Brightspace (Standard): Course Availability for Students

Overview

Learn when Brightspace courses become available to students in Brightspace.

Brightspace Course Availability

Credit Courses (e.g. Undergraduate, Graduate, and Law)

• Credit‑bearing courses in Brightspace open to students seven (7) days prior to the start date for the Part of Term with which your course is associated. Courses close twenty‑five (25) days after the course’s Part of Term close. Course availability is determined exclusively by the Part of Term (POT) associated with the section in Banner.  All release and close dates in Brightspace are driven by the Part of Term, not general semester calendars, or course meeting times. 
  • For example... 
    • If a student is enrolled in a traditional undergraduate course for the Fall 2026 semester, then that course becomes available to the student on August 17 2026 (the Part of Term start date for the Fall 2026 16 week course is August 24 2026).   
    • If a student is enrolled in a online graduate course that starts on October 12 2026, then that course becomes available to the student on October 5 2026. 
  • The Course Start and End date as shown in NOVASIS reflect the Part of Term start and end dates associated with your course. Course availability in Brightspace is based on these dates. 

Non-Credit Courses (e.g. College of Professional Studies)

• Non‑credit courses typically open three (3) days before their start date and may remain available for a substantially longer period (up to ~320 days post course end date, depending on the non‑credit course structure).

Brightspace Course Availability for Students with Incomplete Grades

How the Incomplete Process Works: 

• Instructors may assign the "Incomplete Student" role in a Brightspace course to the student needing extended access. This role ignores course availability dates, allowing the student to complete required work. 

• At the end of the incomplete period, UTS Brightspace system administrators will bulk‑convert all incomplete students back to standard student status. 

Recommendations for Faculty: 

• Learn how to assign "Incomplete Student" role to a student in Brightspace.    

• If granting an incomplete, remember you may still need to manually adjust assignment availability for the student (the role bypasses course‑level dates but not individual assignment restrictions).  Learn more.