An introductory course has been added to the existing two-part Learn HTML series from W3C on the EdX platform. Together the three courses form an X series which starts on April 4.

According to EdX:

This HTML5 XSeries will dramatically improve your Web development skills, showing you how to create great Web sites and applications, in a simplified but powerful way.

Previously the pre-requisites for joining the W3Cx course was  basic knowledge of HTML and some familiarly with CSS. This is now covered in what can be considered a prequel - HTML5 Introduction.

This 6 week course has been developed in partnership between W3C and Intel that covers: 

• Basic concepts of a markup language
• Basic building blocks of Web design and style
• Basics of HTML5 and CSS
• How to write a Web page

During the course, participants will learn  how to give your site a professional look and feel and its end should understand all the fundamental elements – from headers and links to images and sidebars as one of the course instructors explains in this video:

Having completed this course you'll be ready to proceed to the two intermediate level courses taught by Michel Buffa from University of Nice who developed them in collaboration with W3C (Worldwide Web Consortium) experts.

Part 1, which is rated 5/5 by former students (70 reviews), next starts on May 16. It is a 6 week course and covers:  

• Learn the new simplified HTML5 tags, and how to use microdata
• Play with the audio and video tags
• Draw and animate fun Web graphics
• Discover the newest HTML5 forms
• Understand why accessibility is important
• Test the basic APIs, such as Web storage and geolocation
• Practice coding techniques thanks to multiple interactive examples

Part 3, which follows on June 27 lasts 4 weeks and covers:   

• Advanced multimedia features with the Track and WebAudio APIs
• HTML5 games techniques
• Persistence techniques for data storage including IndexedDB, File upload and download, Drag’n’Drop

With 22 student reviews so far it too is rated 5/5. In the first review a student compares it favorably with Part 1 writing:

This course is much more exciting than HTML5 Part 1. The curriculum contains more advanced concepts like HTML5 multimedia, programming a small game that interacts with the mouse/keyboard and gamepads, file uploading and downloading, IndexedDB, web components, web workers and other APIs. Some of the notions I was already aware of, others are completely new to me. This combination of advanced HTML5 techniques and complementary APIs opens up a whole new world of possibilities. 

The total cost for three personalized certificates is $247, although you can audit each of the courses for free. Any learner who earned a Verified Certificate for previous versions of either Part 1 or Part 2 will also be eligible for the XSeries Program. In addition, any learner who completes any individual course in the XSeries is eligible to join the W3Cx Verified LinkedIn Group.