Let your students guide their own pace with continuous enrollment courses.
Buzz allows two types of enrollment schedules:
- Range enrollment schedule: By default, courses created in Buzz use a Range enrollment schedule. This means the course is set to run for all students using the same start, end, and activity due dates which are specified by the teacher/school/district. Activity due dates in Range courses are set for each activity in their activity editor.
- Continuous enrollment schedule: Continuous enrollment courses are self-paced, meaning that, while start and end dates are specified for the enrollment, completion is usually indicated by completion of certain activities rather than by the ending of a semester or other timeframe. Activity due dates are suggested, not required.
Automatically generated due dates
When you set up a Continuous enrollment course, Buzz automatically schedules suggested due dates for all gradable activities to provide students with a guideline. The suggested due dates are based on:
- The sequence of activities in the Editor.
- The number of non-gradable activities between gradable activities.
- The weight of each activity.
- Any blackout dates that have been specified:
- At the domain level.
- At the course level.
- By the student (if the option is enabled at the domain).
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The student's preferred schedule for due dates (if the option is enabled at the domain).
- Note: Automatically generated due dates are never assigned to Saturdays or Sundays unless the student intentionally selects them.
- The number of days and date range assigned to the course.
Automated affirmation messages reinforce learning
Buzz automatically gives students in continuous enrollment courses congratulatory messages when they complete all activities by the recommended deadlines (if enabled in Domain settings > Student options).
This can help students recognize when they are caught up on a course, so they can assess their best next steps.
Create a continuous enrollment course
To create a continuous enrollment course:
Select continuous enrollment when creating a course
When creating a new course, you have the option to make it continuous enrollment:
- With the Admin app: How do I create and manage my domain courses?
- With the Teacher app: How do I create a course in Buzz?
Enable continuous enrollment in an existing course
- Open the Editor tool.
- Select Course settings from Tools in the toolbar.
- Check the This is a continuous course.
- Indicate the number of Days the course should last. Buzz uses this information to generate a suggested timeline.
- Save.
Configure continuous enrollment completion criteria
To set up completion criteria in a continuous enrollment course:
- Open the Editor tool.
- Select Course settings from Tools in the toolbar.
- Select the desired criterion from the list under Enrollment Completion:
- Manual if you want to assess completion, yourself.
- Automatic when all items are complete.
- Automatic when all gradable items are complete.
- Automatic when all items in this category are complete. Selecting this enables the Category dropdown where you choose the category you want completion to be based on. It also enables you to indicate whether you want to Require course passing score in addition to completing the category.
- Save.
Configure continuous enrollment automated due dates
To configure the automated due dates used in a continuous enrollment course:
- Open the Editor tool.
- Select Course settings from Tools in the toolbar.
- Scroll to the Advanced options card, and check the desired boxes under the When auto-generating due dates header:
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Provide less time for activities that require only viewing.
- When unchecked, all activities are considered equally to calculate the time allowed for each and what due date to assign.
- When checked, activities that require only viewing get less time than other activities.
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NOTE: To create an activity that requires only viewing from the student, disable the This activity is gradable option.
- Technical note: If you create activities through the XLI API, activities that require only viewing are non-gradable item’s whose type is AssetLink or Resource.
- Assign the same due date to activities within a folder.
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Provide less time for activities that require only viewing.
- Save.
Additional articles
Tips
- System admins manage domain-wide blackout dates: Blackout dates
- Teachers manage course-level blackout dates: How do I create blackout dates for my course?
- In Domain settings > Student options, schools can choose to include non-gradable activities from continuous courses on the student’s Calendar and To-do list.
- If enabled at the domain, students can create their own blackout dates: How do I set dates on which I don't want assignments due (Blackout dates)?
- If enabled at the domain, students personalize their due dates: How do I personalize due dates in Continuous enrollment courses?
- Unless specifically chosen by students, due dates are never automatically assigned to Saturdays or Sundays.