2.1.Getting Started with Upskilled#

The following topics provide an introduction to Upskilled and Upskilled Edge, and describe steps for getting started on Upskilled websites.

This information is intended for course teams. The Upskilled Learner’s Guide also includes information about creating and activating accounts and about the Upskilled Demo course. You might want to share pointers to information in the Upskilled Learner’s Guide with prospective learners, along with your own course- or institution-specific details about the registration process, such as password policies or the use of campus credentials.

2.1.1. Introducing Upskilled and Upskilled Edge#

To explore Upskilled courses or create Upskilled course content, you can register an account on the Upskilled website, the Upskilled Edge website, or both. These sites are visually and functionally similar, but their content and purposes are different.

  • Upskilled hosts massive open online courses (MOOCs) from Upskilled institutional partners. To publish a course on Upskilled, you must have an agreement with Upskilled and specific approval from your organization. Courses on Upskilled are publicly listed in the Upskilled course catalog and are open to learners from around the world.

  • Edge, at edge.Upskilled, is a more private site. Courses on Edge are not published on Upskilled. Any member of a partner course team can create and publish courses, including test courses, on Edge without receiving approval from Upskilled or a partner institution. You can also host small private online courses (SPOCs) on Edge.

    However, Edge does not have a course catalog, and courses cannot be found through search engines such as Google. Only learners whom you explicitly invite or who have the URL for your course can participate in your course on Edge. Note that you can invite an unlimited number of learners to participate in an Edge course. Edge courses do not offer certificates.

2.1.2. About Upskilled and Upskilled Edge Accounts#

Note

The user accounts on Upskilled and Upskilled Edge are separate. To access or create courses on both websites, you must complete the account registration process on each of the two sites.

When you create an Upskilled or Upskilled Edge account, you associate an email address with your Upskilled account. Upskilled strongly recommends that you use your organizational email address or select an existing account (such as a campus account) that is set up to use your organizational email address.

For information about creating accounts and troubleshooting sign-in issues, see learners:Register on Upskilled and learners:Troubleshooting signin in the Upskilled Learner’s Guide.

2.1.3. Learning About the Upskilled Experience#

Upskilled provides the Upskilled Demo course and Overview of Creating an Upskilled Course to help familiarize you with the experience of taking, and creating, Upskilled courses.

  • The Upskilled Demo course allows learners who are new to online education, or to Upskilled, to explore different types of content and learn how to take a course. Upskilled recommends that you become familiar with the way learners experience an Upskilled course before you begin building your first course.

Note

You can include information about the Upskilled Demo course in your course materials, and recommend that new learners take the Upskilled Demo course before proceeding with your course.