Introduction
Setting a validity period for courses and blocking access when that period is over allows you to keep the course available until it is relevant while motivating learners to complete it timely.
This article explains how to set time validity for e-learning and Instructor-Led Training (ILT) courses, defining when learners can access a course, how long their enrollment lasts, and what happens when access expires.
You will learn how to configure soft deadlines and to customize access per user. These rules help you control access to paid courses, encourage timely completion, and meet compliance or legal requirements.
Configuration varies by course type and user activity, which the article explores in detail.
Getting to the time validity configuration area
To set the validity period for a course, access the Navigation menu > Content and delivery (folder icon) > Courses.
Please note! If the course is part of one or more learning plans, the settings configured in the Time options tab of the course may be influenced or overridden by the settings defined in the Time options tab of the associated learning plans.
On the main Courses page, find the course in the list of courses, and click on its description to access the edit mode. Click on the Properties tab and move to the Time options vertical tab.
Configuring time validity options for e-learning courses
From the Time options tab of e-learning courses, you can configure the following options:
Course validity period
Use the options available in this section to set a date from when or up to when learners will be able to access the course and its training material, setting the validity of their enrollments. As an option, you can set a period for users to access the course. When configuring these options, you configure them for all of the learners enrolled in the course. You can then configure personalized validity periods at the learner level by editing single enrollments.
- Start date. Set the first available date for learners to access the course and its training material. The course will have no deadline and will not be displayed in the My calendar widget and page. The start date is expressed in UTC, meaning that the course will be accessible at 00:00:00 UTC on the selected date. If, for example, your timezone is UTC +04:00, the course will be accessible at 04:00:00 on the selected date.
- End date. Set the last available date for learners to access and play the course. After this date, the course and its training material will no longer be accessible. The end date is expressed in UTC, meaning that the course will be locked at 23:59:59 UTC of the selected date. If, for example, your timezone is UTC +04:00, the course will be locked at 03:59:59 of the following day.
- Period. Select this option and define the period when learners are allowed to access the course using the Start Date and End Date options.
Enrollment validity period
Set the number of days for learners to access the course within the course availability period. This period can either start from the day they first enroll in the course (including the days spent in the course waiting list) or from the day they access the course for the first time.
If you change these settings after some learners have already enrolled or accessed the course, by default the new calculation will not apply to them. Your update will affect only the users enrolling or accessing the course after your change. Still, you can force the new settings to be applied to all users by enabling the Apply settings to all users, including those already enrolled option.
When this option is enabled, users will see the number of remaining days to access the course in the Enrollment section of the course.
Soft deadline
When a soft deadline is enabled, the course and its training material can be accessed by learners even after the end date of the validity period has passed.
The soft deadline is calculated on the End date value set in the Validity period section of this tab (either standalone or in the Period option). If the soft deadline is enabled, the enrollment expiration date is not calculated.
The configuration of this option at course level overrides the value selected in the Soft Deadline section of the E-Learning tab in the platform Advanced settings.
Configuring time validity options for ILT courses
In the case of ILT (and VILT) courses, from the Time options tab you can configure only one option, the Enrollment validity period.
This option allows you to set the number of days learners can continue to access the ILT course area after their last enrolled session ends.
Leave this option deselected if you do not want to set any limit to access.
To configure it:
- Navigate to Navigation menu > Content and delivery (folder icon) > Courses > [course name] > Properties tab > Time options.
- Select the check box Enable days of validity of the course.
- Then enter the Number of days available for learners, and click Save changes.
How long can the learner access the ILT course
When you configure an enrollment validity period like this (X number of days available to learners), the learner can access the ILT course within the following time frame:
- From: Starting from whenever they are enrolled in the course
- Until: Ending X number of days after the end of their last enrolled session
Once the configured number of days after the last session have elapsed, the learner will see the ILT course card locked and marked as Enrollment expired.
If the session dates are changed or the user enrolls in a different session, the learner’s access will be recalculated to ensure it remains valid for up to X days after the end of the last session they registered for.
Display of ILT enrollment validity dates
When you check an individual learner’s enrollment details in the Enrollments tab of an ILT course, you will not see the enrollment validity dates populated there, except in the following cases:
- The learner accesses a training material: When this happens, the Start of validity is populated with the date of training material access, and the End of validity is populated with the date X number of days after the last enrolled session.
- The validity dates are manually set for the learner. For more information, see the chapter Effect of manually-set validity dates
In any case, even when the validity dates are not shown in the Edit enrollment panel, the access to the course will be as configured in the Time options for the ILT course. The user will retain access for the specified number of days after their last enrolled session.
Updating of displayed validity dates
If there is a session date change, or the learner enrolls in a different session, or the Time options for the course are changed, the enrolled users’ access to the course is recalculated to always reflect: End of last enrolled session + Number of days available for learners.
However, the validity dates displayed in the Edit enrollment panel will not be updated until the learner again accesses a training material.
Effect of learner-level validity dates in ILT courses
In the Edit enrollment panel, you can also manually enter Start of validity and End of validity dates for a particular learner. If you have also set enrollment validity at the ILT course level, these learner-level validity dates will not affect the user’s actual access to the course, but can be used to provide information on the course card.
The learner’s End of validity date can be used to show an Expiration or Overdue status on the course card:
- Prior to this date, the course card will be marked as Expiration:
{learner’s end of validity date}. - When this date is reached, if the learner still has access to the course based on the Time options, the course will be marked Overdue (relative to the learner’s end of validity date) . But the learner can still access it until the configured number of days after the last enrolled session.
- Once the learner loses access to the course (based on the course Time options, not on the learner’s dates) then the card is locked and marked Expired.
Remember that, irrespective of the learner-level validity dates, the learner’s actual access will still be as determined by the Time options for the ILT course. Specifically:
- The learner’s Start of validity date does not have an effect: Users can still access the ILT course starting from when they are enrolled. Setting a later date for a learner will not restrict their access.
- If you set a learner’s End of validity date which is later than the configured course access period (last enrolled session date + number of days available for learner) this will not extend access to the course. The learner will still lose access based on their last enrolled session and the Time options of the course (the course will be locked and marked Expired).
Manually set enrollment validity dates for individual learners
When you create or edit enrollments in a course, you have the option of setting an Enrollment validity period (defined by a start date and end date) for those specific users. This lets you control when the users can begin accessing the course, and until when they have access to the course.
Please note: For both ILT and e-learning courses, it is also possible to set an enrollment validity period at the course level, in the Time options. If you have enrollment validity set in both places (course and individual learner) the two settings interact as follows:
- E-learning courses: the enrollment validity set at the learner level will override the enrollment validity set at course level. The validity period you set for the learner will determine their access to the course.
- ILT courses: learners’ access to the course always depends only on the enrollment validity period set for the course. The validity period you set for the learner will affect only the information shown on the cards.
This chapter describes the behavior of enrollment validity set at the learner level, and applies to e-learning courses, and to ILT that do not have any Time options set at the course level.
To manually set a learner’s enrollment validity:
- Navigate to Navigation menu > Content and delivery (folder icon) > Courses > [course name] > Enrollments tab
- From the ellipsis menu on the user’s row, select Edit enrollment.
- In the right panel that opens, select the check box Enable enrollment validity period, and in the Time frame area enter the Start of validity and End of validity dates. You can also omit one of the two.
- Click Confirm
Effect of learner-level enrolment validity dates
If the enrollment is not yet valid, the course card will be locked and will indicate starting from when the course becomes accessible. Once the enrollment is valid, the course card will indicate its expiration, if one was set.
These behaviors apply to e-learning courses, and to ILT courses with no Time options set at course level.
Start validity date in the future:
The course card is locked and labelled Active from: {start of validity date}.
End validity date in the future:
The course is accessible, and the card indicates Expiration: {end of validity}
End validity date in the past:
The course is locked and the card is marked Expired.
Tips and tricks
- If the course is on sale, setting a validity period can create opportunities for recurring revenue. Learners who wish to continue accessing the course beyond the initial validity period need to renew their access or purchase updated versions of the course.
- In some cases, there might be legal or compliance requirements to limit access to certain content for a limited period.
- Whenever you set a validity period for a course, make sure you communicate this policy clearly to learners. This transparency helps manage expectations and ensures that learners understand the terms of their access to the course content.
- When the period of validity is over, users will not be able to access the course anymore. If the course is on sale, learners will not be able to buy the course again until the current enrollment exists.