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Course Maintenance Mode

Learn how to temporarily restrict student access to courses while you make updates or perform maintenance

Mikel Lindsaar avatar
Written by Mikel Lindsaar
Updated yesterday

Introduction

The Course Maintenance Mode feature allows you to temporarily restrict student access to a course while you make updates, fix issues, or perform scheduled maintenance. When maintenance mode is enabled, students will see a blocking message and cannot access course content, but they can still enroll in the course.

This feature is perfect for situations where you need to:

  • Update course materials or restructure content

  • Fix issues with course steps or assessments

  • Perform scheduled updates without removing the course from your catalog

  • Temporarily pause student progress while maintaining their enrollments

Important: Maintenance mode only affects students. Instructors, managers, and administrators can continue to access and edit the course normally through the management interface.

How to Enable Maintenance Mode

To put a course into maintenance mode:

  1. Navigate to Courses in your management dashboard

  2. Click Edit on the course you want to put into maintenance mode

  3. Scroll down to the Maintenance mode settings section

  4. Check the "Enable maintenance mode" checkbox

  5. Optionally, enter a custom maintenance message (see below)

  6. Optionally, set start and end times for scheduled maintenance (see below)

  7. Click Save to apply the changes

Configuration Options

Enable Maintenance Mode

This checkbox controls whether maintenance mode is active. When checked, the course will be inaccessible to students (subject to the optional start/end times if configured).

Maintenance Message

This is the message that will be displayed to students when they try to access the course. You can use HTML formatting to style your message, including:

  • Paragraphs (<p>)

  • Bold text (<strong>)

  • Italic text (<em>)

  • Underlined text (<u>)

  • Links (<a>)

  • Headings (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>, <h4>)

  • Bullet lists (<ul>, <li>)

  • Numbered lists (<ol>, <li>)

  • Line breaks (<br>)

Example messages:

  • "This course is currently being updated with new content. We'll be back soon!"

  • "We're fixing a technical issue with this course. Please check back in 1 hour."

  • "Scheduled maintenance is in progress. The course will be available again at 3:00 PM EST."

If you don't enter a custom message, students will see the default message: "This course is currently under maintenance. Please check back later."

Maintenance Start Time (Optional)

If you want to schedule maintenance for a future time, enter a start date and time here. The course will remain accessible to students until this time is reached.

Leave this field blank to start maintenance immediately when you enable maintenance mode.

Maintenance End Time (Optional)

If you know when maintenance will be complete, enter an end date and time here. When this time is reached, maintenance mode will automatically end and students will regain access to the course (as long as the maintenance mode checkbox is still checked).

If you set an end time, it will be displayed to students in the maintenance modal so they know when to expect the course to be available again.

Leave this field blank for indefinite maintenance that you'll manually disable when ready.

What Students See

When maintenance mode is active, students who try to access the course will see a blocking modal window that:

  • Displays the title "Course Under Maintenance"

  • Shows your custom maintenance message (or the default message)

  • Shows the expected completion time if you set an end time

  • Provides a "Return to Dashboard" button to navigate back to their enrollment list

  • Cannot be closed or dismissed - students must return to the dashboard

Note: Students can still enroll in courses that are in maintenance mode. They just won't be able to access the course content until maintenance mode is disabled.

Staff Access During Maintenance

Maintenance mode only affects students. Staff members with instructor, manager, supervisor, or owner roles can continue to:

  • Access the course through the management interface

  • Edit course content and settings

  • View and manage student enrollments

  • Mark student work

  • Test changes to the course

This allows you to work on the course while it's in maintenance mode without disruption.

Scheduled Maintenance Windows

You can schedule maintenance to occur during a specific time window by setting both a start time and end time:

Example: Schedule maintenance for tonight at 11 PM for 2 hours

  1. Check "Enable maintenance mode"

  2. Enter your maintenance message

  3. Set "Maintenance start time" to tonight at 11:00 PM

  4. Set "Maintenance end time" to tomorrow at 1:00 AM

  5. Save the course

The course will remain accessible until 11:00 PM, then enter maintenance mode automatically. At 1:00 AM, maintenance mode will end automatically and students will regain access.

Important: The maintenance mode checkbox must remain checked for scheduled maintenance to work. If you uncheck "Enable maintenance mode," the scheduled window will be ignored.

Scheduling Options

  • Immediate, indefinite: Enable maintenance mode, leave start/end times blank

  • Immediate with planned end: Enable maintenance mode, leave start time blank, set end time

  • Scheduled window: Enable maintenance mode, set both start time and end time

  • Future start, indefinite: Enable maintenance mode, set start time, leave end time blank

Disabling Maintenance Mode

To restore student access to the course:

  1. Navigate to the course edit page

  2. Scroll to the Maintenance mode settings section

  3. Uncheck the "Enable maintenance mode" checkbox

  4. Click Save

Students will immediately regain access to the course content.

Note: If you have scheduled an end time, maintenance mode will automatically end at that time even if the checkbox is still checked. To extend maintenance beyond the scheduled end time, update the end time or clear it before the scheduled end time is reached.

Important Notes and Best Practices

Security and Enforcement

Maintenance mode is enforced server-side, not just client-side. Even if a student attempts to bypass the modal window or submit form data directly, the server will block the request and re-display the maintenance message. This ensures students cannot access or modify course content during maintenance.

Student Enrollments

Maintenance mode does not affect existing enrollments:

  • Student enrollment records remain active

  • Student progress is preserved

  • Students can still see the course in their dashboard

  • Students can still enroll in the course (but won't be able to access it until maintenance ends)

When to Use Maintenance Mode

Use maintenance mode when:

  • You need to make significant changes to course structure or content

  • You've discovered an error in assessment steps that needs fixing

  • You're restructuring sections or reorganizing course flow

  • You need to temporarily pause student progress for any reason

  • You want to perform updates during off-peak hours

Don't use maintenance mode when:

  • Making minor typo corrections (students don't need to be blocked)

  • Adding supplementary materials (can be done without blocking access)

  • Retiring a course permanently (use archive or delete instead)

Communication Tips

  • Be specific in your maintenance message about what you're doing and why

  • Provide a realistic timeframe if possible (even if it's just "1-2 hours")

  • Consider sending an advance email to enrolled students if scheduling extended maintenance

  • Include contact information in your message if students have urgent questions

Testing Changes

During maintenance mode, you can:

  • Preview the course as a staff member through the management interface

  • Test changes thoroughly before re-enabling student access

  • Use the scheduled maintenance window feature to test during off-peak hours

Frequently Asked Questions

Can students still enroll in a course that's in maintenance mode?

Yes. Students can enroll in the course, but they won't be able to access the course content until maintenance mode is disabled.

What happens to students who are already viewing the course when I enable maintenance mode?

If a student is actively viewing the course when you enable maintenance mode, they will see the maintenance modal the next time they try to navigate to a different step or submit an answer. For immediate enforcement, students may need to refresh their browser.

Can I edit the course while maintenance mode is active?

Yes. All staff members (owners, managers, instructors, supervisors) can access and edit the course normally through the management interface. Maintenance mode only affects students.

Will maintenance mode affect my course's visibility in the course catalog?

No. Maintenance mode only blocks student access to course content. The course will still appear in your course catalog and students can still enroll. If you want to hide a course from the catalog, use the "Advertised" setting instead.

What if I forget to disable maintenance mode?

If you set an end time, maintenance mode will automatically end at that time. If you didn't set an end time, maintenance will continue indefinitely until you manually disable it. You'll need to return to the course edit page and uncheck the maintenance mode checkbox.

Is there a notification sent to students when maintenance mode is enabled or disabled?

No automatic notifications are sent. If you want to notify students about scheduled maintenance, send them an email or announcement before enabling maintenance mode.

Can I use maintenance mode for just one section of a course?

No. Maintenance mode applies to the entire course. If you need to block access to specific steps, consider using the Checkpoint step type instead, or temporarily unpublish the checksheet version.

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