# A student can't sign in, open a lesson, take a quiz or get a certificate > For students: what the messages on an Academy's pages mean when you can't sign in, get into a course, open a lesson, take a quiz or get your certificate, and what to do. Source: https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/troubleshooting/student-problems Plans: Everyone Last checked: 2026-10-28 When you're done, you're back in your course, or you know exactly what to ask your teacher. **Who this is for:** students taking a course in an Academy built with Chirp Builder. Your teacher runs the Academy, its courses and your place on them, so some fixes are theirs. The Academy's pages have no contact button or form. Look for your teacher's contact details on the Academy's home page, or in your purchase or welcome email. ## What you see Find the words on your screen, then open the part of this guide it points to. - **On the sign-in page:** "That code has expired.", "That code isn't right.", "Too many wrong codes.", "Too many sign-in codes were asked for", "We couldn't keep you signed in", "Enter a valid email address.", or no email: see [Signing in](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/troubleshooting/student-problems#signing-in). - **On a course page, in Take this course:** "Places on this course come from" the Academy, "This course takes a course code", "That course code isn't right.", "You asked for a place.", "Your place on this course has ended" or "This course is part of your [learning path](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/start-here/glossary#learning-path)". **Instead of the course page:** "Course not found" or "This course isn't open right now". For all of these, see [Getting into a course](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/troubleshooting/student-problems#getting-into-a-course). - **When you open a course:** "You don't have a place on this course yet.", "Your request to join is waiting for the Academy's answer." or "This course opens when you finish" another course: see [Getting into a course](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/troubleshooting/student-problems#getting-into-a-course). - **In a lesson:** a lock, a greyed-out **Next**, "Pass the quiz to complete this lesson.", a video that won't play or a download that doesn't work: see [Lessons](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/troubleshooting/student-problems#lessons). - **In a quiz:** "You've used all your attempts for this quiz.", "You can try again at" a time, or "You've been signed out.": see [Quizzes](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/troubleshooting/student-problems#quizzes). - **After you finish:** "Your certificate isn't ready yet.", or no **Certificates** on **My courses**: see [Certificates](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/troubleshooting/student-problems#certificates). - **In the tutor:** "The AI tutor isn't available right now." or another message: see [The tutor](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/troubleshooting/student-problems#the-tutor). - **On every page:** **"This Academy isn't open right now. Please check back later."**: see [The Academy is closed](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/troubleshooting/student-problems#the-academy-is-closed). ![The study page of Sourdough Starter for Omar Haddad, who has no place on that course: the outlined heading You don't have a place on this course yet., and the link Back to the course page under it.](https://mjmtbasmrtksluvlnema.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/help-media/web-optimized/troubleshooting/student-problems/SS-FIX-100-01__no-place__academy__desktop__v01.webp?v=4320f1d45e) ## Signing in You sign in with your email and a 6-digit code we email you. There's no password. - **"That code has expired. Ask for a new one."** A code works for 10 minutes. Click **Use another email, or send a new code**, then **Send me a code**. - **"That code isn't right. If you asked for more than one code, use the one in the newest email."** Each new code replaces the one before, so only the newest email's code works. - **"Too many wrong codes. Ask for a new one."** After 5 wrong tries on one code, ask for a new one. - **"Too many sign-in codes were asked for from this email or network. Everyone on the same network, such as a school, shares this limit. Please wait up to an hour and try again."** Only 5 codes an hour can go to one email for one Academy, and 20 an hour to everyone on one network, for all Academies together. The count starts again at the top of the hour. On a school or office network, you can also try from your phone's mobile data. - **"We couldn't keep you signed in. Your browser may be blocking cookies for this site. Allow cookies, then ask for a new code."** Your browser didn't keep the sign-in. Allow cookies for the Academy's site in your browser's settings, then ask for a new code: the one you typed is used up. - **"Enter a valid email address."** Check the address for a typo. - **"Couldn't send the email. Please try again in a minute."** Wait a minute, then click **Send me a code** again. - **No email?** Check your spam or junk folder, and the address you typed. The subject looks like "482913 is your sign-in code for Nora's Baking School". - **"Academy not found"**: the link is mistyped. Use the link from your teacher's email. **Use the same email your teacher has for you.** Your places on courses are linked to it. With another address, **My courses** says "No courses yet" and "When Nora's Baking School gives you a place, it shows here." Sign out and sign in with the right address. A sign-in lasts 30 days on that device and browser, for one Academy. If your Academy has its own web address, signing in at one address doesn't sign you in at the other. See [Sign in to an Academy](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/academy-students/sign-in). ## Getting into a course **On the course page, the Take this course box says:** - **"Places on this course come from Nora's Baking School. If you have one, sign in with your email."** Click **Sign in to start** and use the email your teacher has for you. - **"Places on this course come from Nora's Baking School. Ask them for one."** You're signed in, but you don't have a place, and only your teacher can give you one. Check that you signed in with the right email, then ask your teacher. - **"Ask Nora's Baking School for a place. You'll see the course here once they say yes."** Click **Ask for a place**. The box then says "You asked for a place. Nora's Baking School will let you know." When your teacher says yes, we email you a link. If they say no, you don't get an email, and **Ask for a place** comes back. - **"Enter the course code you were given."** Type the code and click **Join the course**. It stays greyed out until you've typed at least 6 characters. - **"That course code isn't right."** Check it with your teacher: when they make a new code, the old one stops working. - **"Too many tries. Please wait up to an hour and try again."** After 10 tries in one clock hour, on any of this Academy's courses. - **"This course takes a course code, but Nora's Baking School hasn't made one yet. Ask them for a place."** Your teacher still has to make the code. Ask them. - **"This course is part of your learning path. It opens when you finish “Bread Basics”."** Finish that course first. See [My courses and learning paths](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/academy-students/my-courses). - **"Your place on this course has ended. Contact Nora's Baking School if you think this is a mistake."** Only your teacher can give the place back. Your progress is kept. ![The Bread Basics course page while Jun Watanabe is signed in: the course's title, description and outline, and on the right the Take this course box with the outlined text Places on this course come from Nora's Baking School. Ask them for one., then Signed in as and Jun's email address, above the AI tutor card.](https://mjmtbasmrtksluvlnema.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/help-media/web-optimized/troubleshooting/student-problems/SS-FIX-100-02__places-come-from__academy__desktop__v01.webp?v=bea3810d6b) **Instead of the course page, you may see:** - **"Course not found"**, with "The link may be mistyped, or the course isn't published." Check the link, or find the course from the Academy's page with **See Nora's Baking School's courses**. - **"This course isn't open right now"**, with "Nora's Baking School may be updating it. Please check back later." You still have your place. On **My courses**, the course shows a lock and "Not open right now". Check back later. **When you open the course, a heading says**, with **Back to the course page** under it: - **"You don't have a place on this course yet."** - **"Your request to join is waiting for the Academy's answer."** - **"Your place on this course has ended."** - **"This course opens when you finish "Bread Basics"."** They mean the same as the course page messages above. See [Get a place on a course](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/academy-students/get-a-place). ## Lessons ![Omar Haddad studying Bread Basics: the outline on the left with three lessons ticked and later ones locked, the lesson Shaping, rising and baking in the middle, the tutor on the right, and the progress bar at the top showing 60%.](https://mjmtbasmrtksluvlnema.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/help-media/web-optimized/academy-students/study/SS-STU-020-01__study__academy__desktop__v01.webp?v=62549c445a) - **A lock in the outline** (1): in a course whose lessons open in order, a lesson opens when you finish the required lessons before it. Pointing at it says "Finish the required lessons before this one first." **Next** stays greyed out until then. Lessons marked "(optional)" don't hold you back, but an optional lesson that comes after an unfinished required one is locked too. The progress bar (2) shows how much of the course you've done. - **Lessons don't open by date.** Only finishing the lessons before them opens them. - **"Pass the quiz to complete this lesson."** shows instead of **Mark complete**: pass the lesson's quiz. The lessons after it open once you pass. - **A video won't play:** the video site's own message shows in the lesson, for example that the video is private or unavailable. Tell your teacher which lesson it is: only they can fix the video. Work and school networks sometimes block video sites, so another network may help. - **A download, a PDF or audio stops working:** their links work for an hour after the page opens. Reload the page. - **"Not available"** shows instead of **Download**: the file can't be opened right now. Reload the page, and tell your teacher if it stays. - **A message such as "Couldn't save your progress. Please try again." or "Complete the required lessons before this one first."** Reload the page, then try again. See [Study a course](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/academy-students/study). ## Quizzes - **"You've used all your attempts for this quiz. Contact the Academy if you need another."** Only your teacher can give more tries. Ask them, using the contact details on the Academy's home page or in your purchase or welcome email. If you must pass the quiz, the lessons after it stay locked until then. - **"You've passed and used all your attempts."** There's nothing to do: your best result counts. - **"You can try again at"** a time, or **"You can try again on"** a day and time: this quiz makes you wait between attempts. The time is your own. **Try again** comes back by itself then, without a reload. - **"You've been signed out. Sign in again, then open this lesson to carry on."** Click **Sign in**, and you come back to the course. Answers you chose after you were signed out weren't saved, so check them again. A timed quiz's timer keeps running meanwhile. - **"Time ran out, so your saved answers were marked."** The quiz's time limit ended. If you have attempts left, click **Try again**. See [Take a quiz](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/academy-students/quizzes). ## Certificates - **"You've completed this course. Your certificate isn't ready yet. Ask Nora's Baking School to issue it."** Certificates were turned on after you finished, or yours was revoked. Ask your teacher to issue it. - **The banner says only "You've completed this course."** This course doesn't give a certificate. - **No Certificates on My courses:** you don't have a certificate yet. The section shows once you do. - **A learning path's certificate** comes when you complete the path's last course. It isn't issued to students who finished before the teacher turned it on. - **Download PDF** doesn't work: - **"Sign in again to download your certificate."** Sign in, then click **Download PDF** again. - **"This certificate isn't available any more. Reload the page to see your current certificates."** It was replaced, for example to fix your name, or revoked. Reload **My courses**. - **"Couldn't download the certificate. Please try again."** Try again in a moment. - **The name is wrong:** ask your teacher to correct it and reissue the certificate. The new one has a new number and check link. - **The check page says "We couldn't find this certificate"**: check that the address matches the one at the bottom of the certificate, letter for letter. **"Replaced by a newer certificate"** means there's a newer one: share its check link instead. See [Your certificate](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/academy-students/certificates). ## The tutor - **"The AI tutor isn't available right now. Your lessons and progress still work."** Something on the Academy's side stops the tutor. Try again later, and tell your teacher if it lasts. - **"You've asked the tutor a lot today. Your lessons still work; the tutor is back tomorrow."** or **"The tutor has reached its message limit for today. Your lessons still work; the tutor is back tomorrow."** Daily limits start again at midnight UTC. - **"You've sent a lot of messages. Please wait a bit and try again."** Up to 40 questions an hour. - **"The tutor is busy right now. Please try again in a moment."** - **"The tutor is off while you take this quiz. It's back once you submit."** - **"This conversation is too long for the tutor. Start over with the button at the top, then ask again."** Click the arrow button at the top of the tutor (**Start over**), then ask again. - **"The tutor can't answer that message. Please try asking in a different way."** - **"This lesson has no tutor."** or **"This lesson's tutor isn't available."** Your teacher hasn't given this lesson a tutor, or it was removed. Tell your teacher. - **"Sign in again to ask the tutor."** Your sign-in ended: sign in again. - **"The tutor didn't answer. Please try again."** or **"The tutor couldn't be reached. Check your connection and try again."** Ask again. See [Ask the course tutor](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/academy-students/tutor). ## The Academy is closed **"This Academy isn't open right now. Please check back later."** The whole Academy is closed for the moment: you can't sign in, study, download your data or download a certificate there. Certificate check pages keep working. Check back later, or ask your teacher. ## Good to know - **"Contact the Academy"** in a message means your teacher. Look for their contact details on the Academy's home page, or in your purchase or welcome email. - **Your progress is saved as you go,** on every device you sign in on. - **Each Academy is separate:** signing in to one doesn't sign you in to another. - **Taking a course from the start:** see [Taking a course in an Academy](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/academy-students/overview).