Control access, prerequisites, and progression
Access answers “May this person study here?” Progression answers “What can they open next?” Configure both when the order of learning matters.
Set course access
Open Access → Visibility & pricing in the course builder. Choose Free or Paid and set the catalogue visibility. A paid course also needs a mapped shop product; selecting Paid does not create a price or checkout.
Use Prerequisites when learners must complete another course before joining this one. A course hidden from the catalogue can still need valid access checks when reached by a direct link.
Self-enrolment must be allowed by the site and the course's rules. Manual, purchase, organization, and seat access are separate ways of receiving access; see enrolments.
Choose the order of study
In Access → Schedule & progression, choose:
- In any order: learners choose among the items currently available to them.
- In order, one item at a time: the next required item depends on completion of the preceding required work.
Changing this choice does not remove explicit restrictions you have added. A learner can satisfy the course order and still be waiting for a release date or a quiz score.
Add access conditions
Use the restriction editor on the relevant course, module, or lesson. Start with Quick setup for common requirements, and use Advanced rules when you need combined conditions.
| Condition | Example |
|---|---|
| Date window | Open a module on Monday and close it after the workshop |
| Item completion | Require the practical assignment to be complete and passed |
| Score | Require a minimum quiz percentage |
| Permission | Keep a staff-only resource restricted to a teaching role |
| Enrolment source | Show content only for the intended kind of access |
| Optional schedule or credential condition | Release a week after joining a run, or require a credential, when that provider is installed |
Combine conditions using All or Any. For example, “All: passed the assignment, and the release date has arrived” differs from “Any: passed the assignment, or the release date has arrived.” The second allows the date alone to open the item.
Choose whether a locked item is shown with a reason or hidden from the outline. An explanation is usually more helpful when a learner needs to take action.
Make approval a real gate
For mandatory practical work, keep the assignment in the required sequence and require its completion and pass result. Submission alone is not approval. Avoid a percentage-based course completion rule that could allow the learner to finish while skipping that assignment.
Also review closing dates: an item outside its availability window may stop contributing to completion. If an assignment must always be completed, do not use a closing window as your only enforcement mechanism. Test the learner before and after the closing date.
Follow the complete photo assignment example.
Preview and handle exceptions
Use Preview as a learner to select a person and, where offered, an effective time. The preview explains which conditions pass or fail without enrolling anyone or sending a message.
Use Individual exceptions for a deliberate, time-limited exception. Record why it is needed and check its scope. Do not weaken the whole course's rules to solve one person's access problem.
If a restriction's supporting package is unavailable, the rule stays closed rather than being silently ignored. Restore the integration or intentionally replace the rule.