Instructors can set adaptive release rules to release content based on specific criteria of their choosing. Why would an instructor want to control content release in their courses?
Example #1 - Academic Honesty Quiz
The College of Business uses adaptive release Grade Center settings to manage student access to content in all 100% online courses. Students must review two academic honesty/integrity videos before taking an Academic Honesty Acknowledgement Quiz. Once students pass the quiz with a score of 100, the course contents are released to them. Some online courses outside of BUS use a similar adaptive release rule to hide course contents from students until after they successfully complete a syllabus or course orientation quiz. You can use the Grade Center criteria to control access content based on item attempt, item score, or a calculated column. Use Grade Center criteria if you want to make content visibility dependent on attempts made by students on tests or assignments.
Example #2 - Membership-Based Content Visibility
I recently worked with an instructor with over 140 students in one course. He wanted to divide the students into two groups and allow each group to take an exam at a different time - Group A at 9:00 am and Group B at 1:00 pm. In this case, we applied an adaptive release setting to each exam based on students' membership in one of the two groups. You can also make an adaptive release membership rule that only allows selected students access to content or an exam.
Reminders/Cautions
Adaptive Release rules can be tricky. Therefore, we suggest that instructors work with an instructional designer before deploying this tool in your courses. Once you have applied an adaptive release rule, always use the Student Preview tool to confirm that the setting functions for students as you intend.
- Potential Pitfall #1 - To release content, assignments, or tests based on a date or date range, don't use Adaptive Release. Simply use the Available After and Available Until settings in the content, assessment, or test options panel.
- Potential Pitfall #2 - If you need to make an exam available to specific students on a different date, or to provide extended time for a student with an accommodation, don't use Adaptive Release. There is a section in the Test Setting panel called Availability Exception. Use that area to provide extra time or different availability dates for one or more specific students. For more information, see the subsection about Test Availability Exceptions on Blackboard's Test and Survey Options support page.
- Potential Pitfall #3 - Most instructors set Available After and Available Until dates/times when they initially deploy a Blackboard test. If you then apply an Adaptive Release rule, that availability period information will be automatically pushed into the Adaptive Release in addition to whichever specific criterion/criteria you apply. If you then return to the exam settings and change the availability period, that change may not be updated in the Adaptive Release settings, which will prevent learners from accessing your test. In such instances, navigate to the Adaptive Release: Advanced settings for the exam and delete the Date criteria in that area.
Of course, you are also always welcome to contact the Support Center and request Adaptive Release assistance from a member of our Instructional Design staff.
