Special Access

Special access allows you provide alternative content or time limits to individual users or groups of users to accommodate special needs. For example, you can use special access to accommodate individuals who need additional time taking a quiz because of a physical or learning disability or you can use special access to set up a restricted dropbox folder for individuals who missed or under-performed on an assignment.

There are two types of special access:

• Restrict access to a quiz, survey, or dropbox folder to specific users.
• Assign an alternative time restrictions, availability, and/or attempts on a quiz, survey, or assignment for specific users.

The following tools allow time-restrictions to be set on content and, therefore, use special access to allow alternative time limits:

Quizzes

• You can search and assign specific users a different set of quiz availability dates and late submission properties. Special access properties enable you to increase the time limit for special-needs users and allow different start and end dates for individual users as well as number of attempts.

1. On the Restrictions tab, select one of the following:
   • Allow selected users special access to this quiz (this leaves the quiz open to all users, but gives the special access to those listed).
   • Allow only users with special access to see this quiz (this removes access for all users EXCEPT those who have special access).
2. Click Add Users to Special Access.
3. After you finish modifying special access properties and users permissions, search for users and select the check boxes beside the names of users you want to assign special access.
4. Click Add Special Access.
5. Once you have added special access permissions for users, their names display in the Special Access area. You can edit or delete users’ special access by clicking the Edit or Remove special access icons beside their names.

Effective in March 2021, there is a new feature for quizzes that allows the Special Access to be done by user.  

This feature enables instructors to grant learners accommodations through the Classlist tool. Accommodation options currently available include: more time to complete quizzes at the course level and the ability to bypass right-click restrictions in quizzes. The right-click restriction in quizzes is the ability for learners to right-click in the quiz while taking the quiz.

Figure: The new Edit Accommodations dialog box

Once granted, these accommodations apply to all quiz activities in a course for that learner. The additional time can be applied in terms of quiz time multipliers (for example, 1.5x quiz time) or +minutes (for example, an additional 30 minutes) on every quiz in a course. 

Quiz-specific special access can overwrite an accommodation for any user on a quiz-by-quiz basis. When you overwrite an accommodation and then click Save, a warning describing the impact of overwriting an accommodation appears. 

Surveys

1. On the Restrictions tab, select one of the following:
   • Allow selected users special access to this survey (this leaves the survey open to all users, but gives the special access to those listed). 
   • Allow only users with special access to see this survey (this removes access for all users EXCEPT those who have special access).
2. Click Add Users to Special Access.
3. If you want to make the survey available to selected users during a special time period, enter a Start Date and/or End Date in the Special Access Properties section.
4. Search for users and select the check boxes beside the names of users you want to assign special access.
5. Click Add Special Access.
6. Once you have added special access permissions for users, their names display in the Special Access area. You can edit or delete users’ special access by clicking the Edit or Remove special access icons beside their names.

Dropbox

• Special access permissions allow you to set different availability dates and times for specific users. For example, you could extend the deadline for users who require remedial help or who are submitting work beyond the original scope of the dropbox folder. You can also add special access after a dropbox folder’s end date has past for users who have a legitimate excuse for missing the deadline or for users you want to submit additional material, such as planning notes or a bibliography.

1. On the Restrictions tab, select one of the following:
   • Allow users with special access to submit files outside the normal availability dates for this folder.
   • Allow only users with special access to see this folder removes access for all users EXCEPT those who have special access.
2. Click Add Users to Special Access.
3. On the Special Access page, select the Date Availability you want special access users to have.
4. Search for users and select the check boxes beside the names of users you want to assign special access.
5. Click Save.
6. Once you have added special access permissions for users, their names display in the Special Access area. You can edit or delete users’ special access by clicking the Edit or Remove special access icons beside their names.