Life-cycle of a course
Below are the stages a Brightspace course goes through. These stages determine whether you, as a student or instructor, have access to a course.
The different stages are:
- Future course: The course is active, the start date is in the future.
- The course is currently being prepared for teaching. The course is not available to students, but instructors do have access.
- Open course: The course is active and the start date has passed.
- Teaching is currently in progress, and both students and instructors have access to the course.
- Closed course: The course is active and the end date has passed.
- Teaching has ended, and the course is no longer available to students, but is still available to instructors.
- Archived course: The course has been set to inactive.
- Neither students nor instructors can see the course. Instructors can close the course but not archive it.
- Only key users and Application Management still have access.
How do I recognize the stages as a student?
Users with a Learner or Learner Guest role only have access to Open courses.
Below are the stages in the My Courses overview:
- Upcoming courses: gray, with a name and a start date.
- Open courses: only have a name.
- Closed courses that are not pinned: gray, with a name and a closed label. These courses are automatically displayed at the bottom of the list. You can view these courses using the View All Courses option
How do I recognize the stages as a teacher?
Users with an Instructor / Instructor Guest / Teaching Assistant / Course Builder / Observer / Observer-faculty / Educational Supporter role in a course have access to future, open and closed courses.
Below an overview of the stages in the My Courses overview:
- Future courses: have a start date and a course name.
- Open courses: have only a course name.
- Closed courses that are not pinned: have a name and a closed label. They are automatically displayed at the bottom of the list. Courses can be viewed using the View All Courses option.
