Every Canvas @ Yale course site has an end point. After it ends, the course becomes read-only, and what instructors and students can still see or do depends on how it ended. A course can end in one of two ways:
- Term dates: the default end date for every course in a term, set by the Canvas @ Yale team.
- Course dates: custom start and end dates an instructor sets for one course.
This article explains each one and what access looks like afterward.
Once a course site ends, it becomes read-only for all users. Instructors can "unlock" a past term course to make edits and add users who may need access to the old site.
Table of Contents
This article will address the following information:
Term Dates
Term dates are set for all of Canvas @ Yale. They decide whether a course appears under “Current Enrollments” or “Past Enrollments” in your “All Courses” list, and whether it appears on your “Dashboard.”
Academic terms (Fall, Spring, and Summer) stay open in Canvas @ Yale until August 31 following the end of the academic year. Fiscal Year terms end June 30. For details about each term’s start and end dates, see the Course Creation Timing & Course Terms page on the Canvas @ Yale website.
Term dates for a course can be overridden by Course Dates. Check out the Course Dates section below for more information.
Course Dates
By default, a course follows its Term dates. However, instructors can set different start and end dates for a course by using the Course dates option. They might use course dates to open the course site early or close it before the normal Canvas Term ends.
To use course dates, change the “Participation” setting in the course’s “Settings” from “Term” to “Course,” then enter a start and end date.
For step-by-step instructions, see Changing Your Course End Date.
Instructors can also restrict viewing access before/after course dates for students through some additional settings.
If you leave the Course start or end date fields empty, Canvas will revert to using the course's Term date for determining when to allow user access and put the content into a read-only state.
Course Access by Role Upon Term / Course Conclusion
Review the chart below for more details about what permissions each role in a course has based on these conclusion scenarios.
| Role | Permission | Term Date Conclude | Course Date Conclude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructor | Can view course | YES | YES |
| Can add/edit content | NO | NO | |
| Course appears in Dashboard | NO | NO1 | |
| Course appears in Past Enrollments | YES | YES | |
| Student | Can view course | YES2 | YES2 |
| Can add/edit content | NO | NO | |
| Course appears in Dashboard | NO | NO1 | |
| Course appears in Past Enrollments | YES | YES | |
| General | Can import content into next term courses (or new site) | YES | YES |
| Who Can Unlock? | Instructor / Admin | Instructor / Admin |
- Course sites that use Course dates and do not set an end date will continue to appear on the course Dashboard indefinitely, even though they will move into a read-only state following the course site's Term end date.
- Students can see the course as long as the instructor has not selected the option to "Restrict students from viewing course after end date."
For more help, please contact [email protected].