Why doesn't Canvas save our previous courses that we have completed?

[nathaniel_brady]

It would be incredibly beneficial if we could refer back to previous lectures or material from past semesters. Is there a reason everything is removed after each semester?

[Stef_retired · Accepted solution]

Hi,  @nathaniel_brady  and  Welcome to the Canvas Community! Each school decides whether and how to make previous courses available to students. For example, where I used to teach, students had read-only access to their previous courses starting the day after the official last day of the semester.

You might find your old courses in the Past Enrollments section of the Courses > All Courses list, as depicted in How do I customize my Courses list as a student?. If it's not there, this document provides a list of possible reasons a student might not be able to access a course: Why can't I access my Course as a student? 

If you don't find the course in your All Courses list, please reach out directly to your local Canvas admin to inquire about availability of course materials from previous semesters.