3.1. Exploring Your Dashboard, Settings, and Profile

This topic describes the edX dashboard, your account settings, and your profile.

3.1.1. Overview

After you create an edX account, you can view a list of your current courses, change your account settings, or create a profile. You can access course, account, or profile information from any edX page, whether you are in a course or browsing the course catalog.

  • Your dashboard gives you access to course information, such as start and end dates, email settings, and certificates. To access your dashboard at any time, select your username in the upper right corner of any edX page.
  • The Account Settings page allows you to change settings such as your email address, education level, and country or region, and to link your edX account to a Facebook or Google account. To access your account settings at any time, select the arrow next to your username in the upper right corner of any edX page, and then select Account Settings.
  • On your profile page, you can create a profile that includes an image and biographical information. To access your profile at any time, select the arrow next to your username in the upper right corner of any edX page, and then select My Profile.

3.1.2. Exploring the Learner Dashboard

When you create an edX account or enroll in an edX course, you automatically go to your dashboard. You can also access your dashboard at any time by selecting your username in the upper right corner of any edX page.

The learner dashboard with two current courses and two archived courses listed.

Your dashboard contains important information about your courses. You can take several actions on your dashboard.

  • Access your current and archived courses.

    To access a current or archived course, select View Course or View Archived Course. Note that archived courses may provide limited access to content.

  • See when courses start or end.

    Course start and end dates appear below the name of the course.

    • If a course has not yet started, you see the course start date.
    • If a course has started but not ended, you see the course end date.
    • If a course has ended, you see the course end date.
  • Change your course email settings.

    1. Select the Options icon for the course, and then select Course emails.
    2. Select or clear the Receive course emails check box, and then select Save Settings.
  • Unenroll from a course.

    To unenroll, select the Options icon for the course, select Unenroll, and then select Unenroll in the confirmation dialog box.

  • View your grades in courses that you have completed.

    Your final grade appears under the name of the course.

  • Download a certificate.

    To download a certificate, select Download Your Certificate (PDF) or Download Your ID Verified Certificate (PDF). You can then print the PDF certificate.

3.1.3. Exploring the Account Settings Page

When you create an account on edX, some basic information is required, including your email address and your name. You can also provide additional, optional information when you create your account, such as the level of education you have completed. Course team members can access this information to find out more about the learners who enroll in their courses. This information also helps edX increase the quality and quantity of our courses.

3.1.3.1. View or Change Basic Account Information

Basic account information includes the following information. This information is required for every account on edX.

  • Username: The name that identifies you on edx.org. Note that you cannot change your edX username.
  • Full Name: The name that appears on your edX certificates. Other learners cannot see your full name.
  • Email Address: The email address you use to sign in to edX. You may receive communications from edX and your courses at this address.
  • Password: Your password on edx.org. To reset your password, select Reset Password. EdX then sends a message to the email address in the Email Address field. You select the link in the message to finish resetting your password.
  • Language: The language that the edX site uses during your visits. The edX site is currently available in a limited number of languages.
  • Country or Region: The country or region that you live in.

To view or change this information, follow these steps.

Note

You cannot change your edX username.

  1. On any edX page, select the arrow next to your username in the upper right corner, and then select Account Settings.
  2. On the Account Settings page, locate the Basic Account Information (required) section, and then make your changes.

EdX saves your changes automatically.

3.1.3.2. Specify Additional Information

Additional account information is optional and includes the following information.

  • Education Completed: The highest level of education that you have completed.
  • Gender: The gender you identify as.
  • Year of Birth: The year that you were born.
  • Preferred Language: The language that you prefer to communicate in.

To view or change this information, follow these steps.

  1. On any edX page, select the arrow next to your username in the upper right corner, and then select Account Settings.
  2. On the Account Settings page, locate the Additional Information (optional) section, and then make your changes.

EdX saves your changes automatically.

3.1.4. Exploring the Profile Page

Your edX profile allows you to share information about yourself with the edX community. Your profile can include an image that identifies you on the edX site as well as your location and other biographical information. Course teams and other learners in your courses can view your profile.

You can share a limited profile or a full profile.

Note

Learners under 13 years of age can only share a limited profile.

A limited profile can include only your username and an image.

A learner's limited profile showing only username and image.

A full profile can include biographical information.

A learner's full profile with location, language, and short biographical paragraph.

3.1.4.1. Create or Edit a Limited Profile

A limited profile includes only your username and, optionally, an image.

To create or edit a limited profile, follow these steps.

  1. On any edX page, select the arrow next to your username in the upper right corner, and then select My Profile.

  2. On your profile page, locate edX learners can see my in the upper left corner of the page, and then select Limited Profile.

  3. (optional) Add an image that you want to associate with your edX username. Your image must be a .gif, .jpg, or .png file. The image must be between 100 bytes and 1 MB in size. If you do not add an image, the placeholder image appears as your profile image.

    1. Move your cursor over the placeholder image, and then select Upload Image.
    2. In the dialog box, select the image file that you want, and then select Open.

    To change or remove your profile image, move your cursor over your image, and then select either Change Image or Remove. When you remove your profile image, the placeholder image appears as your profile image.

EdX saves your changes automatically.

3.1.4.2. Create or Edit a Full Profile

Note

You must specify your year of birth on the Account Settings page before you share a full profile. If you are under age 13, you can only share a limited profile.

A full profile can include the following information. Your username and country or region are required.

  • Your username.
  • An image that you select to identify you on the edX site.
  • Your country or region.
  • Your preferred language.
  • A paragraph about yourself. You might include your interests, goals, or other information that you want to share. This paragraph can contain up to 3000 characters.

To create or edit your profile, follow these steps.

  1. On any edX page, select the arrow next to your username in the upper right corner, and then select My Profile.

  2. Locate edX learners can see my in the upper left corner of the page, and then select Full Profile.

  3. On your profile page, move your cursor over the information that you want to add or change.

    If you have not added information to the field, the field appears highlighted and surrounded by a dashed line.

    A profile page with the "Add language" field highlighted and surrounded by a dashed line.

    If the field already has information, the field appears highlighted, and a pencil icon appears in the upper right corner.

    A profile page with the "About Me" field highlighted.
  4. Move your cursor inside the field, and then either enter text in the field or select a different option from a list.

EdX saves your changes automatically.

Note

If you change the profile type selection from Full Profile to Limited Profile, your location, language, and descriptive paragraph are not visible on your profile page. However, this information is saved. To make this information visible again, select Full Profile.

3.1.4.3. View Another Learner’s Profile

You view other learners’ profiles through the course discussions.

  1. On the Discussion page, select the username of any learner in a post, a response, or a comment.
  2. When the Active Threads page for that learner opens, select the learner’s username in the upper left corner of the page.

The following image shows a learner’s username in a post, the learner’s username on the Active Threads page, and the learner’s profile page.

Image of a discussion with a learner's username circled, an image of that learner's active threads page in the course discussions, and an image of the learner's profile.