If you're experiencing issues with the Submit button in your Courseware, there could be a number of causes, depending on the circumstances.
If the Submit button for a piece of Coursework is greyed out and disabled, that means you cannot currently submit a response for that item. The Submit button will always be disabled if you haven't yet entered a response, or if you've only entered a partial response. Some types of Coursework questions require more than one response to be completed—for example, you may need to select an item from more than one multiple-choice dropdown. However, there are also other possibilities.
As always, it is critical to understand your course session's type and status, as well as any specific guidelines, due dates, and policies it may set. This information varies between course sessions, as does the location(s) where it can be found. However, it is almost always conspicuously placed, at multiple locations within your Courseware, for easy access. Regardless, all learners are required to read and understand this information.
Please continue reading below to find both quick/basic troubleshooting steps as well as more detailed information and explanations for troubleshooting and understanding why your Submit button may not be working.
Basic Troubleshooting Steps: Submit Button Not Working
First...
Double-check that you've entered a response in all of the Coursework Problem's required fields. If you've left any fields blank, then the Submit button may be disabled because this type of Coursework can't accept an incomplete response.
Then...
Double-check what kind of course session you're enrolled in:
- Is your course session Archived?
- If the course session's End Date has passed, then the Submit button is disabled because Coursework cannot be submitted after a session ends
- Is your course session Instructor-Paced?
- Double-check the due date for the Coursework in question. If the due date has passed, then the Submit button is disabled because Coursework in Instructor-Paced courses cannot be submitted after its due date
- Is your course session Self-Paced?
- Look for a due date for the Coursework in question. If there's a due date and it has passed, but the course session hasn't ended yet, then you should be able to re-enable the Submit button. Navigate to the Dates page of your Courseware and click the "Shift Due Dates" option.
- Note: Not every Self-Paced course session features Coursework with suggested due dates, or offers the "Shift Due Dates" option. Even for course sessions that do, the "Shift Due Dates" option will only appear after at least one suggested due date has been missed—you cannot pre-emptively shift the suggested schedule.
Finally...
More Troubleshooting Information: Submit Button Not Working
General
The most common situation that results in the Submit button being disabled for a piece of Coursework is that you simply haven't selected a response for all of its required fields. While many kinds of Coursework Question require only a single response (for example, a multiple-choice question), some kinds of Question require more, and may not allow incomplete responses to be submitted.
However, if you're sure that you have entered a response in all of the required fields for a piece of Coursework, then the next most common reason why the Submit button would be disabled is that the due date/deadline for that Coursework has passed. If Coursework has a set due date, it will be visible on the same Courseware page, either attached to the specific Question, at the beginning of the Courseware page it belongs to, or both. You can also find all Coursework due dates on the Progress and Dates tabs of your Courseware, next to the list item corresponding to the piece of Coursework (Note: not all Courseware will show a Dates tab).
However, Coursework due dates/deadlines, and Coursework submission in general, function differently depending on the pacing type of your course session. Continue reading for more information:
Instructor-Paced Course Sessions
If your course session is Instructor-Paced, it almost certainly has set, strict deadlines for all Coursework. If you miss a due date, you will no longer be able to submit a response for that Coursework or earn any Course Score for it.
Self-Paced Course Sessions
If your course session is Self-Paced, it probably does not have strict deadlines for Coursework. However, depending on how the course is structured, some content may have deadlines, and the learning platform may provide a suggested schedule, both of which can affect the ability to submit Coursework.
If you miss a Suggested Schedule due date, you can use the "Shift Due Dates" feature in the Dates Courseware tab to extend the remaining suggested due dates, which should allow you to submit your Coursework. However, if your course session features any strict due dates, they cannot be extended—just like for an Instructor-Paced course session.
All Course Sessions
Regardless of pacing type, the Submit button for all Coursework becomes disabled once a course session ends. While all learners already enrolled in the session will retain access to its Course Content, and new learners may be allowed to enroll in the session as an Archived Course, it is not possible to submit responses for or earn any Course Score for any piece of Coursework after the course session ends.
If Something's Still Wrong
Try these basic troubleshooting steps
If you've carefully reviewed the information in this article, and you believe that you should be able to submit a piece of Coursework, but you still can't, then you may be experiencing a technical issue of some kind. Please see this FAQ article for information and basic troubleshooting steps that should help resolve most common reasons for this issue.
Post to your course's Discussion Forums (if available)
If your course session features In-Course Discussion Forums, we also encourage you to post about the issue you've encountered. Posting to the forums helps the Course Team learn about and solve issues like this, and is generally the best way to initially reach out for support.
Note: This is not available in all Courseware. For example, the Universal AI Modules do not contain any Discussion Forums.
Reach out to learning platform support
After following the troubleshooting steps described in this FAQ article, if the issue still isn't resolved, please reach out to the MIT Learn / MITx Online Support Team by clicking the "Contact Us" button at the bottom of this article or this direct link to create a support ticket for further assistance.
As always, please provide as much information in your message as reasonably possible, including exactly what issue you're encountering and which of the above troubleshooting steps you tried. The more detailed information you provide, the better able we will be to assist you quickly and efficiently!