The process of archiving or concluding a digital learning environment within the Canvas learning management system (LMS) involves actions that effectively render the course inaccessible to students while preserving the associated data. For instance, an instructor might finalize a course at the semester’s end, preventing further submissions and grading but maintaining the course content for future reference.
Finalizing a course offers several key benefits. It provides a clean and organized interface for both instructors and students, ensuring that only active courses are prominently displayed. Archiving maintains a record of past course content, which can be valuable for curriculum review, accreditation purposes, or as a resource for instructors teaching similar courses in the future. Furthermore, this practice can contribute to data retention policies mandated by educational institutions.