Course Term Dates and Extend End Dates

The University will end Terms in Canvas before the next long semester begins. Instructors have the ability to extend a course's end date, but only before the university ends the term.  After the term has ended, you must contact the UT Service Desk Links to an external site. to request your course be extended (i.e., to allow a student to finish an Incomplete).

What does it mean to "end" a Term?

After a course's term date has ended, the following happens for students:

  • Students CANNOT participate in interactive course features such as Discussion Boards or reply to Announcements
  • Students CANNOT upload work for assignments
  • Students CANNOT email other students
  • Students CAN email instructors
  • Students CAN download their uploaded homework files from assignments and course material files
  • Courses will appear in Past Enrollments of the "All Courses" page

 For instructors, the following will happen:

  • Instructors CANNOT extend the Course End Date or edit the Course Details
  • Instructors CANNOT create Announcements or Discussions
  • Instructors CANNOT publish or unpublish modules, pages, files, or assignments
  • Instructors CANNOT make grade changes
  • Instructors CANNOT email students from Canvas
  • Instructors CAN email other instructors and TAs
  • Instructors CAN download student work from assignments
  • Courses will appear in Past Enrollments of the "All Courses" page

 

Student Course Visibility and Participation Flowchart

This flowchart outlines how and when students may view and participate in a course that uses term, course, and/or section dates and restriction settings. To view and interact with the flowchart, click the attached PDF link: Student Course Visibility and Participation Flowchart Links to an external site.

Extend Your Course End Date

Go to Course Settings [1] and click on the Course Details tab (if not already there). The default for Participation is to use the 'Term' dates. We do not enter term dates because of the variety of start and end dates across campus. Click on the 'Term' drop-down menu and select 'Course' [2]. Note: Once we end the Term, the End Date will appear below.

Course Settings - Course Details tab New Participation fields for Term Dates  

Once you have selected 'Course,' the Start and End Date fields become editable. Click the Calendar icon [3] to change dates. You can select a future End Date as far out as you need.

Course Settings - Course Details - New Participation Course Start field with Calendar  

 

Don't forget to click the 'Update Course Settings' button at the bottom of the page when you're finished.

update-course-settings.png

If you do not want your students to be able to access the course content, you can hide content areas like Files, Modules, and Assignments. To learn how to do this, view the tutorial Navigation: Controlling Student Access to Course Content.

As an instructor, you can restrict student access to your course before or after the course participation dates Links to an external site.. By default, course participation dates are limited to term dates. You can restrict students from viewing the course before or after term dates. Or, if your course has set course participation dates, you can restrict students from viewing the course before or after the set course dates. If you check the box to Restrict students from viewing course after term or course end date, the course will DISAPPEAR from their Dashboard and their enrollment will appear as "Concluded" for both you and your TAs. If you use a Course End Date, the course will become read-only after that date and time.

For more information, view the interactive Student Course Visibility and Participation flowchart Links to an external site..