Can I do it?

Yes! The Participation section of your course settings allows you to make some modifications, including modifying a course’s start and/or end date and restricting when students can access course content.

This tip aligns with section 3 of the BTC Course Design Tool. Specifically, the ability to expand participation in your course is an opportunity for you to “allow flexibility as appropriate”.

How do I do it?

Select Settings from the course menu.
Select the Course Details tab.
Locate the Participation section.
Select Course from the drop-down menu.
Enter desired dates in the Start and End fields.
(optional step) Check the box(es) to limit students from viewing the course.
- Restrict students from viewing course before term start date
- Restrict students from viewing course after term end date
Click Update Course Details to save changes.

Check out the following resources for more information (and screenshots):

Canvas Guide: How do I change the start and end dates for a course?
Video tutorial: Canvas Tutorial: How to Change Course Dates (2:10)

Keep in mind...

Your students will generally have access to your published courses starting one week prior to the start of the quarter, unless you modify the participation date to after that time. Students do not have access to unpublished courses, no matter how the participation dates are set.