Managing Permissions
The Blackboard Content Collection allows faculty to share files and folders not only with NIU users, but with colleagues from other institutions as well. Below you will find instructions on how to grant different user permissions for the content that resides in the Content Collection.
Types of Permissions
Permissions allow users to read and modify files and folders added to the Content Collection. To be able to read and modify files, faculty will need to have permissions set on the files to do that. Permissions are granted by the owner of the file. There are the following types of permissions in the Content Collection:
- Read - this permission allows users to view files and folders
- Write - this permission allows users to modify files and folders
- Remove - this permission allows users to remove files and folders
- Manage - this permission allows users to control the properties and settings of the files and folders
Note: Be careful who you grant write, remove, or manage permissions because your files and folders may be overwritten or entirely removed from the Content Collection.
Whenever you share a file or a folder with other users, or whenever you make a file or folder public (accessible to anyone), you will notice that the permissions icon next to the file or folder name has changed. An icon with a file and an extended hand means that that file or folder has been shared with at least one other user. If you see an icon with a file, an extened hand, and a globe next to a file or folder, it means that this file or folder has been made public or open to any user at NIU or outside NIU.
Sharing a File
By default, files and folders you create in the Content Collection system under My Content are only accessible to you. To share a file with another user, you need to modify the file's permissions. To do that, follow the following steps:
- Click on the hand icon next to the file
or click on the "Modify" link and in the next window select "Permissions."
- You can see that currently only you, the owner, have all permissions granted. To add another user to the list of those who will be able to access the file, click on "Add Users."
- If you know your colleague's or student's Username, you can simply enter it there. If you don't know the Username, you can search for it by Last and/or First Name by clicking on the "Browse" button.
Make sure Last name is selected, then type the user's last name and click search. After the user has been found, put a check mark next the name and click "Submit."
- Now you can select which permissions you would like to grant by putting a check mark next to the permission. When done, click "Submit."
- The user who has been granted permissions to the file, can now read and write to that file (in this particular example).
- If you would like to modify a file's permissions for a particular user, click on the "Modify" button to do that. You can add or remove permissions.
Sharing a Folder
The process of sharing a folder with another user at NIU is very similar to sharing a file.
- Click on the Permissions icon next the the folder name.
- Click on "Add Users."
- Enter the Username you would like to grant the folder access to. If you do not know the Username, refer to Step 3 under "File Permissions" on this page to find out how to locate users. Then select the permissions you would like to grant and click "Submit." If you would like to overwrite previous permissions, put a checkmark next to "Overwrite."
- The user who has been granted permissions to the folder, can now open (read) this folder. (in this particular example).
Making Files and Folders Public
You can share files and folders in the Content Collection not only with individual users at NIU but also with the whole course or organization, a particular group within a course you are teaching, and you can make a file or folder open to the public outside NIU.
When you would like to change permissions on a file or folder and share it with all students enrolled in your course, instead of clicking on "Add Users," click on the drop-down arrow to the right of "Course User List." Here you will see all groups of people you can give permissions to.
- Course User List - this option will allow you to grant permissions to everyone enrolled into a course you are either teaching or enrolled in
- Organization User List - this option will allow you to grant permissions to everyone enrolled into a community you are participating in
- Course Group User List - this option allows you to grant permissions to a group within a course you are teaching or enrolled in
- Organization Group User List - this option allows you to grant permissions to a group within an organization you are participating in
- Institution Role User List - this option allows you to select users by their institution role
- Public - selecting this option will make your file or folder accessible to anyone at NIU or outside
- All System Accounts - this option will grant permission to all users at NIU, but not outside public
To make a file or folder public, use the following steps:
- Click on the Permissions icon next the the folder or file name.
- Select "Public" from the drop-down menu. And click on "Go."
- Choose what kind of permissions you would like to grant. Be careful when you are opening your files to the general public. It is probably best to grant only the Read permission. Click Ok.
- The file or folder that you have made public is now accessible to anyone.
- When you open the Web Folder view, you can see the URL of the folder. You can share this URL with users outside NIU and they will be able to access the folder without needing an NIU Novell account to login in to Blackboard.
Creating Passes To Share Content With Users Outside NIU
Another way to open up a file to users outside NIU is to create a pass for that file. A pass is simply a URL to a file. Passes are used to share files with users who do not have access to the Content Collection. You cannot create a pass for a folder; it can only be done for a file.
Passes are distributed by e-mail. You will have to know the other user's e-mail to share a pass. Passes allow you to collaborate on projects with users outside NIU, who otherwise would not have had access to your files in the Content Collection.
To add a pass, use the following steps:
- Navigate to the folder where the file is located and click on "Modify" next to the file name.
- On the "Modify Item" page click on "Passes."
- Click on "Add Pass."
- Choose the settings for the pass. If you would like to set the expiration date, you can do it here or select "No Expiration" if you are setting the pass for an unlimited time. Then set the permissions for the file. Read will only allow users to view the file. The Read/Write permissions will allow the user to change the file and its properties. Click "Submit" to create the pass.
- You can see the URL of the pass that you have created.
- After you've created the pass, you can now e-mail it to your colleague. Click on "E-mail Pass" to send it to another user.
- If you set the Read/Write permissions on the pass, when the user you sent the pass to clicks on the link, he or she will see the "Item Information" page. The user can view the file or change its properties from this page. If you set only the Read permission, then you can either direct users to the "Item Information" page by selecting "Send recipients to file information page." or you can leave that option off. In such a case, the pass will be linked directly to the file.
Locating Shared Files
When another Blackboard user has shared a file with you, you will not automatically see it when you log in to Blackboard and click on the Content Collection. Shared files will NOT appear in your user account. You will have to use the Search feature in the Content Collection to locate files that somebody else has shared with you.
Refer to the page on Searching Content to find out how to find files or folders that have been shared with you.
Find more answers...
Are you looking for more information related to posting course content in Blackboard? Review the answers to frequently asked questions regarding course content in Blackboard. Also, consider attending one of the upcoming Blackboard workshops.
Last Updated: 12/29/2007
