Jon Mott and David Wiley have published a new article in the latest issue of in education. The article discusses the relationship between course management systems (CMS) and personal learning environments (PLE). From the abstract:
The course management system (CMS) reinforces the status quo and hinders substantial teaching and learning innovation in higher education. It does so by imposing artificial time limits on learner access to course content and other learners, privileging the role of the instructor at the expense of the learner, and limiting the power of the network effect in the learning process.
You could always make a decision to leave the course access open for as long as the student is at your institution…. or beyond.