There may be cases where an assignment has closed for a student—either because the student completed it or because the due date passed—but you want the student to be able to continue working. In many cases, you can address this by reopening the assignment. 


Reopening works differently depending on the assignment’s format: 

  • If this is an uploaded assignment, reopening it allows the student make changes to the file(s) that he or she already uploaded. If the student has not exceeded the maximum, the student will also be allowed to upload more files. 
  • If this is an online test, reopening the assignment is possible only if the student never took the test or has at least one retake remaining. Reopening will allow the student to use the remaining attempt(s). 

If the student does not have additional attempts outstanding, consider granting the student a retake, or letting the student rework an earlier attempt. 


For both assignment formats, you can also extend the due date when you reopen the assignment. 


  1. Navigate to the appropriate Student Assignment Details screen. 
  2. Click the link labeled Reopen the [assignment type]. (If this is an online assignment and you don’t see this link, in most cases that means the student does not have outstanding attempts available, and you cannot reopen the assignment.) After you click Reopen the [assignment type], the system displays a pop-up that lets you do either of the following: 
    • Give the student a personalized due date. (If the due date for the assignment has already passed, giving the student a new due date is required.) 
    • Enter a comment for the student. This message will display on the student’s view of the Student Assignment Details screen. 
  3. Click the Reopen the assignment type button. The system reopens the assignment for this student. In the student’s view of the feature, the assignment will revert from being grayed out to showing as a hyperlink, indicating that the assignment is open. If the student previously attempted the test or uploaded a file, the system will add a status message that says In Progress.