How to Hide or Show Content in D2L - For Instructors

Objective

Following these steps will hide or make visible selected content in a D2L course so that students can view it and potentially interact with it.

Environment

D2L

Before You Begin

There are three things that will determine if a student can see and/or act on a particular piece of content in a D2L course:

1. The visible status
   • Hidden - this item will not be viewable by the student, regardless of any other setting.  This is a good way to prevent students from seeing something the instructor is actively working on that isn't ready for consumption yet.
   • Visible - this item will be viewable by the student, unless there is a restriction or Start/End Date that prevents it
2. The Start Date and End Date
   • Students can only click on content that has a Start Date prior to the current date/time and has an End Date after the current date/time.  In the classic content experience, they will be able to see the content and its descriptions, but will not be able to open it up. In the new content experience content is not visible at all outside the start and end dates.
3. Release conditions created by the instructor
   • Special release conditions may hide the content until the student has performed some other action - usually visiting another piece of content in the course, completing an activity, or group membership.

For a student to see that a piece of content exists, it must be published and the student must have satisfied any conditions placed on it.  Else it will not show up for them at all.

For a student to open a piece of content, the current date/time must be between the Start Date and End Date.

Steps

To change the visible status in the Classic Content Experience:

1. Go to the Content tab of the course
2. Click on the Module from the list of modules on the left side of the page
   • To set the status for the entire module: select the drop-down arrow on the right side of the page next to where it says Hide from Users or Make Visible to Users, and then select the desired status
   • To set the status for one individual topic: select the drop-down arrow next to the topic and choose Edit Properties in Place.  This will cause the status to appear (eye icon), and you can toggle to pick Visible or Hidden
   • You can also use the drop down menu next to the topic to select Hide from Users or Make Visible to Users

To change the visible status in the New Content Experience:

1. Go to the Content tab of the course
2. Click on the Unit (module) from the list of units on the left side of the page
   • To set status for the entire Unit: toggle visible or hidden at the top of the page
   • To set the status for one individual topic, select the topic on the left and toggle hidden or visible at the top of the page

To change Start/End Dates or set Restrictions in the Classic Content Experience

1. Go to the Content tab of the course
2. Select the Module from the list of modules on the left side of the page
   • To change them for the entire module: under the module title, it will either have a date listed, or it will say All conditions must be met, or it will say Add dates and restrictions.  Select whichever it says.  It will bring up the options to set Start/End Dates and to create Release Conditions.
   • To change them for just one topic: select the drop-down arrow next to the topic and choose Edit Properties in Place.  Then select Add dates and restrictions or whatever is already there, and you can set Start/End dates and create restrictions from there.

To change Start/End Dates or set Release conditions in the Classic Content Experience

1. Go to the Content tab of the course
2. Select the Unit from the list of Units on the left side of the page
   • To change the availability dates for the entire module, select the ellipsis (...) and select edit. Expand the Availability Dates edit or add start and end dates (clear the date to remove) and save and close.
   • To change the Release Conditions for the entire module, select the ellipsis (...) and select View Release Conditions. If the course has existing release conditions, select Create.
     • After selecting Create, select the Condition Type and Condition Details and click Create. Select whether all conditions or any condition must me met and Save
     • To remove a condition either click the X or the Remove all conditions icon
   • To change the availability dates or conditions for an individual topic, select the topic at the left and complete the above steps

Additional Info

N/A