Understanding Due Dates & End Dates

Activities or events within D2L Brightspace are often changed by the instructors to include different kinds of date restrictions. When reviewing the activity or event in a course (e.g. an assignment, quiz or discussion), these may include what D2L Brightspace refers to as the following kinds of date restrictions:

"Start" Dates

When students can view and start or complete an activity.

"Due" Dates

When activities are due. Some instructors allow late submissions after the due date; some do not. Likewise, some faculty accept late work for full or partial credit; others do not. Consult the course syllabus or instructor for guidance.

"End" Dates

When students are no longer able to edit/complete an activity. In other words, students will lose access for submitting work after that date and time. Within the Discussions tool, students will also not be able view a discussion board after the end-date. This is different than a due date. You may see a "Due" date and an "End" date for an activity.

"Availability" or "Locking" Date Ranges

Within discussions, topics or forums (i.e. folders filled with multiple "topics") may be unlocked by your instructor for a specified date range, enabling you to post your work within that time period. After that unlocked period ends, while students may be able to revisit a discussion topic for review, they are no longer able to post responses.

Group Restrictions

While this is uncommon, some instructors may include date restrictions for specific groups - especially for group projects.

Viewing All Visible Dates

You can see all visible dates in the course schedule area. Learn more by visiting our Course Schedule / Calendar page.