.. _About Course Updates and Handouts:

About Course Updates and Handouts
##################################

.. tags:: educator, concept

You can create course updates and handouts in Studio.

Course updates are communications, especially a welcome message, that learners
see at the top of the **Course** page when they enter the course. A welcome
message is an important way of making each learner feel personally welcomed to
the course, and of providing orienting information that helps learners succeed
with the course.

After learners have read the welcome message, they can dismiss the message.
The message is automatically dismissed seven days after the learner first
views it if the learner doesn't actively dismiss it first. Learners can access
the dismissed message and any other updates from the **Updates** link in the
sidebar on the **Course** page.

Handouts are links to files that you upload in Studio, for example, a PDF
version of the course syllabus, or an article that you want learners to read.
Learners see the list of course handouts under **Handouts** in the sidebar.

.. image:: /_images/educator_references/course_info_updates_handouts.png
 :alt: The **Course** page as it appears to learners, showing the course
   welcome message in the main reading area, and in the sidebar, the
   **Updates** link under the **Course Tools** heading and links to handouts
   under the **Course Handouts** heading.

.. seealso::
 
 :ref:`Add Course Updates and Handouts` (how-to)

**Maintenance chart**

+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------------------------------+
| Review Date  | Working Group Reviewer        |   Release      |Test situation                  |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------------------------------+
|              |                               |                |                                |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------------------------------+