Making a Course Visible to Students

To make a course visible in Brightspace, you need to change its status from Inactive to Active. An inactive course exists in your Brightspace account but students cannot see it, enroll in it, or access any of its content. Once you set up it, the course appears in students' course lists and they can begin viewing materials and participating.

The set up process takes about one minute and requires you to be logged in as an instructor or course administrator. You do not need to have all course content ready before you set up — many instructors set up a course and then add materials over time.

Key Takeaways

  • Inactive courses are hidden from students; you must change the course status to Active in the course settings to make it visible.
  • The set up switch is located in the Course Admin section under Course Settings, not in the main course menu.
  • You can set up a course at any point — before, during, or after you add content and assignments.
  • Once a course is active, students see it in their course list and can access all materials you have published.

Finding the Course Settings Menu

Log into Brightspace and open the course you want to set up. In the left navigation menu, scroll to the bottom and look for a gear icon or the text Course Admin. Click on it to open the administration panel.

Inside Course Admin, you will see several options. Look for Course Settings or Manage Course — the exact label depends on your Brightspace version, but it is always near the top of the Course Admin menu. Click on it.

Changing the Course Status to Active

In the Course Settings page, look for a field labeled Course Status or Course Offering Status. It will show a dropdown menu with at least two options: Inactive and Active. Click the dropdown and select Active.

After you select Active, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save button. Brightspace will confirm the change. The course is now active and visible to students who are enrolled in it.

What Happens When You set up a Course

Once a course is active, all enrolled students will see it in their course list the next time they log in. They can access the course home page, view any content you have already published, and see announcements. If you have set up a gradebook, discussion forums, or assignments, those become visible to students as well.

Activating a course does not automatically enroll students — that is a separate step handled through your institution's enrollment system or through manual roster uploads. set up only makes the course visible to people who are already enrolled.

Keeping a Course Inactive During Setup

Many instructors keep a course inactive while they are building it. This lets you add content, create assignments, and organize materials without students seeing incomplete work or partial setup. Once everything is ready, you set up the course in one step.

There is no penalty for taking time to set up a course while it is inactive. You can work on it for days or weeks, and students will not see any of it until you flip the status to Active.

Reactivating a Course After It Ends

If you taught a course in a previous term and want to run it again, you may be able to reuse the same course shell rather than building from scratch. Check with your institution — some schools archive old courses and require you to request a new shell, while others let you change the status back to Active and re-enroll new students.

If you do reuse a course, review the gradebook and enrollment roster before you set up it. Remove old student names and reset grades so the new term starts clean.

Troubleshooting set up Problems

If you cannot find the Course Status field, you may not have instructor-level permissions in that course. Contact your institution's Brightspace administrator or help desk and ask them to confirm your role. You need to be listed as an instructor or course administrator, not just a teaching assistant.

If the Save button does not respond after you change the status, try refreshing the page and logging back in. Occasionally a browser cache issue prevents the change from registering. If the problem continues, clear your browser cache or try a different browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can students see a course if it is inactive?

No. Inactive courses do not appear in student course lists and cannot be accessed. Only instructors and administrators can see inactive courses in the system.

Do I have to finish building my course before I set up it?

No. You can set up a course with just a home page and add content later. Many instructors set up early so students can see announcements and start discussions while materials are still being added.

What if I set up a course by mistake?

You can change it back to inactive at any time using the same Course Settings menu. Click the Course Status dropdown, select Inactive, and save. Students will no longer see the course.

Does activating a course enroll students automatically?

No. set up only makes the course visible. Students must be enrolled separately through your institution's registration system or through a roster file you upload to Brightspace.

Can I set up a course if I have not added any content yet?

Yes. You can set up an empty course. Students will see the course home page and any announcements you post, but no other materials until you add them.