This functionality is available to Authors with the required permissions, Item Bank Managers and users with the relevant Item Bank Custom User Role (CUR) permissions.
You can manage content privacy at two levels:
Item Bank level: Set the default privacy for newly created content.
Content-item level: Change individual content between Private and Public.
For an explanation of Private and Public Content, see Understanding Private and Public Content in Item Banks.
For information about how Access Groups, Author roles and CURs determine access, see Advanced Access Controls for Item Banks.
Before you start
Consider the following before changing content privacy:
Changing an Item Bank’s default content privacy affects new content only.
Existing content keeps its current privacy setting unless it is changed separately.
Making Public Content Private may remove access for users who previously accessed it through their Item Bank permissions.
Making Private Content Public may make it available to all users who have access to the Item Bank.
The actions available to you depend on your permissions.
Private Content can be shared with individual users or Access Groups. For more information, see Sharing Private Content.
Default Content Privacy
Unless your institution requests otherwise, your tenancy will use Private as the default content privacy setting for Item Banks. New content will therefore be private to the user who creates it, until they make it Public or share it with others.
If your tenancy is configured to allow the default to be set for each Item Bank, an Item Bank Manager can choose one of the following options when configuring the bank:
Private: New content is private to the user who creates it.
Public: New content is available to users with access to the Item Bank.
For more information about these options, contact the Service Desk.
Content conversion rules
Your tenancy’s content privacy configuration determines whether users can convert content freely between Private and Public, or only convert it towards the default content privacy setting configured for the tenancy.
Unrestricted conversion: Users with the required permissions can convert content in either direction, from Private to Public or from Public to Private.
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Restricted conversion: Users can convert content only towards the Item Bank’s default content privacy setting:
If the Item Bank is set to Private by default, Public content can be converted to Private, but Private content cannot be converted to Public.
If the Item Bank is set to Public by default, Private content can be converted to Public, but Public content cannot be converted to Private.
This configuration helps institutions ensure that content is not accidentally made more widely available than intended. If you need to change your tenancy’s content conversion configuration, contact the Service Desk.
Changing the default for an Item Bank
If your permissions and tenancy configuration allow you to change the setting:
Open the Item Bank.
Open Manage bank.
In the Properties tab, locate Default Content Privacy.
Select Private or Public.
Save the Item Bank.
Changing this setting does not change the privacy of existing content.
For example, changing an Item Bank’s default from Public to Private means:
New content will be Private.
Existing Public Content will remain Public.
Existing content must be changed separately if it should become Private.
Similarly, changing the default from Private to Public does not automatically make existing Private Content Public.
View the privacy setting of content
The Content Privacy column shows whether each content item is Private or Public.
The column is available in content lists within Item Banks, including Question and Question Set lists.
Change the privacy of individual content
You can change the privacy of individual content items, or select multiple items and change them together, where you have the required permissions.
The available action depends on:
Your tenancy's content privacy configuration.
Your permissions.
The current privacy setting of the selected content.
Make content Private
Making content Private restricts it to the content creator and any users or Access Groups with whom it has been explicitly shared.
Open the relevant content list in an Item Bank.
Select one or more Public content items.
Select Make Private.
Review the warning.
Confirm the change.
After the change:
The content is shown as Private in the Content Privacy column.
Users who previously accessed the content because it was Public may no longer be able to access it.
Any existing sharing arrangements are retained where applicable.
Users who need access can be given access through the Private Content sharing process.
For more information, see Sharing Private Content.
Make content Public
Making content Public makes it available to users with access to the relevant Item Bank, subject to their permissions.
Open the relevant content list in an Item Bank.
Select one or more Private content items.
Select Make Public.
Review the warning.
Confirm the change.
After the change:
The content is shown as Public in the Content Privacy column.
Users with access to the Item Bank can access it according to their Author role or CUR.
Individual content sharing is no longer required for those users.
Changing multiple content items
You can select multiple content items and change their privacy in a single action.
If the selection includes both Private and Public content, only the items that need to change will be updated. For example, selecting a mixture of Private and Public content and choosing Make Private will leave content that is already Private unchanged.
Review the confirmation message carefully before applying a bulk change, as the change may affect access for multiple users.
Supported content types
Content privacy can be managed for the following content types in an Item Bank:
Questions
Question Sets
Essay Toolbars & Special Characters
Math Symbol Palettes
Author Special Characters
Rubrics
Questions and Question Sets
Questions and Question Sets support:
Setting and converting between Private and Public states.
Explicitly sharing Private Content with individual users or Access Groups.
Other content types
The other content types listed above also support Private and Public privacy settings and can be converted between these states. However, they cannot be shared separately with individual users or Access Groups.
For these content types:
Private content is accessible only to the user who created it.
Public content is accessible to all users with access to the Item Bank.
Planners
Planners who are members of an Access Group associated with an Item Bank can attach Question Sets from that Item Bank to tests in Deliver.
The Question Sets available to the Planner depend on their Content Privacy setting:
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.
Private Question Sets: The Planner can see and attach a Private Question Set only when it has been shared with them individually or through an Access Group. They must also have access to the Item Bank.
This means that Item Bank access is sufficient for Public Question Sets, while Private Question Sets require both Item Bank access and content sharing.
Next Steps
Understanding Private and Public Content in Item Banks — Learn what Private and Public Content mean.
Sharing Private Content — Learn how to share Private Content with individual users and Access Groups.
Advanced Access Controls for Item Banks — Learn how Access Groups and Author roles or CURs control access.
Creating, Configuring and Managing Item Banks — Learn how to create and configure Item Banks.