A - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - K - L - M - N - O - P - R - S - T - V - W - XYZ
A/B Test
See Content Experiment.
About Page
The course page that provides potential students with a course summary, prerequisites, a course video and image, and important dates.
For more information, see The Course Summary Page.
Accessible Label
The descriptive, identifying name that you supply when you add a problem component to your course. All problems require accessible labels.
For more information, see Creating Exercises and Tools.
Advanced Editor
An XML-only editor in a problem component that allows you to can create and edit any type of problem. For more information, see The Advanced Editor.
Assignment Type
The category of graded student work, such as homework, exams, and exercises.
For more information, see Establishing a Grading Policy.
Capa Problem
Any of the problem types implemented in the edX platform by the
capa_moduleXBlock. Examples range from text input, drag and drop, and math expression input problem types to circuit schematic builder, custom JavaScript, and chemical equation problem types.Other assessment methods are also available, and implemented using other XBlocks. An open response assessment is an example of a non-capa problem type.
Certificate
A document issued to an enrolled student who successfully completes a course. Not all edX courses offer certificates, and not all students enroll as certificate candidates.
Chapter
See Section.
Checkbox Problem
A problem that prompts the student to select one or more options from a list of possible answers. For more information, see Checkbox Problem.
Chemical Equation Response Problem
A problem that allows the student to enter chemical equations as answers. For more information, see Chemical Equation Problem.
Circuit Schematic Builder Problem
A problem that allows the student to construct a schematic answer (such as an electronics circuit) on an interactive grid.
For more information, see Circuit Schematic Builder Problem.
Closed Captions
See Transcript.
Cohort
A group of students who participate in a class together. Students who are in the same cohort group can communicate and share experiences in private discussions.
Cohorts are an optional feature of courses on the edX platform. For information about how you enable the cohort feature, set up cohorts, and assign students to them, see Using Cohorts in Your Courses.
Component
The part of a unit that contains your actual course content. A unit can contain one or more components. For more information, see Developing Course Components.
Content Experiment
You can define alternative course content to be delivered to different, randomly assigned groups of students. Also known as A/B or split testing, you use content experiments to compare the performance of students who have been exposed to different versions of the content. For more information, see Creating Content Experiments.
Content Library
See Library.
Content-Specific Discussion Topic
A category within the course discussion that appears at a defined point in the course to encourage questions and conversations. To add a content-specific discussion topic to your course, you add a discussion component to a unit. Students cannot contribute to a content-specific discussion topic until the release date of the section that contains it.
For more information, see Working with Discussion Components and Creating Discussion Topics for Your Course.
Course Catalog
The page that lists all courses offered in the edX learning management system.
Course Handouts
Course handouts are files you make available to students in the Course Info page.
For more information, see Add Course Handouts.
Course Info Page
The page that opens first every time students access your course. You can post announcements on the Course Info page. The Course Handouts sidebar appears in the right pane of this page.
Course Run
The term or time frame in which a specific offering of your course takes place. You set the course run when you create your course. For more information, see Create a New Course.
Courseware
The page where students access the primary instructional materials for your course. Sections, subsections, units, and components are all accessed from the Courseware page.
Course-Wide Discussion Topic
Optional categories that you create to guide how students find and share information in the course discussion. Examples of course-wide discussion topics include Announcements and Frequently Asked Questions. Students can contribute to these topics as soon as your course starts.
For more information, see Creating Discussion Topics for Your Course.
Custom Response Problem
A custom response problem evaluates text responses from students using an embedded Python script. These problems are also called “write-your-own- grader” problems. For more information, see Write-Your-Own-Grader Problem.
Data Czar
A data czar is the single representative at a partner institution who is responsible for receiving course data from edX, and transferring it securely to researchers and other interested parties after it is received.
For more information, see the edX Research Guide.
Discussion
The set of topics defined to promote course-wide or unit-specific dialog. Students use the discussion topics to communicate with each other and the course team in threaded exchanges.
For more information, see Managing Course Discussions.
Discussion Component
Discussion topics that course teams add directly to units. For example, a video component can be followed by a discussion component so that students can discuss the video content without having to leave the page. When you add a discussion component to a unit, you create a content-specific discussion topic.
For more information, see Working with Discussion Components.
Dropdown Problem
A problem that asks students to choose from a collection of answer options, presented as a drop-down list. For more information, see Dropdown Problem.
edX101
An online course about how to create online courses. The intended audience for edX101 is faculty and university administrators.
edX Edge
Edge is a less restricted site than edX.org. While only edX employees and consortium members can create and post content on edX.org, any users with course creator permissions for Edge can create courses with Studio on studio.edge.edx.org, then view the courses on the learning management system at edge.edx.org.
edX Studio
The edX tool that you use to build your courses.
For more information, see What is Studio?.
Exercises
Practice or practical problems interspersed in edX course content to keep the learner engaged. Exercises are also an important measure of teaching effectiveness and learner comprehension.
Export
A tool in edX Studio that you use to export your course or library for backup purposes, or so that you can edit the course or library directly in XML format. See also Import.
For more information, see Export a Course or Export a Library.
Grade Range
Thresholds that specify how numerical scores are associated with grades, and the score a student must obtain to pass a course.
For more information, see Set the Grade Range.
Grading Rubric
See Rubric.
HTML Component
A type of component that you can use to add and format text for your course. An HTML component can contain text, lists, links, and images.
For more information, see Working with HTML Components.
Image Mapped Input Problem
A problem that presents an image and accepts clicks on the image as an answer.
For more information, see Image Mapped Input Problem.
Import
A tool in edX Studio that you use to load a course or library in XML format into your existing course or library. When you use the Import tool, Studio replaces all of your existing course or library content with the content from the imported course or library. See also Export.
For more information, see Import a Course or Import a Library.
Keyword
A variable in a bulk email message. When you send the message, a value that is specific to the each recipient is substituted for the keyword.
Label
See Accessible Label.
LaTeX
A document markup language and document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program.
In edX Studio, you can import LaTeX code.
You can also create a problem written in LaTeX.
Learning Management System (LMS)
The platform that students use to view courses, and that course team members use to manage learner enrollment, assign team member privileges, moderate discussions, and access data while the course is running.
Learning Sequence
The horizontal navigation bar that appears at the top of the Courseware page in the LMS. The learning sequence contains an icon for each unit in the selected subsection. When a learner moves the cursor over one of these icons, the names of each component in that unit appear.
Left Pane
The navigation frame that appears at the left side of the Courseware page in the LMS. The left pane shows the sections in the course. When you click a section, the section expands to show subsections.
Library
A pool of components for use in randomized assignments that can be shared across multiple courses from your organization. Course teams configure randomized content blocks in course outlines to reference a specific library and randomly provide a specified number of problems from that library to each student.
For more information, see Libraries Overview.
Live Mode
A view that allows the course team to review all published units as students see them, regardless of the release dates of the section and subsection that contain the units.
For more information, see View Your Live Course.
LON-CAPA
The LearningOnline Network with Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach e-learning platform. The structure of capa problem types in the edX platform is based on the LON-CAPA assessment system, although they are not compatible.
See Capa Problems.
Math Expression Input Problem
A problem that requires students to enter a mathematical expression as text, such as e=m*c^2.
For more information, see Entering Mathematical and Scientific Expressions.
MathJax
A LaTeX-like language that you use to write equations. Studio uses MathJax to render text input such as x^2 and sqrt(x^2-4) as “beautiful math.”
For more information, see A Brief Introduction to MathJax in Studio.
Module
An item of course content, created in an XBlock, that appears on the Courseware page in the edX learning management system. Examples of modules include videos, HTML-formatted text, and problems.
Module is also used to refer to the structural components that organize course content. Sections, subsections, and units are modules; in fact, the course itself is a top-level module that contains all of the other course content as children.
Multiple Choice Problem
A problem that asks students to select one answer from a list of options.
For more information, see Multiple Choice Problem.
Numerical Input Problem
A problem that asks students to enter numbers or specific and relatively simple mathematical expressions.
For more information, see Numerical Input Problem.
Open Response Assessment
A type of assignment that allows learners to answer using text and, optionally, an image, as in a short essay. Learners then evaluate each others’ work by comparing each response to a rubric created by the course team. These assignments can also include a self assessment, in which learners compare their own responses to the rubric.
For more information, see Open Response Assessments.
Pages
Pages organize course materials into categories that students select in the learning management system. Pages provide access to the courseware and to tools and uploaded files that supplement the course. Each page appears in your course’s navigation bar.
For more information, see Adding Pages to a Course.
Pre-Roll Video
A short video file that plays before the video component selected by the learner. Pre-roll videos play automatically, on an infrequent schedule.
For more information, see Adding a Pre-Roll Video.
Preview Mode
A view that allows you to see all the units of your course as students see them, regardless of the unit status and regardless of whether the release dates have passed.
For more information, see Preview Course Content.
Problem Component
A component that allows you to add interactive, automatically graded exercises to your course content. You can create many different types of problems.
For more information, see Working with Problem Components.
Progress Page
The page in the learning management system that shows students their scores on graded assignments in the course.
Question
A question is a type of contribution that you can make to a course discussion topic to bring attention to an issue that the discussion moderation team or other students can resolve.
For more information, see Managing Course Discussions.
Rubric
A list of the items that a student’s response should cover in an open response assessment.
For more information, see Rubric.
Section
The topmost category in your course outline. A section can represent a time period or another organizing principle for course content. A section contains one or more subsections.
For more information, see Developing Course Sections.
Sequential
See Subsection.
Short Course Description
The description of your course that appears on the edX Course List page.
For more information, see Describe Your Course.
Simple Editor
The graphical user interface in a problem component that contains formatting buttons and is available for some problem types. For more information, see The Studio View of a Problem.
Split Test
See Content Experiment.
Subsection
A division in the course outline that represents a topic in your course, such as a lesson or another organizing principle. Subsections are defined inside sections and contain units.
For more information, see Developing Course Subsections.
Text Input Problem
A problem that asks the student to enter a line of text, which is then checked against a specified expected answer.
For more information, see Text Input Problem.
Transcript
A text version of the content of a video. You can make video transcripts available to students.
For more information, see Working with Video Components.
Unit
A unit is a division in the course outline that represents a lesson. Learners view all of the content in a unit on a single page.
For more information, see Developing Course Units.
Vertical
See Unit.
Video Component
A component that you can use to add recorded videos to your course.
For more information, see Working with Video Components.
Wiki
The page in each edX course that allows both students and members of the course team to add, modify, or delete content.
Students can use the wiki to share links, notes, and other helpful information with each other.
For more information, see Hide or Show the Course Wiki Page.
XBlock
EdX’s component architecture for writing courseware components: XBlocks are the components that deliver course content to learners.
Third parties can create components as web applications that can run within the edX learning management system.
XSeries
A set of related courses in a specific subject. Learners qualify for an XSeries certificate when they pass all of the courses in the XSeries.
For more information, see https://www.edx.org/xseries.