Do you have content that needs to be inaccessible to all users? In this article, we will review how to control whether content is accessible or not to your learners.
Use Case Information
In the settings of your content, the "end date" feature controls whether content is accessible or not. If you want to make a piece of content inaccessible to all users, you must set an end date. If the end date has passed, the course will no longer be accessible, regardless of whether it is released or unreleased.
Steps to Restrict Content Access
Please follow these steps to restrict access to content:
- From your homepage, select Courses > All Courses.
- Click the Content Title for the course you want to alter and go to the Enrollment Step.
- Update the Course End Date to reflect the date you would like to shut off access.
- Click Save.
Tip
If you receive this error: The course start date must be after or equal to the course enrollment start date, then the system requires that the course start date (when the course begins) must be on or after the course enrollment start date (when learners can start enrolling).
Enrollment Start Date: This is the date when learners are allowed to start enrolling in the course.
Access Start Date: This is the date when the course content becomes available to learners, and when the actual instruction begins.
Always be sure to verify the dates you've entered for both the course start and enrollment start.
Note
Learners will see the access end date in the Purchase Widget on the content detail page.
Grace Period
The Grace Period feature appears when you add an access end date to your course, providing learners with extended access to course materials after the course has officially ended. During this period, learners have "Read-only" access, meaning they can view content but cannot engage in certain activities. Here's a breakdown of what learners can and cannot do when this feature is enabled:
What Learners Cannot Do During Grace Period:
- Submit Assignments
- Respond to instructor feedback on assignments
- Post to Discussion Boards within the course
What Learners Can Do During Grace Period:
- Complete quizzes
- Complete surveys
- View Videos
- Earn course completions
- Earn certificates
Unrelease vs Restricting Access
You might be wondering how this is different from unreleasing a course. When you unreleased content, it's removed from the catalog. However, any learners who have access to the unreleased course will continue to have access. This includes learners who:
- Purchased prior to the content being released.
- Used a redemption code to gain course access.
- Purchased a course collection including the unreleased course.
- Was given access by an Admin.
Tip
Please refer to our article on unreleasing a course for more details about the unrelease feature.