# Scheduling first lesson

URL: https://www.openskyplanner.com/support/scheduling-first-lesson
Tab: Scheduling & Courses
Category: Scheduling
Updated: 2026-10-07

Pick the start date that places a course's first lesson on the calendar.

A course's first lesson lands on the first teaching day on or after its start date. Set the date when you add the course, or change it later from the course list.

## Setting the start date when you add a course

1. Click **Add** on the student's **Enrollments** tab and describe the course.
2. In the **Schedule** section, fill in **Start date**. This is the first day lessons can be scheduled.
3. Tick the teaching days under **Which days** and finish the rest of the form.

If the start date is not one of the course's teaching days, or falls on a holiday, the first lesson moves to the next teaching day after it. The rest of the course follows at its pace. See [Course pacing](https://www.openskyplanner.com/support/course-pacing).

## Changing the start date

1. Open the student's **Enrollments** tab and expand the course.
2. On the first lesson's row, next to the **Next Lesson** badge, click **Change**.
3. In the **Change start date** dialog, pick a new **Start date** and click **Confirm**.

![The Change start date dialog](https://opensky-public-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/supportimages/scheduling/scheduling-first-lesson-1.png)

You can also click the **Start** date at the top of the expanded row, pick a day and click **Save**. OpenSky warns that changing the start date re-lays the schedule and unpins any lessons you moved by hand.

## Courses that share a block

The start date belongs to the course's block, not the course. If the course is block scheduled with others, **Change** opens **Change which lesson you're on** and pins the first lesson to a date instead; to move the block itself, edit **Start** and confirm in the **Block scheduled course** dialog, since every course in the block moves with it. To give one course its own start date, put it in its own block. See [Block scheduling](https://www.openskyplanner.com/support/block-scheduling).

## Starting in the past or the future

- A start date before today schedules lessons into the past, so they show as overdue until you tell OpenSky where you are. See [Scheduling a course that started already](https://www.openskyplanner.com/support/scheduling-a-course-that-started-already).
- A start date beyond next week parks the course under **Upcoming** until it begins. See [Scheduling a course for the future](https://www.openskyplanner.com/support/scheduling-a-course-for-the-future).

## Need more help?

Reach out any time at [support@openskyplanner.com](mailto:support@openskyplanner.com) and we will be happy to help.