What Happens to my Canvas Site at the End of a Semester?

When an academic term ends in the Canvas system, your course site will become inactive or read-only, restricting your ability to edit or make changes to content. However, students will maintain access to course materials (such as files and assignment details) in a read-only course, but will not be able to actively participate in the course by submitting assignments, posting on discussion boards, etc.

Canvas terms for Spring, MayMester, and Summer courses end in mid-September, and Canvas terms for Fall courses end in mid-January. This means that you will have several weeks to months to adjust your Canvas site after the academic term ends. There are several options for preventing students from accessing sensitive materials used during the course, such as answer keys or review questions, after the academic term is over.

Locking Course Content

Restricting student access to files

1. Enter the Course from the Canvas dashboard or Courses icon
2. On the left-hand menu, click Files
3. To the right of the file, click the green Published checkmark
4. Choose Only available to students with link. This will lock the file and remove it from the Files list.

More details can be found at the Canvas Community Guide.

Locking modules

1. Enter the Course from the Canvas dashboard or Courses icon
2. On the left-hand menu, click Modules
3. In the module in question click the Three Dot Menu > Edit
4. Click the Lock until checkbox

More details can be found at the Canvas Community Guide.

Hiding Course Content

Several items in your Canvas site can be hidden. These items include:

• Links in the course navigation menu
• The course Home Page
• Other Pages
• Modules

If you would like to make changes and your course is already in the read-only state, contact the Digital Learning Center to restore temporary editing access so you can make necessary changes.

Need additional help? Contact the HWS IT Services Digital Learning Team.