Open a Brightspace course

About this article

This article includes instructions for activating Brightspace courses. It is intended for instructors.

Overview

Because so many instructors use Brightspace, WSU creates an empty Brightspace course shell for every section of every course offered each semester and classlists are loaded automatically. These course shells are set as inactive by default and instructors can choose to activate them if needed. An inactive Brightspace course is visible to instructors in their Brightspace course list, but is not visible to registered students. Once activated, the course is visible to students in their Brightspace course list and they can access the course as long as the course start date has elapsed.

When should Brightspace courses be activated?

Instructors activate their courses manually at their discretion. Generally, instructors wait to activate courses until after they have prepared them for student use by adding content and activities. Note that courses can be activated ahead of their start dates. This allows registered students to see the course on their course list, while still preventing them from accessing the course until the start date has elapsed. This practice may reduce the number of student questions regarding the status of the Brightspace course.

Instructions

There are two options for activating Brightspace courses. First, log into Brightspace with your StarID username and password. Then,...

Option 1: From My Courses

1. Locate your course in the My Courses list on the Brightspace homepage. If you don't see it listed, select the View All Courses link at the bottom of the list. Hover your mouse over the course image and select the ellipsis icon. Select Pin. Close the All Courses window to return to the Brightspace homepage.
2. Hover your mouse over the course image on the My Courses list and select the ellipsis icon. Select Course Offering Information.
3. Scroll down until you see the Course is active checkbox. Check it.
4. Select the Save button

Option 2: From Course Admin

1. Open your course by selecting the corresponding course image on your My Courses list.
2. Select the Course Admin link from the navigation bar at the top of the page
3. Select the Course Offering Information link under the Site Setup heading
4. Scroll down until you see the Course is active checkbox. Check it.
5. Select the Save button

Screenshot gallery

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  An inactive course

More information

• Setting a Brightspace course start and end date
• Preparing for the first week of class
• The Brightspace homepage