Create Course Blackout Dates

Use blackout dates to ensure accurate due dates in continuous enrollment courses.

Continuous enrollment courses are self-paced courses for which completion is usually indicated by completion of certain activities rather than by the end of a semester or other timeframe. When you set up a continuous enrollment course, Pearson Connexus automatically schedules suggested due dates for all gradable activities based on various factors; blackout dates are excluded from these calculations, and due dates don't fall on them.

If enabled, Teachers can override Blackout dates

System admins can set up domain-wide blackout dates, and if they choose to allow courses to override the domain dates, teachers can set up blackout dates for their own courses. When you add course-specific blackout dates, the current domain-wide blackout dates are added to your calendar, but you are unsynced from the domain blackout date calendar and won't receive updates. To resync, delete all of the blackout dates you added for you course.

To set up course blackout dates:

1. Select the desired course and open the Editor tool from the Main Menu.

2. Open Course settings from the toolbar.

3. Select Add Blackout Date on the Blackout dates card.

4. Give the date a Name and provide the Start date and End date.
5. Select Done and Save.

Note:  Selecting Add Blackout Date automatically creates the date using the default Name and Date info. If you decide you don't want to create the date after opening the window, select Remove This Blackout Date.

Enable Students to Select Blackout Dates When Turned off for the Domain

Admins can allow individual students to select blackout dates when it is turned off for the domain using the following instructions: 

1. From the Admin App, select Features. 
2. Confirm Enable student blackout dates is turned off. If it is on, turn it off, then refresh your browser.
   
3. From the Main Menu, select Users. A list of students displays. 
4. Select the User ID of the student you wish to enable blackout dates for. 
5. Select the More (three dots) button, then select Edit feature settings. The User feature settings window displays.
6. Check the box next to Enable student blackout dates, then select Save.