Use visibility settings and release conditions to define when students can view and access course content. On the Course Content page, you can access the visibility setting for each item and folder in your content list. In the visibility menu, select Release conditions to open the item's Release Conditions panel.

With release conditions, you can set a combination of these rules:  

  • Which course members or groups have access.
  • When the course content is accessible, visible, and hidden.
  • What student performance is required, such as submitting an assignment or scoring above a threshold on a test.
The release conditions page, with Add new rule and Add performance criteria options called out

 


Release content by course members or groups

Under Select members, choose which course members or groups have access to the course content. With this option, you can create remedial paths for certain students and provide different content to undergraduate and postgraduate students in a course.

Select member options for release condition rules

Release content by date

Select Date/Time to define the time period in which students can access content. 

  • Example: Content is covered in a specific order. You want students to access content only after you've discussed it in class. You don't want students to work ahead.
  • Example: Release your final test during your institution's scheduled final tests week.
Course content Release conditions date rules

Release content based on performance

Select Performance to release an item or folder when a student achieves a certain score on an item or gradebook column in your course.  You can also choose to release an item when it's submitted by the student, rather than waiting for a grade. 

The page for setting a release condition. The release condition is set to apply to all members and Performance is checked. Attempt submitted is highlighted in the dropdown menu for a gradable item.

To define the threshold, choose the graded item and grade requirement. 

  • Example: Students must complete coursework in a specific order and after they've demonstrated understanding. You want students to progress to the next item only after they score a B or above. Select Grade requirement as a release condition.
  • Example: Students must score 70 points or higher on a quiz to access the Chapter 1 Test. Select 70 points or higher as a release condition.
  • Example: Students must take quizzes in a specific order. Select Attempt submitted as a release condition.

To set additional performance criteria, such as a second threshold the student must meet, select Add additional performance criteria

Course content Release conditions performance options

Visibility settings

If you choose more than one condition for your content, students must satisfy all conditions before the content is available.

When you set date/time or performance release conditions, under When will content appear?, you can also choose whether you want content to be visible to course members before or after they meet the requirements for access. 

  • Show. Students can view the date and time the content will be released, the conditions they need to meet, and when they can no longer access it. Items appear on the course calendar and the Grades page, but not in student activity streams. After access ends, content is still visible, but students can't access it.
  • Hide. Content is only visible to students when they're able to access it. Students don't see the dates and times when they can no longer access the content. After access ends, the content is hidden from their view. 

If you set a folder for release on a specific date, students can't expand or view the contents in the folder until that date, even if you make the folder visible before students have access. After the release date, if all the contents have no date restrictions, students can view content in the folder.

Release conditions won't work if you delete the content a condition is based on. You will receive an alert on the Course Content page that students are unable to access content. Open the Release Conditions panel to update your settings.


Release learning modules content in forced sequence

Learning modules let students navigate from one content item to the next without distractions or extra clicks. You can set a forced sequence to a module to make sure students know which content to access and in what order.

From the add or edit learning module screen, under Advance in sequence, select Forced Sequence

Forced sequence options for a content module

Watch a video about Release Conditions in Blackboard Learn Ultra

The following narrated video provides a visual and auditory representation of some of the information included on this page. For a detailed description of what is portrayed in the video, open the video on YouTube, navigate to More actions, and select Open transcript.

Video: Release Conditions in Blackboard Learn Ultra shows the app features for Windows devices