This article provides guidance for instructors who need to manage access for one or more student to a Canvas site because they have been issued a grade of Incomplete or need to finish coursework beyond the course end date. As part of the process for granting an Incomplete and allowing a student to submit late course work on Canvas, an instructor or Canvas administrator will extend access to a course Canvas site beyond the academic term date.
Contents
Overview
For instructors who manage course content and assignments in Canvas, issuing a grade of Incomplete presents a special case where only specific students require access to a course beyond the official course end date.
To ensure the privacy of students in this situation, instructors should create or request support to configure an additional section in the Canvas site where the student who received an incomplete grade is enrolled, close the course for students who completed the course, and finally update assignment due dates for expected work.
The course term end date (typically 30 days after the end of the academic term) will determine whether the instructor or a Canvas Admin has access to manage this process. Once a Canvas site is outside the course term end date, the Canvas site reverts to read-only mode.
How do I manage students with a grade of Incomplete on my own prior to the academic term end date?
The steps below outline how an instructor can create a new section in a Canvas course for a student that has been issued a grade of Incomplete. Instructors may manage these steps while the Canvas course is active and within the current term beginning and end dates.
I. Create a new section
- From the Settings page in the Canvas course, click the Sections tab at the top.
- Below the list of sections, enter the name for the new section using the naming convention [course name] - [1-9]. An example: NSCI 0251-1 where a number [1-9] is appended to the course name instead of a letter. This pattern masks the purpose of the section and allows for more than one.
- Click + Section to save the section. The new section appears in the list of sections above.
- Click the name of the new section in the list of sections. A sections detail page with current and completed enrollments will appear.
Canvas guide: How do I add a section to a course as an instructor?
Section dates need to be defined in order to extend access to the student that will be completing course work.
- On the section details page, click the Edit Section button on the upper right.
- Leave the SIS field empty.
- Leave the Starts field empty.
- In the Ends field, enter the date that the incompletes must be completed by.
- Importantly, check the box "Students can only participate in the course between these dates”. When selected, the section end date overrides the course dates. Students in the new section can only participate in the course section between the section dates, and the course section will be in a read-only state outside the course section dates.
- Click Update Section to save the section date settings.
Canvas guide: How do I change the start and end dates for a course section as an instructor?
- Click the People tab in the course menu and locate the student to enroll in the new section.
- Click the stacked 3 dots menu to the right of the student and select Edit Sections.
- In the menu that appears, click Browse.
- Click the name of the section created in the first step. The new section is added to the sections that the student is already enrolled in. Note: It is not necessary to remove the student from the default course section.
- Click Update to finish the process.
- Repeat these steps to add yourself as the instructor to the new section. This will ensure that you maintain access through the new section end date you previously set.
Repeat these steps for each additional student in the class who needs extended access to the Canvas site.
Though you will be closing the course to students who have completed the course in the next step, a best practice is to also hide the People tab in the course-level menu to mask the course roster and section enrollments for the course from all students. As an instructor you will still be able to access it.
- Click Settings in the course level menu.
- Click the Navigation tab.
- If the People tab is in the upper visible window, click the stacked three dots to the right and select Disable.
- Scroll down and click Save. Refresh your browser. The People tab in the menu should now have an eye icon with a line through it to indicate that it is not longer visible to students.
Canvas guide: How do I manage Course Navigation links?
With the new Incomplete section in place, yourself as instructor and students enrolled into it, the final step is to close the course to the other students.
- Click Settings in the course menu, then scroll to the Participation section.
- Change the dropdown menu from Term to Course.
- In the End field, enter an end date for the course.
- Check the box to "Restrict students from viewing course after course end date". The checkbox hides the course from students enrolled in the completed section, including from their list of Past Enrollments.
- Click Update Course Details at the bottom of the page to save these settings.
Before communicating with the student who needs to complete coursework in Canvas, the instructor needs to re-assign and modify due dates for the new Incomplete section they are enrolled in. Canvas graded assignments and activities can be configured to have different due dates for different students and sections. For each assignment or activity to be completed by a student in an Incomplete section, you will need to configure the custom due date settings in each of the required assignments.
Note: Never change or delete an existing due date window! Doing so will un-assign the activity to those students and hide their work and grades for the activity.
Canvas Guide: How do I assign an assignment to a course section?
How can I request additional support for managing students with an Incomplete in Canvas either before or after the academic term end date?
To initiate a request for assistance with managing one or more students issued an Incomplete in Canvas, submit a Help Ticket for Canvas with the following details:
- Canvas Course URL
- Course Name
- Course Number
- Academic Term
- Description (include the following details)
- Student Name(s)
- Date for Completion of Incomplete
- Additional course details that support the request
Upon receipt of the request, a Canvas Admin will verify the Incomplete and work with the instructor to configure a new course section in the specified Canvas course with a new end date assigned to the section. Course participation settings will be set to "Restrict students from viewing course after term end date." This will keep other students from viewing the new section in the course level menu under the People tab and isolate visibility of the students activity on most activity types.
Prior to communicating with the student about Canvas access, the instructor will need to update assignments, quizzes, or discussions with any negotiated due dates and appropriate settings. Importantly, students will only have a fixed amount of time to complete the agreed to work in order to receive a final grade, so instructors should set due dates that will allow completion by the new course deadline.
Once I've extended access to my course for students with an Incomplete, how can I request additional help with my Canvas site?
For additional help with adjusting Canvas assignment or activity due dates to accommodate a student with an Incomplete grade, instructors may request a consultation with a staff member in the Office of Digital Learning & Inquiry.