How to Open a Course to Students Before a Term Begins

How To 

How to open a Canvas course to students before a term begins.

Resolution

Teachers in Canvas can allow students early entry to a course in the course settings. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Click into the course you are working on.
  2. Click the Settings link on the lower left side of the course.
  3. In the Course Details area, scroll down to Course Participation Dates.
  4. By default, the participation is set to Term and there are dates indicating the start and end of the term. Those dates cannot be edited.
  5. Click on the word Term and change it to Course in the drop down menu.
  6. At this point, the dates are empty and you can fill them in manually.
  7. Use the calendar pop up to set start and end dates.
  8. You can also restrict student access with check boxes below the dates.
  9. For more details and a graphic explanation of this process, click this link to the Canvas support site.

NOTE: After a term is finished, you will no longer be able to change the dates. If you want to extend a course after the term, send an email to facsupport@slu.edu and ITS will assist.