When course lessons open, and how long students keep access

When each module and lesson opens is set on the course's Outline and in each lesson's editor. Lessons in order, how video lessons complete, and access length are in the course's Settings, in the Release and completion band.

When a module or lesson opens

On the Outline, open a module's More actions menu and choose Change when it opens…. In a lesson's editor, the Opens row in Lesson settings has Change. Choose one of:

• At once: the module or lesson is open as soon as the student has access. This is the default.
• After a number of days: in a self-paced course, counted from each student's enrolment, so a student who enrols at 3:20 pm opens a 7-day module at 3:20 pm a week later. Up to 3,650 days.
• On a date: a date and time in the course's time zone, the same for every student.

A lesson is Like its module until you give it a rule of its own. Its own rule replaces the module's: a lesson set to open At once in a module that opens after 7 days will open at once.

In a course taught in cohorts, After a number of days counts from midnight on the cohort's first day, in the cohort's time zone. The outline shows it as a day of the cohort: 7 days after the start is day 8 of the cohort. See Cohorts and live sessions.

The course's time zone is the Time zone row in the Joining band. If you change it, a lesson set to open on a date at 9:00 will open at 9:00 in the new time zone.

A locked lesson shows students its title and when it opens, such as "Opens 19 January", and nothing else. A lesson a student has already opened stays open for them if you move its date later. A free preview lesson is open to everyone, whatever its rule, and Preview as student shows every lesson open.

With Email students when lessons open on, in the course's Emails band, a student will get one email on each day that lessons open for them, at 9:00 am in their time zone. The time zone comes from the student's browser when they enrol. A student who bought the course in Store, or whom you added, gets the email at that hour in the course's time zone until they first open the course.

With Send the lesson in the email also on, the email will include the text of each lesson that opened, so the course can be taken by email. Videos, quizzes, assignments and live sessions are links to the lesson page. When the text of the lessons would make the email longer than mail apps show, the rest are links too.

Lessons in order

With Lessons in order on, each required lesson also waits until the required lesson before it is complete. The order runs through the whole course, across modules. A locked lesson shows "Opens after" and the lesson it waits for.

• A lesson with Counts toward progress off is optional: it never waits and never holds back a later lesson.
• A submitted assignment that is waiting for review counts, so the next lesson opens without waiting for the review. An assignment with Hold the next lesson until approved on keeps the next lesson closed until an instructor approves it (see Assignments and reviewing submissions).
• A quiz with a pass mark counts once the student passes it; one without, once they submit it (see Quizzes in a course).

Lessons in order and when a lesson opens both apply: a lesson opens when its rule allows and the lesson before it is complete.

How lessons complete

A student completes a lesson with Mark as complete. A quiz completes when it is passed (or submitted, if it has no pass mark), and an assignment when it is approved (or submitted, if review is off). Two settings change how lessons with a video or audio complete:

• Complete video lessons when watched (on by default): a lesson completes itself when the student has watched 90% of its video or audio. A live session's recording counts the same way.
• Watch the video to complete (off by default): a student cannot mark a lesson with a video or audio complete until they have watched 90% of it. The button says how much is left.

You can mark any lesson complete or not complete for one student on their page (see Course students and reports).

Access length

Access length in the Release and completion band sets when a student's access ends. Select Change and choose:

• No end, the default.
• A number of days after enrolment: a student who enrols at 3:20 pm on 3 October with 365 days keeps access until 3:20 pm on 3 October the next year.
• A number of days after the cohort ends, in a course taught in cohorts: counted from the end of the cohort's last day, in the cohort's time zone.

The end date is worked out when a student gets access. A change to Access length applies to students who get access afterwards; students who already have access keep their end date. To change or remove one student's end date, use their page (see Course students and reports).

When a student's access ends, they can no longer open the course's lessons, and the course tells them the date it ended. Their progress is kept. The emails sent before and when access ends are switched on or off in the course's Emails band.

If a lesson opens later than you expect, or a student cannot open one, Contact support.