Dates and Times
How much time do I need to spend on the course?
The estimated study load for this course is about 6-8 hours per module for an average learner. There are 6 modules in total.
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. Just be aware of the deadlines for submitting and peer reviewing assignments. Dates of these deadlines can be found in the Grades & Deadlines tab.
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 Help Center.
Assignments
What kinds of assignments does this course offer?
- Practice questions: throughout the course you can practice your learnings with some questions, to check if you really understood the material.
- Application assignments: these are larger assignments that help you apply the learned knowledge of each topic addressed in the modules of the course.
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.
Peer review assignments
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 Help Center.
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 Help Center .
Do I need to participate in all graded peer review assignments to get a certificate?
You don’t need to participate in all graded peer reviews to get a certificate. You pass the course when your final score is above 60%.
Verified Certificate
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. Please visit the verified info page if you would like to know more about the difference between audit and verified, how the upgrading process works or to upgrade immediately.
When can I sign up for a verified certificate?
The deadline to upgrade to a verified certificate can be found on the Grades & Deadlines tab. Check the verified info page on how to upgrade to the verified track. After the deadline for upgrading is closed, it is no longer possible to get a verified certificate.
When do I receive my verified certificate?
Any time after you have qualified to pass the course, if you have a minimum average grade of 60% and meet the peer review requirements, you can download your verified certificate from your edX dashboard. For more information on how to generate and download your certificates, explore edX’s documentation on how to generate your certificate.
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 Help Center.
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.
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, Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge. See the edX Help Center.
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 Help Center.
How can I download the PowerPoint presentations?
Some videos are supplied with a handout, usually the PowerPoint presentation as shown by the teacher in the video. You can download these presentations by clicking on the Download handout option below the video. See the edX Help Center.
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, if you have not completed the course. See the edX Help Center for more information on the specifics of this edX policy.
Partial Credit
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.
Other
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.
Can I re-use the materials of this course? Or can I make a translation of this course for my university/institution?
The course materials of this course are Copyright Wageningen University & Research and are licensed under an 'All Rights Reserved' license. The individual videos are published under a CC-BY-NC-ND license. If you wish to re-use the course materials, please contact wageningen.x@wur.nl to discuss possibilities.
How is your personal data being processed by WageningenX?
The WageningenX Privacy Statement describes how WageningenX collects, uses, and shares your Personal Information when you enroll in a WageningenX course and/or programmes provided by WageningenX on the edX platform. Please note that WUR is solely and independently responsible for its own privacy practices. WUR is not responsible for edX’s privacy practices nor the privacy practices of other edX Members. More information about edX’s privacy practices can be found in the edX Privacy Policy.