CloudDeakin guides

Release conditions

Release conditions allow you to create a custom learning path through the content in your unit.
For example, you could attach a release condition to the second topic in your unit’s content area that would hide that topic until students have viewed the topic before it. Or you could create a condition that required students to view a topic before gaining access to a quiz, or one that required them to post a message to a discussion topic before they could see a module.

If you attach multiple conditions to an item, students must meet all conditions before they can access the item. For example, you could require students to visit the first three topics in a unit before gaining access to an associated quiz.

Compatible tools

You can put release conditions on the following items; Checklist, Content modules and topics, Custom widgets, Discussion forums and topics, Assignment folders, Grade items and categories, Announcements, Quizzes and Surveys.

Note: Wherever you can see the Restrictions tab, you can create and apply a release condition.

Once a student meets a release condition, the condition is cleared for that student and cannot be reset. For example, you attach a release condition to a discussion topic requiring student to achieve more than 60% on a quiz before they can access that topic; one of your participants receives 72% on the quiz but you adjust their grade to 55%. The students will be able to access the topic because they met the requirement at some point.

Best practice

Create all of your unit materials and set up your release conditions before the unit opens to students. This gives you a chance to check for mistakes in the conditions or for circular, contradictory or unnecessary conditions. If you add new release conditions after users have accessed the unit, students might be confused by content disappearing. Since conditions cannot be reset, you also risk having students meet conditions before your content are ready (e.g. accessing a topic before it is finished).

Scenario 1

Scenario 1: Release tools or content to student of a particular enrolment type

You can target the delivery of content or a tool to students according to their enrolment.

Scenario 2

Scenario 2: Use a checklist to organise activities

Create a checklist that lists the activities students should complete throughout the unit. For example, a checklist for the first week might include reading the unit’s introductory, posting a message to an introductory discussion topic, and submitting a list of learning goals to an assignment folder. You can set release conditions based on users checking off items from their checklist. For example, you might release an announcement on your unit’s homepage once users check off that they have completed the first week’s activities.

Scenario 3

Scenario 3: Release topics in stages

Reveal topics to students only after they have read prior topic by attaching release conditions on the later topics or modules that require users to view earlier topics. This can provide a clear path through the material and prevent students from becoming overwhelmed by a large list of content at the start of the unit.

Scenario 4

Scenario 4: Customise content for groups within a unit

Create separate topics or modules for each project and attach release conditions based on group enrolment, particularly if your unit has group projects and you want to provide different instructions or content for each group. Group members working on a project will see materials related to their work, without being distracted by unrelated materials.

Scenario 5

Scenario 5: Restrict access to assessments based on performance

Put a release condition on an assignment folder which restricts students from submitting part 2 of a project until they have a passing grade on part 1 or until they have read your feedback on part 1.

Scenario 6

Scenario 6: Using the NOT release conditions in Intelligent Agents and Announcements

On top of the existing release conditions, you can use the NOT operator in:

• Not completed checklist, checklist item
• Not achieved competency, learning objective
• Not visited content topic
• Not threads added/replies to topic/forum
• Not submitted assignment
• Not grade item
• Not completed quizzes
• Not completed survey

The Unit Chair can setup an Intelligent Agents to send emails to students who:

• did not submit an assignment
• did not post to a certain topics in Discussions
• did not view a certain topic in Content.

The Unit Chair can setup announcements that only release to students who:

• did not view a certain topic in Content
• have completed a quiz but did not view the related topic in Content.

Relese conditions guide

Create and attach a release condition

Creating a release condition from the edit page of the item you want to restrict. For example, if you want to attach a condition to a topic, you would go to the edit page for that topic and create your condition from there.

1. Click on the contextual menu of the topic.
2. Click on Edit Properties In-place.
3. Click on Add dates and restrictions.
4. Click on Create.
5. Select the Condition Type and complete the Condition Details. For example, if you wish to release a topic to students who have attempted a quiz, use Grade value on a grade item.
6. Click Create.
7. Repeat step 5 and 6 for additional conditions.
8. Choose whether access to the item is dependent on meeting all or any of your conditions.
9. Click Update.

Use the following steps to attach a condition to a discussion forum, discussion topic, a quiz or an assignment folder.

1. Go to the edit page for the item you want to attach the condition.
2. Click on Restrictions tab.
3. Click Create and Attach.
4. Select the Condition Type and complete the Condition Details. For example, if you wish to release a topic to students who have attempted a quiz, use Grade value on a grade item.
5. Click Create.
6. Repeat step 3 to 5 for additional conditions.
7. Choose whether access to the item is dependent on meeting all or any of your conditions.
8. Click Save.

Create and attach a release condition based on enrolment data

Student enrolment data (unit mode, campus location, course mode) is available as ‘Enrolment attributes’. This data is comes directly from Callista and is updated automatically each day to ensure it is current.

In order to deliver a topic or a tool e.g. an assignment to students with specific enrolment data (i.e. Students from the Burwood Campus) you will need to develop a Release Condition statement in order to ensure that only students from the Burwood Campus access the assignment.

1. Go to the edit page for the item you want to attach the condition.
2. Click the Restrictions tab.
3. Under Release Conditions, click Create and Attach to apply a new release condition.
4. Select the Condition type. For example, to release a topic to all cloud (online) students, use Section Enrolment.
5. In the Condition Details, select the item you wish to use and set the details
6. Click Save.

Attach an existing condition

If you have already created a condition and want to apply the same condition to another item, you can quickly select the condition from a list of existing conditions in your unit using the Attach Existing button. This saves you entering the criteria a second time.

Note: When you attach an existing condition from another item to a second item, the two conditions are not associated. If you change or remove the condition on either item, the other item’s release conditions will not be affected.

1. Go to the edit page for the item you want to attach the condition.
2. Click on Restrictions tab.
3. Click Attach Existing.
4. Select the condition.
   Tip: To narrow the list of conditions, choose the tool the condition is based on from the View Conditions for list.
5. Click Attach.
6. Click Save.

Remove a release condition

1. Go to the edit page for the item you want to remove the condition from.
2. Click on Restrictions tab and locate the release conditions area.
3. Perform one of the following steps:
   Click the Remove Condition icon for the condition you want to remove.
   To remove all the conditions from an item, click the Remove All Conditions icon.
4. Click Save.