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Bio 1B Research Skills Guide: Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions about the Bio 1B Research Skills Tutorials.

Introduction Video

Bio 1B Research Skills Assignment on edX: Troubleshooting FAQ

Check the list of frequently asked questions below to find answers to your questions about the edX platform. If you're still having trouble or have other questions, please contact a librarian at bios-library@berkeley.edu.

 I didn't receive an assignment e-mail

Double-check your bCourses Inbox. The message was sent on the day you were introduced to the Ecosystems presentation assignment in your lab section, and the subject line is "Bio 1B Research Skills Assignment" followed by the set number.

If a thorough search of your bCourses Inbox does not turn up the assignment e-mail, please contact a librarian at bios-library@berkeley.edu.

 I created a user name in the wrong format. What should I do?

You will need to create a second account with a properly formatted username:

  1. Be sure you have logged out of edX Edge
  2. Close your browser.
  3. Open a different browser. If you do not have a second browser on your computer, Firefox and Chrome are both free downloads.
  4. Access the bCourses message you received with your link to the assignment
  5. Click on the link in the e-mail
  6. Click on the "Register" button at the top right of the edX Edge assignment home page
  7. Using a different e-mail address than for your first account, create a second account with a properly formatted username
  8. Open the e-mail account you used to create your second edX Edge account
  9. You should see a message from edX (no-reply@registration.edx.org) with the subject line "Action Required: Confirm your email," or something similar.
  10. Click on the link in the e-mail to activate your account
  11. Click on the "Enroll" button to access the assignment. If you do not see the page with the "Enroll" button you may need to click on the bCourses message assignment link again.
  12. Be sure to log in using the second e-mail address when you want to answer the questions for the Research Skills Assignment

 When I try to register or access my assignment I receive a "500 edX Internal Server Error" message.

  1. Try using a different browser.
  2. Try using a different computer.
  3. If you can't access the assignment after a few hours and after clearing your browser cache, cookies and history, please contact a librarian at bios-library@berkeley.edu.

 When I click on the "Enroll" button I receive an error message.

You must be signed in before clicking Enroll. To do this,

  1. Access the bCourses message you received with your link to the assignment, and click on the link
  2. If you have not yet created an account click on the Register button at the top right of the assignment home page and follow the instructions in the bCourses message for creating and activating an account with a properly formatted username; once you are signed in to your activated account, click Enroll.
  3. If you have already created an activated account, click the Sign in button at the top right of the assignment home page and log in, then click Enroll.

 When I try to register with a username in the format required by the assignment, I get an error message that underscores are not allowed in usernames.

  1. Clear your browser cache, history and cookies.
  2. Find the bCourses message you received from us about the assignment.
  3. Click on the link to the assignment.
  4. Click on the Register button.
  5. You should be able to create a username in the required format.

 When I click into the assignment, the questions are formatted oddly and/or I can't check my answers.

Try using a different browser; Firefox or Chrome work best with edX Edge.

 How can I activate my account?

If you are unable to log in after creating an account, you probably did not activate your account. To activate your account:

  1. Open the e-mail account you used to register for the online assignment
  2. You should see a message from edX (no-reply@registration.edx.org) with the subject line Action Required: Confirm your email, or something similar.
  3. Click on the link in the e-mail to confirm your email and activate your account

 If you did not receive an activation e-mail:

  1. Check your spam folder.
  2. If it is not there, you probably mis-typed your e-mail address when creating your account. Try to create another account using the same e-mail address, making sure that you type it carefully. If you are able to do so a mis-typed address was the issue. Activate your new account.
  3. If you are unable to create an account with your correctly typed e-mail address, there was another problem.
  4. It can sometimes take edX Edge up to 15 minutes to send the activation e-mail, so make sure you've waited at least that long.
  5. If after 15 minutes you still haven't received the activation e-mail, try creating an account using a different e-mail address. You will need to slightly alter your user name -- use only your first initial instead of your full first name, for example. Be sure to activate this account.
  6. If this doesn't work, please contact a librarian immediately.

Once you have activated your account, you should be able to click on the link to the assignment, enroll and proceed.