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🎓 Handling Incompletes in Blackboard Original
(When the Course Is Set to Unavailable)
🔎 Overview
In Blackboard Original, courses do not automatically close at the end of the term at CCRI. As a result, instructors often manually set courses to Unavailable once the semester ends. When a student needs to complete an Incomplete, instructors may need to temporarily restore access for that student only. This article outlines the recommended temporary workaround and the required follow-up steps to ensure assignments are accessible.
⚡ Quick Takeaways
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Temporarily make the course Available
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Set other students to Availability to "No"i n the course roster (user tool)
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Use Adaptive Release to extend assignment access for the Incomplete student
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Once complete, re-enable students' availability and set the course back to Unavailable
🛑 Important Notes Before You Begin
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This process is intended as a temporary workaround
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Course availability alone does not extend assignment due dates
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Assignment-level access must be updated separately
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Be sure to revert settings once the Incomplete is resolved
🧭 Step 1: Temporarily Make the Course Available
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In the course, go to Customization → Properties
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Set Availability to Yes
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Click Submit
✅ This allows the student completing the Incomplete to enter the course.
👥 Step 2: Limit Course Access to the Incomplete Student
To prevent other students from accessing the course:
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Go to Users in the course menu
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For each student except the Incomplete student:
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Click the chevron next to the other students' name
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Select Change User’s Availability in Course
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Set User Availability = No
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Click Submit
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Leave the Incomplete student available (no action needed)
🔐 This ensures only the Incomplete student can access the course.
📝 Step 3: Extend Assignment Access Using Adaptive Release
Even after restoring course access, the student may not be able to see or submit assignments unless availability is extended.
For each required assignment you need to use adaptive release conditions (see Blackboard documentation):
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Go to the content area where the assignment is located
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Click the chevron next to the assignment
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Select Adaptive Release
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Update one or more of the following:
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Click Submit
✅ This allows the student to submit work past the original deadline.
🔁 Step 4: After the Incomplete Is Resolved
Once the student has completed the required work:
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Return to Users
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Set other students back to Available
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Go to Customization → Properties
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Set the course back to Unavailable
✔️ This returns the course to its post-term state.
⚠️ Why This Is a Temporary Workaround
While this method is effective, it requires manual steps and careful follow-up. Blackboard handles Incompletes more cleanly by managing access at the assignment level, and CCRI is currently reviewing system-level options that would reduce the need for manual course availability changes in the future.
📌 Related Topics