edX Edge

General FAQs

What is edX Edge?

edX Edge (also referred to as Edge) is an online course authoring platform/learning management system originally developed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). edX Edge is similar to Blackboard in that it allows users to design and deliver online courses.

edX Edge is offered by USM to provide UMBC a platform to deliver small private online courses (SPOC) that are not available to the public (edX is the parent platform which provides both free and paid massive open online courses (MOOC) and are available for anyone to enroll). edX Edge courses are not made public (not searchable via search engines or on the edX Edge website itself), do not incur any fees/charges for learners, and enrollment is controlled by the instructor/facilitator (by the way of an unique enrollment link provided to learners).

How is edX Edge different than Blackboard?

edX Edge allows learners outside of UMBC to participate in courses without the need of a UMBC sponsored account.

Is edX Edge integrated with WebAuth/Single Sign On (SSO)?

No, both instructors/facilitators and learners must create an edX Edge account using their UMBC credentials.

Is there a cost to develop courses on edX Edge?

No. The use of the edX Edge learning management system (both the delivery and authoring environments) are available to all UMBC instructors and departments to create and deliver courses. The only cost is your time to design and develop content for the course.

How can I learn more about edX Edge?

If you're looking to develop an online/hybrid course on edX Edge, you will need to consult with Instructional Technology staff on an initial needs assessment to determine if edX Edge will be a successful solution. Please submit an RT (select Online Learning) to initiate a consult. For more information, please consult the Faculty/Staff panel on the right of this page for details on edX Edge course development.

Links marked with a ↗︎ symbol go to edX Documentation.