Ah, self-paced courses. They are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s super convenient, you can access your online learning on your own time whenever you want.
This means that when life gets in the way, you can easily reschedule and work around it.
On the other hand, though, it requires a lot of discipline. It’s all too easy to say I’ll do it tomorrow. Then you say it again the next day, and the day after, and well, you get the point.
Tomorrow never comes and suddenly your edX course is close to expiring and you’ve got to cram hard if you want to pass.
This is something that you’ll definitely want to avoid if you want to do well, so knowing the expiration date on your course is pretty imperative.
So, in this article, we’re going to talk all about expiring edX courses. You’ll learn everything you need to know to ensure that you don’t get caught out and strapped for time.
Ready to learn that do courses on edX expire? Let’s get to it then!
How Long Do You Have To Finish A Course?
Each and every course on edX will have some kind of expiration date. There are some archived courses that are not self-paced and they will have stricter time constraints, but for the most part, these courses are self-paced.
But even these will have a time limit in which you can complete them.
Keep in mind that if you; ‘re on the verified track you will also need to pass the course by the date provided or you won’t receive that all-important certification.
In terms of how long you have to complete the course, well that will depend on the course itself. There is no black-and-white answer. However, finding the expiration date for your given course isn’t difficult at all.
Where To Find The Expiration Date
It’s always worth checking out when the course will end before you enroll. Sometimes there’s only a certain period of time left for a course and you don’t want to enroll if it’s coming to a close.
Usually, you’ll be able to see the end date indicated above the enroll button.
If you’ve already enrolled in a course, you can find the expiration date on the course homepage as well as on the ‘Dates’ tab. This tab is the easier option if you are learning via the mobile app.
If you are locating your expiration date for the course via the homepage, you’ll find the end date under Important Dates labeled Course Ends.
Does Your Course Have Due Dates?
While most courses won’t have due dates as they are self-paced, some courses offer instructor-paced learning. The latter is less flexible in terms of due dates.
This is because these courses run on a fixed schedule. You may find that with these courses course material is published periodically and some assignments may have fixed due dates.
These fixed due dates are strict and once this time frame passes you will no longer be able to complete the assignment.
It is also worth noting that even if you join the course late, you will still not be able to make up and due dates that have missed.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be able to pass the course though.
You’ll need to take a closer look at the course’s syllabus, calendar, or welcome module for more information about the individual course, its assignments, and its grading policy.
Self-paced courses are much more flexible. You’ll be offered suggested due dates that are designed to make life more structured and easy for you.
But these can be shifted or moved and are not set in stone. The only non-flexible date for a self-paced course is the final end date.
How Long Can You Access A Course In The Audit Track edX Certificates Expire?
If you are using the free audit track, you’ll be able to get access to most of the course content for the estimated course length that is mentioned on the course introduction page.
This is usually stated by the number of weeks the course is available for. You’ll find the course introduction page on the edX course catalog.
You’ll need to keep in mind, though, that your time will begin from the moment that you enroll, not from when you first actively start accessing the course itself.
Once enrolled you will have exactly the number of weeks mentioned earlier to access and complete the course.
Thankfully, edX provides a banner on the right side of the course homepage which explicitly states the date that your access to the course will expire.
How Can You Gain Access After The Course Expires?
So, if time does get away from you, and let’s face it, it happens, and you do not complete the course in the time provided, there are still a few options.
The first option is simply a patience game for free audit track users. If you don’t want to spend any money, you’ll simply have to wait for a future session where you can re-enroll in the course.
This isn’t quite as bad as it seems either because most edX courses repeat in new sessions fairly frequently. You can wait until the course is offered again and then jump on the chance to try again.
The second option is to upgrade to the verified certificate track where you will be able to regain access to the session.
Upgrading will have other benefits too such as access to all of the material as well as all the graded assignments. You’ll also qualify for the edX certificates at the end of the course.
After the course has ended, as a verified certificate track user you will also have access to all of the archived course content and materials for as long as they are stored on edX.
Please Note – Upgrading to the verified certificate track will not change or extend the course end date. You will still be required to pass the course before it ends in order to obtain your certification.
Final Thoughts
edX courses all have their own expiration dates that can vary in time so before you enroll and after you’ve enrolled, you’ll want to double-check this date so that you can work around the specific time frame.
As you’ve learned from this article, locating the expiration date of your course is very easy and accessible. And if you’ve opted for a self-paced course, it’s really the only date that matters.
Providing all your assignments and exams are submitted by this date, you’ll be good to go.
However, if you are opting for an instructor-based course, you’ll need to spend a little extra time noting down assignment dates in your diary.
As these are set-in-stone dates and you won’t be able to submit your assignment after this deadline – and this could result in you losing points that you need to pass.
For free audit users, you’ll have a specific amount of time to complete your course, but if you happen to miss it you can always upgrade and regain access to the course.
