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How to Archive a Course?

How to Archive a Course in Open edX Studio

Overview

Archiving a course run is the standard method used to close active learning paths, stop new enrollments, and finalize student records once a term concludes. Unlike deleting a course, archiving preserves the structure, components, and student grade histories in a "read-only" state.

In the current version of the platform, courses are archived automatically by the system based on the Course End Date configuration.

Tip: Ensure you are logged into Open edX Studio with appropriate Admin or Staff permissions before proceeding.

Step 1: Triggering the Automatic Archive Status

Because archiving is date-driven, you configure the transition by adjusting your course-wide milestone calendar.

Procedures:

  1. Open your course run in Studio.
  2. From the Settings menu in the top navigation bar, select Schedule & Details.
  3. Locate the Course End Date and Time fields.
  4. Set the calendar picker to your desired closing date and time (configured in UTC).
  5. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Once this specific timestamp passes, the system shifts the course status to archived.

Step 2: Locating Archived Courses in Studio

Once a course run transitions into an archived state, it moves off your primary active dashboard area to keep your workspace clear.

Procedures:

  1. Log in to the Studio Home dashboard.
  2. Look at your course listing tabs. Click on the Archived Courses tab located next to your active "Courses" feed.
  3. Your archived course shell will display here with its historical run data.

Step 3: Managing an Archived Course (Re-running or Restoring)

From the archived courses library, you have two primary options if you need to reuse or modify the content:

Option A: Re-running the Course

You can copy the structural contents of the archived course shell into a brand new course run for a future semester.

  1. Locate the course card in the Archived Courses tab.
  2. Click the Re-run Course button on that row.
  3. Input your new Organization, Course Number, and a unique Course Run identifier (e.g., 2026_Q3).
    • Note: The Course Run identifier must contain no spaces or special characters.
  4. Click Create.

Option B: Restoring (Un-archiving) the Course

If you accidentally archived a course early or need to open it back up for active edits on the primary dashboard feed:

  1. Locate the course card in the Archived Courses tab.
  2. Click the Un-Archive button.
  3. The course shell will instantly shift back over to your primary Courses tab view, restoring full authoring accessibility.

Operational Student Experience in the LMS

When a course enters an archived state:

  • Learner Dashboard: The course moves to the "Past" or "Archived" section of the student's personal landing dashboard.
  • Content Access: Enrolled learners can still access the course blocks in a read-only state to review videos or reading materials.
  • Grading & Submissions: All grading mechanisms lock completely. Learners cannot submit any more answers for credit, and certificates cannot be earned post-archive unless an instructor manually modifies an individual student's access rules.