Managing Course Files Permissions
Course File Permission determine what leve of access (Read, Write, Remove, Manage) the various Blackboard roles (Instructor, Teaching Assistant, Student, etc.) have for each of your files and content items.
When a file is added to your course's Content Collection and linked to a content item in a course, it is automatically assigned the Read permission for all course users. Other users (roles) enrolled in the course, such as a Teaching Assistant have additional permissions for the files by default. Permissions for any file or user can be changed in Course Files. For example, to prevent a Teaching Assistant from deleting a certain file, you can change (revoke) the Remove permission from that Role for that particular file or for all Course Content files.
In order for students to be able to access a course file, either All Roles must have Read access to that file or the Student role must have Read access to that file.
The following describes the privileges for each type of permission.
Type of Permission Privileges
- Read View and download
- Write Edit and overwrite - Add files and folders to a folder
- Remove Download and delete
- Manage Control properties and settings Determine permissions on the Manage Permissions page
When items (files) are added to a folder, they inherit the same permissions as the parent folder.
Permissions can be Managed (changed, added, or deleted) for individual files or folders or you can Manage the permissions for all the files and folders in your course.
- To Manage the permissions for an individual file or folder proceed, proceed to Section A - Manging the Permissions for an Individual File or Folder below.
- To Manage the permissions for all the content in an entire course, skip down to Section B - Managing the Permissions for All Files and Folders in a Course.
Section A - Managing the Permissions for an Individual File or Folder
Step 1 - Access the Content Collection for the Course
Go to the Control Panel and click on Content Collection and then click on the link for the name of the course. You should now see the Course Content screen for your course--exactly what you see depends on whether you are in List View or Thumbnail View.
Step 2a - Access Permissions for a File or Folder (Thumbnail View)
To access (view) the Permissions for a file or folder displayed in Thumbnail View:
- Click on the chevron below the item's icon.
- Then click Permissions from the drop-down menu.
Step 2b - Access Permissions for a File or Folder (List View)
To access (view) the Permissions for a file or folder displayed in List View: click on the Permissions Icon corresponding to the file or folder whose Permissions you wish to view.
You should now see the Manage Permissions Screen as shown below.
Manage Permissions Screen
This is a screen shot of the Manage Permissions screen for a folder name "Week 1." Notice that by default, the Roles of Instructor and Teaching Assistant are set to include all 4 levels of access permissions.
Notice also that there is no Role for All Users or Students to have Read access--this will need to be added if students are to have access to the items in this folder.
Step 3 - Select Institutional Roles
On the Manage Permissions screen, click on the Select Roles button and then select Institutional Roles from the drop-down menu. This will bring up the Add Institution Users List as shown below.
Step 4 - Select the Student role and Set Permissions
From the Add Institution User List:
- In Section #1, Select Roles, scroll to the bottom of the Institution Roles till you see the Student role listed and select it.
- Click the right arrow (">") to move Student to the Selected Items area.
- In Section #2, Set Permissions, make sure that Read is checked (this is the default value).
- In Section #4, Advance Folder Options, check the Overwrite checkbox if you want to add Read access for Students to all included Subfolders and files (this is highly recommended, unless you have a reason for doing otherwise).
- Click the Submit button to confirm your setting choices.
You should now see the Student role with Read access appear at the top of the list on the Manage Permissions screen as shown below.
Step 5 - Confirmation and viewing the newly added Permission for Student Read access
As you can see, the Student Institutional Role has been added and given Read access permission to this folder (and all subfolders and files if you checked the Overwrite option shown in the previous step.
All your students can now Read (view) any files in this folder that you have provided links to.
Click the OK button when you are finished.
Section B -Managing the Permissions for All Files and Folders in a Course
Sometimes you may want to add Read permission for your students for all items in your Course Collection. For example, if your course was copied from another site, the Read permission for students to your content may be missing and will need to be added.
If you can access (view) the materials in your course, but your students tell you they cannot; then they probably don't have Read permission to some or all of your course materials. Although you could set each item's permissions individually, it is usually easier (and much faster) to just give the Read permission to the Student role for all material (file and folders) in your course all at once.
The process is basically the same as modifying the Permissions for a single file or folder, except that rather than choosing a single file or folder, you need to first select the Course Content Folder from All Courses Content.
Step 1 - Select All Courses Content
Go to the Control Panel and click on Content Collection and then All Courses Content.
Step 2a - Select Permissions for All Course Content (Thumbnail View)
If you are in List View rather than Thumbnail View, please proceed directly to Step 2b.
In Thumbnail View:
- Click the chevron just below the Course Folder's icon.
- Select Permissions from the drop-down menu.
You should now see the Manage Permissions screen as shown below.
Step 2b - Select Permissions for All Course Content (List View)
In List View:
Click the Permissions icon for the Course Folder whose Permissions you want to modify. You should now see the Manage Permissions screen as shown below.
Manage Permissions Screen
This is a screen show of the Manage Permissions screen showing the roles and permissions for the Course Content Folder that you have selected to modify,
Step 3- Select Institutional Roles
You should now see the Add Institutional User List screen.
Step 4 - Select the Student role and Set Permissions
From the Add Institution User List:
- In Section #1, Select Roles, scroll to the bottom of the Institution Roles till you see the Student role listed and select it.
- Click the right arrow (">") to move Student to the Selected Items area.
- In Section #2, Set Permissions, make sure that Read is checked (this is the default value).
- In Section #4, Advance Folder Options, check the Overwrite checkbox if you want to add Read access for Students to all included Subfolders and files (this is highly recommended, unless you have a reason for doing otherwise).
- Click the Submit button to confirm your setting choices.
You should now see the Student role with Read access appear at the top of the list on the Manage Permissions screen as shown below.
Step 5 - Confirmation and viewing the newly added Permission for Student Read access
As you can see, the Student Institutional Role has been added and given Read access permission to this Course Content Folder (and all subfolders and files since you checked the Overwrite option shown in the previous step.
All your students can now Read (view) any the files in this course that you have provided links to.
Click the OK button when you are finished.