can I use the Online Courses App if I don’t have a smartphone? Yes, you can use the desktop version of the app. Read the instructions in this handout.
The app is not working, what did I do wrong? Check your location privacy settings, location tracker, or GPS and make sure they are set to enable or on. Also, make sure the installation steps in the handout were completed correctly. The desktop version of the app does not function well in Internet Explorer. Please use Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari.
What is the unlock code that needs to be used in the Online Courses App? The unlock code is: LAND01m.
Other
What does it mean to audit a course? If you audit a course, you are participating for free and you have access to most course materials (including the discussion forum). The audit track does not grant access to graded assignments and unlimited course access. At the end of the course, you don’t receive a certificate. These things are exclusively for verified learners who have paid a small fee for unlimited access to the course. After the option of upgrading is closed, it is no longer possible to get a verified certificate.
Can I contact the teacher or teaching assistants? Not directly. The discussion forum is the appropriate venue for questions. Moderators monitor the discussion forum and try to respond to the most important questions; in many cases, the response from other learners will be both adequate and faster.
