You can unpublish a Canvas course by navigating to the course's homepage and changing the course status from "Published" to "Unpublished." This action restricts student access to the course site.
Here's a step-by-step guide:
- Navigate to the Course Home Page: Open the specific Canvas course you want to unpublish.
- Locate the "Published" Button: On the right-hand side of the course home page (or in the course settings), you should see a button that says "Published." If the course is already unpublished, it will say "Unpublished."
- Click the "Published" Button: Clicking this button will reveal a dropdown menu.
- Select "Unpublish": Choose "Unpublish" from the dropdown menu.
Once you unpublish the course:
- Students will no longer be able to access the course content, assignments, or discussions.
- You (as the instructor) and other course designers will still have access to the course to make changes and prepare it for future use.
- To make the course available to students again, you will need to repeat these steps and select "Publish."
Important Considerations:
- Unpublishing a course is different from deleting a course. Unpublishing simply hides the course from students, while deleting removes the course entirely.
- Be sure to communicate with your students about the unpublishing of the course, especially if it's during a semester or term. Provide an explanation for why the course is being unpublished and when it will be available again (if applicable).
