Release conditions in Brightspace courses
Instructors use release conditions in Brightspace to provide access to selected course elements only after a student has met a criterion or set of criteria. Release conditions can be used to structure the learning experience and map clear pathways for students by controlling access to course content, activities, and assessments based on demonstrated competencies or achievements. Release conditions can also help personalize the course by providing a more individuated experience and increasing perceived teacher presence.
Comparisons with similar features
Dates and groups
If you use Start Date, End Date, or Groups, you are already controlling access to elements of your course conditionally. Setting start and end dates on quizzes, assignments, and announcements and using group discussion topics are all examples of conditional access based on time and group membership. Release conditions add to the list of criteria for controlling access.
Quiz special access
Setting special access on a Brightspace quiz differs from adding release conditions in that the criterion is the student's name (e.g., a specific student is granted extra time to complete the quiz). When adding release conditions, a student's name cannot be used as a criterion.
Intelligent agents
The Intelligent Agents Tool in Brighspace allows instructors to send automated email messages to students who meet a criterion or set of criteria. Unlike release conditions, which are evaluated by Brightspace continuously and automatically, intelligent agents are triggered, either at a scheduled time or manually by the instructor, at which point the conditions are evaluated and an email is either sent or not sent.
What can be released conditionally?
Release conditions can be applied when using these Brightspace tools:
- Announcements. Add release conditions to an announcement such that it's only displayed on the course homepages of students who meet those conditions.
- Assignments. Add release conditions to an assignment folder such that only students who meet those conditions can see the assignment folder and add submissions to it.
- Awards. Distribute an award badge only to students who meet certain conditions.
- Checklists. Display checklists only to students who meet certain conditions.
- Content. Only students who meet certain conditions would get access to certain content modules and topics.
- Custom homepage widgets. Add release conditions to custom panels or widgets on your course homepage such that they are only displayed for students who meet those conditions.
- Discussion forums and topics. Add release conditions to discussion forums or specific topics within a forum such that only students who meet those conditions can see the forum or topic and post to it.
- Grade items and categories. Add release conditions to categories of grade book columns or specific columns such that only students who meet those conditions can see those corresponding grades.
- Intelligent Agents. Configure your course to send email messages to students who meet certain conditions automatically.
- Quizzes and surveys. Add release conditions to a quiz or survey such that only students who meet those conditions can see and take them.
Multiple criteria
Instructors can set multiple criteria when adding release conditions and determine whether all or any of the criteria must be met, allowing the configuration of more complex access rules. For example, a student might only gain access to the next content module after completing the previous module's checklist and scoring 80% or better on the previous module's "Test Your Knowledge" quiz.
List of release condition criteria
When adding release conditions, these are the general condition types (i.e., events, achievements, variables) that can be used as criteria. Each condition type has specific condition details (i.e., properties, states, values) that can be used to specify the terms of the condition.
Assignments
- Submission to a folder
- Receive feedback on submission
- Score on associated rubric
- No submission to folder
Awards
- Award earned
Checklist
- Completed checklist
- Completed checklist item
- Incomplete checklist
- Incomplete checklist item
Classlist
- Group enrollment
- Org unit enrollment
- Section enrollment
- Role in current org unit
- Date of enrollment in current org unit
Competencies
- Competency achieved
- Learning objective achieved
- Score on associated rubric
- Competency not yet achieved
- Learning objective not yet achieved
Content
- Visited contact topic
- Visited all content topics
- Not visited content topic
- Completed content topic
- Not completed content topic
Discussions
- Posts authored in topic
- Score on associated rubric
- No posts authored in topic
Grades
- Grade value on a grade item
- Score on an associated rubric
- No grade received
- Released final grade score
Quizzes
- Score on a quiz
- Completed quiz attempt
- Score on selected questions
- Score on assoicated rubric
- No completed quiz attempt
Surveys
- Completed survey attempt
- No completed survey attempt
More wiki articles
- Add release conditions to Brightspace announcements
- Add and remove Brightspace release conditions
- Release conditions in Brightspace courses
External links
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