Restrict Access

The restrict access functionality (previously known as conditional access) allows you to set certain criteria that must be met for learners to view and/or complete an activity or resource. 

Enabling restrict access

To use the restrict access feature, it must be enabled by a Site Administrator by checking the Enable restricted access box within Site administration > Advanced features.

A Restrict access section will then be available for course editors on an activity settings screen with an Add restriction button. 

Enabling or disabling specific restrictions

In Site administration > Plugins > Availability restrictions > Manage restrictions you can enable or disable any of the individual restriction types for use throughout the site.

In the Hide/show column toggle the eye icon:

• If the eye is open () it means the restriction is showing (available)
• If the eye is crossed out () the it is hidden (disabled). 

Restricting activity access

Clicking the Add restriction button opens a list of possible restriction conditions. Restrictions can be based upon:

• Activity completion
• Date
• Grade
• User profile fields
• Audience
• Position
• Organisation
• Language
• Group
• Grouping (where configured within the course)

The Restriction set button allows for a nesting of various restriction criteria.

Activity completion

Note that this button only appears if you have Activity completion enabled on your site and enabled in your course via Course administration > Edit settings > Completion tracking.  See the Activity completion Help page for more instructions on using this feature.

The activity completion condition requires learners to complete (or not complete) or pass (or not pass) another activity within the course.  You can select whether the learner must or must not match the specified completion criteria. 

1. Select the relevant activity from the Choose... dropdown menu
2. Next select the relevant criteria (e.g. must be marked complete).
3. Click Add restriction.... to add another condition.
4. Then click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

Date

The date restriction allows you to prevent access to the activity until or from a specified date and time.

1. You can select whether the learner must or must not match the specified completion criteria.
2. Select the relevant from or until option from the dropdown menu and enter the relevant date and time.  
3. Click Add restriction....  to add another condition. 
4. Then click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

Grade

You can specify a condition on any grade in the course: the total course grade, the grade for any graded activity, or a custom grade that you enter manually. You can enter either a minimum value (greater than or equal to percentage), a maximum value (less than percentage), both, or neither. The activity will only appear if the learner has a value for the specified grade and if it falls within any specified number range. You can add more than one grade condition. All conditions must be met in order for the activity to appear.  

1. You can select whether the learner must or must not match the specified completion criteria.
2. Select the relevant grading option from the dropdown menu and enter the relevant grade percentage values.
3. Click Add restriction....  to add another condition.
4. Then click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

Group 

If groups have been set up in the course, it is possible to restrict access to an activity to members of a certain group or any group.

1. You can select whether the learner must or must not match the specified completion criteria. 
2. Select the relevant Group or (Any group) from the dropdown menu.
3. Enter the relevant grade percentage values.
4. Click Add restriction....  to add another condition.
5. Then click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

Groupings

If groups and groupings have been set up in the course, it is possible to restrict access to an activity to learners who belong to a group within a specified grouping.

1. You can select whether the learner must or must not match the specified completion criteria.
2. Select the relevant Grouping from the dropdown menu.
3. Enter the relevant grade percentage values.  
4. Click Add restriction....  to add another condition.
5. Then click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

User profile

The User profile completion condition can restrict access to the activity based on fields within the learner’s profile.  

1. You can select whether the learner must or must not match the specified completion criteria. 
2. Select the relevant User profile field from the Choose... dropdown menu.
3. Next select the relevant criteria (e.g. is equal to).
4. Click Add restriction....  to add another condition.
5. Then click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

Audience

The audience restriction allows you to determine access on whether a user is or is not part of a particular audience. You can only select one audience per condition, so if you need to add multiple audiences then you will need to add multiple conditions. For example, to restrict access to members of multiple groups you could add a Restriction set with matching criteria set to any. 

1. Start typing the name of the audience and then select the relevant Audience from the dropdown menu.
2. Click Add restriction.... to add another condition.
3. Finally, click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

Position

The position restriction allows you to determine access based on whether a user does or does not hold a particular position (they must be assigned to the position via their job assignment).

1. Select the relevant Position from the dropdown menu.
2. Click Add restriction.... to add another condition.
3. Finally, click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

Organisation

The organisation restriction allows you to determine access based on whether a user is or is not part of a particular organisation (they must be assigned to the position via their job assignment).

1. Select the relevant Organisation from the dropdown menu.
2. Click Add restriction.... to add another condition.
3. Finally, click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

Language

You can restrict access to an activity or resource based on the preferred language the user has set in their profile. This is helpful in multi-lingual courses, as you can ensure only the correct language is displayed to the learner. 

1. Select the relevant Language from the dropdown menu.
2. Click Add restriction.... to add another condition.
3. Finally, click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

You can also click the X delete icon to cancel without saving.

Restriction set

This allows you to create a set of nested restrictions to apply complex logic to activity access.  

1. After clicking on Restriction set you will be provided with a restriction box.
2. Click Add restriction... within this box to choose the required condition type.  

3. Enter the relevant details for the selected condition.

4. Click Add restriction... within the restriction box to add another condition.  

5. Repeat until all required restrictions have been configured.

6. Finally, click Save and display or Save and return to course to confirm your selection.

To cancel without saving, click the X delete icon. 

Hiding restrictions

You can hide an activity from learners who do not meet the restriction conditions using the Hide/Show toggle icons (,).  If the eye is shut or crossed out then learners who do not meet that condition will not see the activity at all.  If the eye is open the learners who do not meet the condition will see the activity but it will be greyed out/unable to be accessed but will display information on why they can't access it yet.

Restricting course section access

It is also possible to Restrict Access to all activities and resources within a whole course section (e.g. Topic or Week section) by specifying the conditions in the settings for that particular section via Topic menu > Edit topic > Restrict access.

Deleting an item used for activity restriction

When you delete an activity, audience, organisation, or position that is used in the access restrictions of an activity or a section, it is marked as (missing). The condition is no longer fulfilled to prevent unauthorised access to the activity.

A Course Creator needs to either remove or alter the restrictions in the edit page.