Course Dates#
Start Date and Time#
The course start date and time specify when learners can access published course content. When you Create a Course, the course start date and time are set to 01/01/2030 at 00:00 UTC to ensure that your course does not start before you intend it to.
Although learners cannot access any part of your course before the course start date, course team members who are enrolled in the course and who have the staff, admin, or beta tester role can see published content in the course before the course start date.
End Date and Time#
The course end date and time specify when learners can no longer earn credit for graded problems or toward certificates. Learners can continue to complete available coursework, but cannot earn credit after the course ends.
In self-paced courses, course teams can make certain course components unavailable based on the course end date. For example, course teams can make a final exam unavailable after the end date for a self-paced course. For more details, see Hide a Subsection Based on Date.
Important
If you do not set a course end date, learners cannot access earned certificates.
Enrollment Start Date and Time#
The enrollment start date and time specify when learners can start to enroll in the course. Ensure that the enrollment start date is early enough to allow learners to both enroll in and prepare for the course. The enrollment start date and time must be before the course start date and time.
As soon as enrollment starts, prospective learners can see your course in the course catalog, view the course About page, and enroll in the course.
Enrollment End Date and Time#
The enrollment end date and time specify when learners can no longer enroll in the course. Ensure that the enrollment end date is late enough to allow learners adequate time to enroll. The enrollment end date must be before the course end date.
See also
Beta Test a Course (task)
Section and Subsection Release Dates (references)