Blackboard's Release Conditions tool lets you make folders, items, and assessments available to students who meet a set of requirements. Most often, we use this tool to make content available after a certain date or only during a particular range of dates. We can also use this tool to make content available to students who belong to a specific group.
Combining the group requirement with an availability window lets you make content or an assessment available to different groups at different times. This can be particularly useful when running a course site that has merged sections (CETL creates groups for your merged sections when you place your request via our form).
Note: While an assessment can be made available to different groups at different times, assessments can only have a single due date.
To set group-based release conditions, first locate the item (folder, learning module, test, assignment, etc.) in your Course Content list.
Click the availability list that appears directly under the item's title and choose RELEASE CONDITIONS.
The Release Conditions page has a space for listing release rules on the left, and a space for creating release rules on the right.
On the right, under SELECT MEMBERS, choose "Specific members or groups."
This will add selection boxes for individual members or groups. Under groups, choose the group you wish to set an availability window for.
Next, we'll set a date range during which this group has access. Check the Date/Time box. This opens Access from and Access until tools.
To set a date and time the item will become available to the group, check the "Access from" box and enter a date and time. To hide the item from the group on a particular date and time, check Access until and enter that date and time.
Click SAVE at the bottom to save this rule.
To create a new rule for another group or individual, click the ADD NEW RULE button in the upper left, under the "When will content appear?" heading.
Then repeat the above process to create a rule for another group (select the group, enter the Date(s)/Time(s), save rule.
Repeat this process as many times as necessary to make the content available to your various groups at the appropriate times.