Availability windows are ideal for when you only want students to have access to an assessment during a given timeframe. Adding one or more availability windows is optional when assigning an assessment, and they can also be added, adjusted, or removed at any time after an assessment has been assigned.
Setting the Availability Window(s)
Step 1: When assigning an assessment, locate the Availability section on the Assign page.
Step 2: Set the availability windows.
Choose a start and end date/time. Make sure to select Apply on the date picker to save your selections!
You can set more than one availability window. This is recommended if you think students will need more time than what is allotted with the first availability window. The assessment will auto-submit when the last availability window ends.
💡 Tip: To avoid auto submission, it is a great idea to set your last availability window for an indiscriminate date/time in the future; perhaps in the late evening or a lunch period a few days later. This will give you the time to make sure all students submit the assessment before the last availability window closes, which will ultimately eliminate the possibility of auto-submission.
Student Actions
The student is not shown the parameters of the availability window. They will, however, be notified of the end of an availability window if they are actively taking the assessment when it ends:
If there is at least one additional availability window:
If it is the last availability window:
Advanced or Simple Assessment
 | Rubric Assessment
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What happens when the availability window ends?
➡️ If there is at least one additional availability window:
The assessment will not auto-submit.
The student can see the beginning of the next availability window upon hovering over the assessment.
➡️ If that was the last availability window:
If the student is actively in the assessment when the window ends, the student will be exited from the assessment and it will immediately auto-submit.
If the student is not actively in the assessment when the window ends, the assessment will auto-submit at the top of the hour. For example, if the window is set to close at 9:45 am, the auto-submitting will occur at 10:00 am.
Students will be unable to resume the assessment, even if the availability window is removed or extended.
❗ Note that ALL assessments will be automatically submitted at the end of the final availability window, even if the student has not started the assessment.
Otus Live Video
Click to see a video from our Otus Live series on assessment availability windows in Otus.
Click to see a video from our Otus Live series on assessment availability windows in Otus.
FAQ and Troubleshooting
Click to see FAQ and troubleshooting details.
Click to see FAQ and troubleshooting details.
How do availability windows account for time zones?
We properly account for the time zone of the machine in use. For example, if a teacher located in Pacific Time zone sets an assessment to begin at 11:00 a.m., a student located in Central Time zone will get the assessment at 1:00 p.m.
What is the maximum number of availability windows for one assessment?
A maximum of 10 availability windows can be added to an assessment.
How do I unsubmit an assessment that was submitted because of an availability window?
Click here for instructions on unsubmitting an assessment. If the final availability window has passed, you will need to add an additional availability window in order for the unsubmit button to be active. For advanced assessments that were never started by the student before being auto-submitted at the end of an availability window, the unsubmit option will not be available. For additional details, check out the Unsubmitting and Availability Windows section of our Unsubmit an Assessment article.