VIU Campus

Add dates and restrictions

There are three ways to restrict student access to content items. 

  • manually with the visibility toggle
  • automatically with start and end dates 
  • automatically based on release conditions  

Hide or show content with the visibility toggle

By default, content is visible to students in your course. However, when creating content or at any time after that you can choose to hide items or modules. You can do this by changing the toggle on the item from visible to hidden or vice versa. 

If you hide a single topic, students will not see that topic. If you hide a module, students will not see the module or any topics or sub-modules inside it. The exception are activities like quizzes, assignments and discussions. To hide an activity from students you must change the visibility of that activity even if it is in a hidden module in content.

  1. Select Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Find and click on the content item, sub-module or module you want to hide or make visible 
  3. In the upper right of the content pane change the toggle to hidden or visible 
  4. Your change will be saved automatically and you will see a confirmation pop-up at the bottom of the page.

Managing content dates in VIULearn

You can add Start Dates, Due Dates, and End Dates to your Modules, Sub-Modules, or Content Topics. These settings help you establish a clear timeline for students to follow.

Dates in VIULearn

  • Due dates are not restrictive in VIULearn. Students can  still access and view the content after the due date. These dates serve best as a reminder to help students stay on track. For activities, you will see an alert when assessing that lets you know if work was submitted after the due date. 
  • Start date: A start date restricts access until a specific time. Students can see the item exists in the content list, but they cannot open or view the material until the start date arrives
  • End date: An end date closes access after a specific time. Students can see the item exists, but they cannot open or view the material once the end date passes.

In general, we suggest using start and end dates sparingly in content. Too many availability restrictions can make it challenging for students to control the pace of their learning. In particular, avoid adding end dates to content students may need to review or revisit. If you want to give students signposts for where they should be up to in a course, due dates are a great option. Due dates will show up in the course calendar, Pulse app and Work to Do widget but don't impact student's access. 

Whether you are editing an existing content item or creating a new content page, the settings for adding or editing dates will be in the same location.

  1. Select Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Click on the item, sub-module or module you want to add a date to. 
  3. Click the three dots located in the upper right of the page (just left of the navigation arrows) and select Edit. 
  4. To add a due date click on the Due Date field located right below the title.
  5. To add a start and/or end date, click on Availability Dates & Conditions on the right panel.
  6. Once you have set your dates, click Save and Close. 

Release conditions

Release conditions enable you to design custom learning paths within your course. By attaching specific criteria to an item, you control when students gain access to that content.

For example, you can:

  • Hide a content topic until the student views the preceding topic.
  • Release extra content to help clarify a subject based on a student's score on a quiz. 
  • Show assignment instructions to a student only after they select a submission format on a checklist. 

When you attach multiple conditions to a single item, you decide the level of strictness. You can require students to meet all conditions (e.g., visit three specific topics before seeing the quiz) or any one of the conditions.

Conditions cannot be reset 

The system permanently clears a condition the moment a student meets it. You cannot reset this status.

For example: You require a score of >60% on a Quiz to access a  discussion. If a student scores 72%, the discussion unlocks. Even if you later adjust their grade to 55%, they retain access to the discussion because they satisfied the logic initially.

  1. Select Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Click on the item, sub-module or module you want to add a release condition to. 
  3. Click the three dots located in the upper right of the page (just left of the navigation arrows) and select Edit. 
  4. Click Availability Dates & Conditions on the right side of the page
  5. Click Add Release Condition and choose Create New 
  6. Use the drop down menus to select the conditions students must meet before the content item is visible. Once you select a condition from the first drop down menu, additional configuration options will appear. Items in the first drop down menu are organized by tool. 
  7. When you have finished setting your conditions, click the blue Create button 
  8. Once you are finished editing, click Save and Close. 

Once you have attached a release condition to any item or activity in your course,  you can reuse that same condition on other elements of the course. 

  1. Select Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Click on the item, sub-module or module you want to add a release condition to. 
  3. Click the three dots located in the upper right of the page (just left of the navigation arrows) and select Edit. 
  4. Click Availability Dates & Conditions on the right side of the page
  5. Click Add Release Condition and choose Add Existing
  6. Check the box next to the condition you want to attach
  7. Click the blue Attach button 
  8. Once you are finished editing, click Save and Close. 

Best practices for release conditions

Follow these guidelines to ensure a smooth user experience for your students and avoid logical errors in your course structure.

Build your materials and configure all release conditions before opening the course to students.

  • Why? This allows you to verify logic and catch errors. Adding conditions mid-course causes resources to suddenly disappear for students, creating confusion.
  • Risk: If you build "live," students might access a content topic before you finish editing it because you haven't applied the restrictions yet.

If you are building content while students are already in the course, it's a good idea to keep content hidden until you have attached any necessary release conditions. 

Use the fewest number of conditions necessary to achieve your goal. This helps cut down on potential errors and helps everything load more smoothly. 

One method that can help simplify conditions is to chain conditions across items. For example: 

Scenario: You want students to read a topic, then take a quiz, then submit an assignment.

Solution: Attach a condition to the quiz (must read topic) and a condition to the assignment (must attempt quiz).

What to avoid: Do not attach a "must read topic" condition to the assignment. Because the quiz already requires the topic, the chain remains intact without the redundant check.

Check your logic to ensure you do not create impossible conditions. For example: 

Scenario: To take the module quiz students need to view everything in the module that contains the quiz. 

The result: Students cannot access the quiz because in order to have completed the module they must also have completed the quiz. 

A possible solution: Set separate release conditions for each topic and require students meet all conditions before viewing the quiz. Or, you can chain release conditions so viewing each topic releases the next until students unlock the quiz. 

Ensure every condition is mathematically and functionally possible.

Example: Requiring a grade of greater than 100% on an item is impossible unless you offer bonus points. If the student cannot physically meet the criteria, the content remains permanently locked.

Review your conditions to ensure they do not cancel each other out.

For example: Requiring a student to score above 49.9% on an item while simultaneously requiring them to score below 50% on the same item.

The result: Since a student cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time, the system will never release the content.

Restrict access in the classic content experience

The classic content experience will be available for courses up to the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. Courses for Fall 2026 and onward will use the New Content Experience.  Below you can find steps for adding restrictions and hiding content in the classic content experience. 

  1. Select Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Go to the module or content item you want to add a date to 
  3. Click the Bulk Edit button.
  4. Click the Add dates and restrictions... text below the item
  5. Add a date, by clicking on the appropriate field and selecting a date from the pop up calendar
  6. Click the blue Update button.
  7. Click the Done Editing button. 

  1. Select Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Click on the content item you want to add the condition to.
  3. Click the Bulk Edit button.
  4. Click the Add dates and restrictions... text below the item.
  5. Click the Create button to create and add a Release Condition.
  6. Use the drop down menus to select the conditions students must meet before the content item is visible. Once you select a condition from the first drop down menu, additional configuration options will appear. Items in the first drop down menu are organized by tool. 
  7. When you have finished setting your conditions, click the blue Update button to save your changes.
  8. Once you have finished making changes, click the Done Editing button to exit the Bulk Edit mode. 

  1. Select Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Navigate to the content item you want to add a condition to.
    • If you want to add a Release Condition to a specific topic, click the Bulk Edit button
  3. Click the Add dates and restrictions... text below the item. 
  4. Click the Browse button to view and select from a list of conditions you have previously set up in the course. 
  5. Check the box next to the condition you want to attach and click Attach. 
  6. Click the blue Update button to save your changes.
  7. Click the Done Editing button. 

  1. Select Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Find and click on the module or sub-module that you want to hide.
  3. Click the eyeball icon on the right side of the page (across from the "Add Dates and restrictions..." option).
  4. Click the toggle button to change the module from visible to hidden. 
  5. Your change will be saved automatically and you will see a confirmation pop-up at the bottom of the pag

  1. Select Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Find and click on the module or sub-module where the content topic you wish to hide is located.
  3. Click the grey Bulk Edit button. 
  4. Click the eyeball icon next to the topic you wish to hide from learners.
  5. Click the toggle button to change the topic from visible to hidden. 
  6. Repeat steps 4-5 for each Topic you wish to hide in that module or sub-module.
  7. Once you are finished, scroll back up to the top of the page and click the blue Done Editing button.