How do I restrict access to my course site or materials?

In bCourses, it is possible for instructors to have course sites from prior semesters that are not available to students once the term has ended. If your courses has graded student submissions, you have a few options for restricting access to your course site at the end of the term, depending on what and from whom you want to restrict access.

If you choose any of these options, it may be helpful to let your students know, so that they can download any materials they need before losing access. You should also let the rest of your teaching team know, since it may affect their work and access to the course site materials, in case they would like to use it in another class.

Option 1: Hide Course from Students

If students and GSIs no longer need any materials, you can restrict the course site after the term ends so that students cannot see the course at all. In this option, the course site is restricted by (a) setting the course end date and (b) enabling the option to "Restrict students from viewing course after end date."

How to hide a course site from students

1. Go to the course Settings.
2. Change participation from Term to Course.
3. Set a Course End Date that is in the past.
4. Check the box: "Restrict students from viewing course after end date."
5. Select the Update Course Details button at the bottom of the page.

What happens when you hide a course from students?

• The course card linking to the site is removed from the Dashboard for all users.
• Students cannot see the course at all (there is no longer a link for them to access the course).
• Instructors cannot add new people to the course.
• Only instructors can still see the course in the "Past Enrollments" of their All Courses list.
• Instructors can still upload, edit, or delete content.
• Instructors can still copy/import the course's content into a new course.

Full instructions for hiding a course in this way are available in these Canvas Guides:

1. Change the start and end dates for a course
2. Restrict student access to a course after the course ends

Option 2: Set Course End Date ("Soft Conclude" the Course)

If you want to restrict students from any "participation" in the course site, but still allow them to view its contents, you can "soft conclude" the course by setting an end date. Restricting "participation" means that students would no longer be able to submit assignments, post discussions, upload files, or take part in any other action-based task within the course.

How to set a course end date

1. Go to the course Settings.
2. Change participation from Term to Course.
3. Set a Course End Date that is in the past.

Full instructions for setting a course end date are available in this Canvas Guide: Change the start and end dates for a course

What happens when you set a course end date?

• The course card linking to the site is removed from the Dashboard for all users.
• Students can still access the course, but cannot participate (i.e., cannot submit assignments, post discussions, upload files, or take part in any other action-based task within the course).
• In the All Courses list, the course is moved to "Past Enrollments" for all users.
• Instructors cannot add new people to the course.
• Instructors can still upload, edit, or delete content.
• Instructors can still copy/import the course's content into a new course.

Option 3: Conclude Course ("Hard Conclude" the Course)

When you "hard conclude" a course, all of the items are put in a read-only state. All enrollments, including instructors’ enrollments, are moved under  "Past Enrollments," removing any edit abilities they may have had previously.

How to "hard conclude" a course

Instructors cannot "hard conclude" their own courses. If you would like a course to be concluded in this manner, please send your request to bCourseshelp@berkeley.edu.

Full details about concluding a course in this way are available in this Canvas Guides: How do I conclude a course at the end of a term?

What happens when a course is "hard concluded"?

• The course card linking to the site is removed from the Dashboard for all users.
• In the All Courses list, the course is moved to "Past Enrollments" for all users.
• Instructors cannot enter or edit grades, add people, send messages, or add or edit content.
• Students cannot participate in the course, but can still view some of its contents. (Note that Kaltura videos are NOT included in the content that is viewable. If you want students to be able to view Kaltura videos, this is not a good option.)
• Note: If you need to restore student access after a course has been "hard concluded," they can only be restored one by one, so only select this option if you are certain you will never need to restore access.

Overview: Course Access Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I just "unpublish" my course site?

Courses that have been published can be unpublished. However, no course that has graded student submissions can be unpublished. If your course does not have graded student submissions, you can unpublish it by going to the course Home page, finding the "Course Status" at the top right and selecting "Unpublish."

Can I just "unpublish" or delete specific course content?

Yes, you can choose to unpublish or delete content from your course site, or move content to a private bCourses project site that students cannot access. Some common content strategy tips are below:

• Unpublish Pages: Go to "View All Pages" and unpublish specific content.
• Lock Files: Restrict access to specific folders or files within the "Files" tab.
• Unpublish Assignments, Discussions, or Quizzes with no submissions: Go to the content item and select the green checkmark to change the state to Unpublished. Be aware that if an assignment is unpublished, its point value will not be factored into the students' total grade calculation in the Gradebook.
• Restrict access to Assignments, Discussions, or Quizzes with student submissions: Set the "Available Until" date to a date in the past. This prevents any further submissions and marks the assignment as closed to students.
• Delete an item if it's no longer needed or has been replaced. For guidance on removing specific types of content in bCourses, consult the Canvas instructions for each content category:
  • Delete Announcements
  • Delete Assignments
  • Delete Discussions
  • Delete Files
  • Delete Pages
  • Delete Quizzes
• Move outdated resources to a private sandbox (project) site for safe storage and future updates. To do so, consider creating a bCourses project site–a private bCourses space that you control.
  • Create a project site using your CalNet login.
  • Once your site is created, follow these steps to import course content from a past bCourses course into your new project site.
  • This project site can serve as your personal space; a place to organize, revise, and reuse your teaching materials anytime.