edX Resources for Instructors and Course Builders

Owned by Tarah Cicero
Last updated: Jun 10, 2024

This page outlines helpful resources for edX instructors and TAs.


Create an edX Account

The first step is to register your account on edx.org. You must use your Lehigh University email address when you register. Also, remember to choose your username carefully, as it will be visible to learners in your course once you obtain access.

Learn How to Create Courses

It is highly recommended that all edX instructors and TAs complete the courses in edX's Designing, Building, & Running an edX Course Professional Certificate program, which will not only demonstrate how a typical course functions, but will also teach you how to design a course and use the platform as a course instructor and/or builder. 

There is a coupon code that provides edX instructors and TAs with verified access to each of these courses. If you are an edX instructor or TA and want to complete these courses, please visit this link to open an instructional technology ticket to request the code.

General Best Practices

The slideshow below briefly explains some of the information covered in the edX instructor courses. It includes sections on accessibility, copyright information, as well as some general best practices. To make the slideshow larger, click the three dot button, then select 'Enter Full Screen.'

Video Best Practices

  • In order to improve engagement, videos ideally should be three to seven minutes in length, and no longer than 10 minutes long.
  • If using green screen in your recordings, avoid wearing the color green or using green in slide decks and demos.

Lehigh edX PowerPoint Template

In order to ensure consistency in branding across all LehighX courses, the LehighX PowerPoint template should be used for all edX course videos. The template also provides guidance on formatting and creating effective slides and works best in Microsoft PowerPoint. To download the template, visit this link. Then, go to File → Download → Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) to save a copy of the template to your own computer.

Suggested Course Design

The subject matter expert will determine what format best suits their content, however, here are some established guidelines.

  • 6-week self-paced course requiring 2-4 hours each week.
  • Approximately ten sections with multiple modules containing Video lectures with slides, captions, and supporting documentation.
  • Exercises should be made available to both audit (unpaid) and verified learners and can be given after each section (prior to the exam, if applicable), or more frequently.
  • Self-graded multiple-choice exams are available only to verified (paid) learners pursuing a certificate and are generally given after each section. 

Getting Help

The Building and Running an edX Course Documentation is a robust, searchable resource that provides step by step guidance for all aspects of building a course in edX. General edX documentation is located here.

Additional Resources