This functionality is available for Authors, Item Bank Managers and Planners.
Item Banks support two content privacy settings: Private and Public. These settings determine whether content is restricted to its creator or available to other users with access to the Item Bank.
We recommend using Private Content where possible. This most closely reflects how content in the Unbanked space currently works, keeping content private to the user who creates it until they choose to share it. Public Content is useful when content should be available to other authorised users in the Item Bank by default.
Private content
Private Content is available only to the user who created it by default.
The creator can share Private Content with individual users or Access Groups, where the relevant permissions and Item Bank access are in place. The role selected during sharing determines what the recipient can do with the content.
For information about sharing Private Content, see Sharing Private Content.
Private Content allows multiple Authors to work in the same Item Bank while keeping their content separate until they choose to collaborate.
Public content
Public Content is available to users who have access to the relevant Item Bank. The actions available to each user depend on their associated Author system role or Custom User Role (CUR).
Public Content is therefore suitable for content that should be available for shared authoring or reuse by authorised Item Bank users without requiring individual sharing.
For more information about how Access Groups and user roles control access to Item Banks and content, see Advanced Access Controls for Item Banks.
Identifying content privacy
The Content Privacy column in the Item Bank content list shows whether each item is Private or Public.
Default Content Privacy
Each Item Bank has a Default Content Privacy setting, which determines the privacy state applied to newly created content in that bank.
Tenant-level configurations
Default Content Privacy is controlled by a tenant-level setting. Depending on how your institution's tenancy is configured, Default Content Privacy operates in one of two ways:
Enforced Tenant-Wide Default: The tenancy is set to a fixed default state (Private by default or Public by default). All Item Banks automatically use this setting, and it cannot be changed on an individual bank level.
Configurable Per Item Bank: The tenancy is set to allow choice, enabling Item Bank Managers to select whether a specific Item Bank should be Private by default or Public by default when creating or editing bank properties.
Unless requested otherwise, your Item Banks tenancy will be configured to use Private as the default content privacy setting. If you would like to change your institution's tenant-level configuration, please contact our Service Desk.
Impact on existing content
Changing an Item Bank’s Default Content Privacy affects new content only. Existing content keeps its current privacy setting unless it is changed separately.
For example, if an Item Bank is changed from Public by default to Private by default:
New content will be Private by default.
Existing Public Content will remain Public.
Existing content must be changed separately if it should become Private.
Planners
Planners can attach Question Sets from an Item Bank to tests in Deliver when they have access to the Item Bank.
The content privacy setting determines which Question Sets they can see:
Public Question Sets: The Planner can see and attach any Public Question Set in the Item Bank, provided they have access to the Item Bank. The Question Set does not need to be shared with them individually.
Private Question Sets: The Planner can see and attach a Private Question Set only if it has been shared with them individually or through an Access Group. The Planner must also have access to the Item Bank.
This means that Planners can access Public Question Sets through their Item Bank access, while access to Private Question Sets is additionally controlled through content sharing.
Summary
Private Content is available only to its creator by default and can be shared when required.
Public Content is available to users with access to the relevant Item Bank.
The Content Privacy column shows the privacy setting for each item.
Default Content Privacy applies to newly created content only.
Your institution's tenant-level configuration determines whether Default Content Privacy is fixed across all banks or selectable per bank. Contact the Service Desk to update your tenant configuration.
We recommend using Private Content where content should remain with its creator until it is deliberately shared.
Planners with access to the Item Bank can preview question-set content in Deliver, including Private Content.
Next steps
For information about the access model used to control Item Banks and content, see Advanced Access Controls for Item Banks.
For information about configuring Default Content Privacy and changing individual content items, see Managing Content Privacy.
For information about sharing Private Content, see Sharing Private Content.