Taking a free course

Courses are free, guided lessons that teach the hobby step by step. Each lesson ends with a short quiz. Finish every lesson and you earn a certificate and a badge for your profile.

Are the courses free?

Yes. Every course is free and needs no prior experience ("Free · No prior experience needed"). There's nothing to buy. You do need a free account to take the quizzes and earn a certificate.

What's on the Courses page?

Courses lists every published course. Each course card shows:

• The name of the badge you earn, above the course title
• The course title and a one-line description
• About how long it takes, shown as "~" and a number of minutes
• How many lessons it has
• Certificate + badge
• A button: Start course, or Completed if you've finished it (shown when you're signed in)

Tap a card to open the course overview. If no courses are published yet, the page says "The first courses are being prepared. Check back soon."

What's on a course overview page?

The overview (for example /courses/[course]) shows:

• Courses: back to the list.
• The title, description, estimated time, number of lessons and Certificate + profile badge.
• The main button: Start course, Continue course (if you've finished some lessons) or Review the course (if you've finished it all).
• View certificate, once you've completed the course.
• Your progress, for example "3 of 8 lessons complete", while you're partway through.
• What you'll learn: every lesson in order. Finished lessons show a check mark; a film icon means the lesson includes a video.
• Earn your certificate: "Finish every lesson and pass the quizzes to earn a shareable certificate and a "[badge]" badge on your profile."

How does a course work?

1. From the course overview, tap Start course.
2. Read the lesson. Some lessons include a video (see below).
3. Answer every question under Quick check by tapping an answer.
4. Tap Complete section. On the last lesson, the button says Finish & get certified.
5. If you pass, you'll see Section complete. Tap Next section to move on.

The lesson list on the side (above the lesson on a phone) shows your Progress as a bar and a count, like "3 / 8". The heading of each lesson shows "Section 3 of 8".

Why are some lessons locked?

Lessons unlock in order. A lock icon means you need to pass the lesson before it first. If you open a locked lesson you'll see "Finish the previous section to unlock this one."

Finished lessons show a check mark, and you can go back to any finished or unlocked lesson by tapping it in the list or tapping Previous.

Do I need to sign in to take a course?

You can open any course and read the first lesson without an account. To take the quizzes, unlock the rest of the course and earn a certificate, you need to sign in.

When you're signed out, the quiz is replaced with "Sign in to take the quizzes and earn your certificate." and a Sign in to continue button. After signing in you come straight back to the course.

How are course quizzes graded?

When you tap Complete section, your answers are checked right away.

• By default, every question must be right to pass the lesson. A course can be set up with a lower pass mark, in which case you pass once you reach that mark.
• If you don't pass, each question that isn't right yet is highlighted with "Not quite, pick another answer", and a note says "Some answers aren't right yet. Fix the highlighted questions above, then press Complete section again."
• Change your answers and tap the button again.

There's no limit on tries and no penalty for wrong answers. Your score isn't shown to anyone.

The button stays grayed out until you've answered every question. You'll see "Answer every question to continue." under it.

What if a lesson has no quiz?

Some lessons have no questions. Reading is the whole requirement: just tap Complete section (or Finish & get certified if it's the last one).

What about video lessons?

Some lessons include a video above the text. If a lesson's video isn't ready yet, you'll see "Video lesson coming soon" with "The full lesson below covers everything you need for now." The written lesson always has everything you need to pass the quiz.

Is my course progress saved?

Yes, when you're signed in. Each lesson you pass is saved to your account straight away, so you can stop and come back any time, on any device. When you return:

• The course overview shows Continue course and how many lessons you've completed.
• The course opens at your first unfinished lesson.

Answers you've picked but not yet submitted are not saved. If you leave a lesson or switch to another one before tapping Complete section, you'll need to pick them again.

What happens when I finish a course?

When you pass the last lesson you'll see "You did it!" and "You've completed the course. Your badge is now on your profile." with a View your certificate button. At the same time:

• The course is recorded as completed and your certificate is created, with its own registry code.
• You earn bubbles the first time you complete each course (and a "You earned bubbles" notification). See Bubbles.
• The course's badge appears on your profile, and the course counts toward the Courses trophies. See Trophies.
• On Courses, the course is marked Completed.

See Course certificates for the certificate itself.

Can I review or retake a finished course?

You can review it any time. On the course overview tap Review the course. The course opens on a Course complete screen ("You're a [badge]") with View certificate and Review lessons. In review, each lesson shows Section complete instead of a quiz, and you can move between lessons freely.

You can't retake the quizzes or reset your progress on a course you've finished, and completing it again doesn't earn more bubbles.

Where do my finished courses show on my profile?

• On your own profile, under Certifications, each with its badge, course name and the date you earned it. Until you finish one it says "You haven't earned any certifications yet." with Browse courses →.
• On your public profile, in the Trophies tab under Course certificates. See Your public profile.

Tap a course there to open its overview.

Common problems

The Complete section button is grayed out. You haven't answered every question. Scroll up and look for a question with no answer picked.

"Not quite, pick another answer" keeps coming back. Reread the lesson section the question is about, pick a different answer and tap Complete section again. There's no limit on tries.

"Network error, please try again." or "Something went wrong. Try again." Your answers didn't reach us. Check your connection and tap the button again.

"Please sign in." Your sign-in expired. Sign in again, then reopen the course. Lessons you already passed are still saved.

All the lessons after the first are locked. You're signed out, or you haven't passed the first lesson yet. Sign in and pass each lesson in order.

The video won't play. The written lesson covers everything you need, so you can carry on. If a video is broken, email support@undergroundaquarium.com with the course and lesson name.

The course says "This course is being prepared. Check back soon." That course has no lessons published yet. Try another course.

My progress disappeared. Make sure you're signed in to the same account you used before. Progress is only saved for lessons you passed while signed in.