Start here. How Our Courses Work is a short, free course that gets you ready for every other course on the site. It takes about an hour.
You’ll find out how the courses are built and how to move through them, how XP, levels and badges work, and how to share your badges on LinkedIn or keep them in an Open Badges backpack. Then you’ll set up a sandbox, a practice course in Canvas, Moodle or Google Classroom, so you can try things out safely as you learn.
There are three short parts, two quick quizzes and two activities. Finish it and you’ll earn your first course badge.
Curriculum
- 3 Sections
- 11 Lessons
- 1 Hour
Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections
- Part 1: Find your way aroundWhat this starter course is for, the shape every course follows and how the posts count too.3
- Part 2: Badges and credentialsXP, levels and badges, and how to share a badge on LinkedIn or keep it in a backpack.3
- Part 3: Sandbox readyWhy you need a practice space, where to get one and how to set it up for the other courses.7
- 3.1Why practise in a sandbox6 Minutes
- 3.2Option 1: a sandbox at your organisation6 Minutes
- 3.3Option 2: Canvas Lite, free for teachers10 Minutes
- 3.4Option 3: Moodle or Google Classroom7 Minutes
- 3.5Set up your practice course15 Minutes
- 3.6Ready check10 Minutes5 Questions
- 3.7You’re ready: where next5 Minutes
It's the best place to start. It only takes about an hour, and it makes every other course easier to follow.
Yes. Canvas Lite is a free Canvas account for individual teachers, and Part 3 shows you how to set it up.
They're informal microcredentials, not academic credit. They follow the Open Badges standard, so anyone can check them, and many people use them as evidence of professional development.
No. Your XP and progress are private. A badge is only public if you choose to share it.
Requirements
- A free account on this site, so your progress is saved
- About an hour
- Access to a VLE you can practise in, or a few minutes to sign up for a free one
Features
- Find your way around any course using the course map and Up next.
- Explain how XP, levels and badges are earned in the courses and the posts.
- Share a badge on LinkedIn or download it for an Open Badges backpack.
- Set up a sandbox course in Canvas, Moodle or Google Classroom.
Target audiences
- Anyone starting a course on the site for the first time
- Lecturers, teachers and learning designers who want a safe place to practise
- People who'd like to share what they learn as verifiable badges