Overview

Your Canvas Dashboard is the first page that loads after logging into Canvas, and by default, it shows your courses for the current term. Under  some circumstances, you may see course(s) on your Dashboard after the term ends. 

Critical Concepts

There are a few reasons why a course may still appear on your Canvas Dashboard after the term has ended:

• The term is still active and you are enrolled in the course.
  
  • The courses will remain on your dashboard until the term is over or you drop the course. 
• You have favorited a course.
  
  • All favorited courses will remain on your dashboard until you un-favorite them.
• The instructor of the course has customized the term dates.
  
  • When an instructor changes the course term dates in the course settings, the course remains active (past the standard term end date), which results in it still appearing on your dashboard.

The Term Is Still Active and You are Still Enrolled

By default, courses are added and removed from the Canvas Dashboard based on active enrollment and during the default term. Please be aware that it can take 24-48 hours for drops to be reflected in Canvas, after a change has been made through the Registrar’s Office. If you've officially dropped the course and still see the course on your Dashboard, wait at least 48 hours and then contact us at canvas@ucsd.edu for assistance.  

Additionally, default terms in Canvas typically last about a week longer than when instruction ends for the term, therefore to see a course on your dashboard for a short while after the term ends is common.  If the term has ended, more than a week has passed, and you still see the course on your dashboard, it may be due to the reasons below..

Favorite Course(s)

As a Canvas user (this includes TAs, students, or teachers) you can control which courses appear on your dashboard by “favoriting” one or more of your courses. When you favorite or “star” a course, Canvas will exclusively display your favorites on your Canvas Dashboard, even if the term has already ended for that course. If you’re still seeing a course or courses on your Dashboard after the term has ended, check to see if you may have favorited that course. If so, simply click the "star" icon in your All Courses list to unfavorite that course.

More information on how to favorite a course can be found here: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Student-Guide/How-do-I-customize-my-Courses-list-as-a-student/ta-p/500

Instructor Changed the Course End Date

By default a course appears on the dashboard if the term is active, but an instructor can elect to adjust the course’s term dates. In some cases, an instructor may extend their course an extra few days, weeks, or even longer. If you are seeing a course on your dashboard after the term has ended, and you have determined that you are not actively enrolled through the Registrar’s Office and you have not favorited the class within your Canvas profile, , please contact the instructor of that course to ask if they have extended the term end date.