Moodle Assignment, Lesson and Quiz activities have a User Overrides option that allows you to change settings for specific students to provide accommodations, extensions, or make-up opportunities.
Before you start, you may need access to the following:
- an Instructor of record, Other editing teacher, or Non-editing teacher role in a Moodle course)
About overrides
User override adjustments are generally invisible to students. For example, if you add a User override to change a Quiz close date to allow an ill student to make it up, the Quiz will simply appear open to that student (assuming they log in before their new due date) and closed for everyone else. Moodle does not inform students that their settings are exceptional or if exceptions have been made.
Settings that can be changed for an individual student through an override:
- Open (start) and close (due, cutoff) dates -- Assignments, Lessons, and Quizzes
- Time limit, number of attempts allowed, password settings -- Lessons and Quizzes only
- Retake and try question again settings -- Lessons only
Warning: We do not recommend using Group Override. Although it can streamline the process of making adjustments for multiple students, it has two significant drawbacks: 1) You must create a course Group to use it and since there is no way to make a Group invisible to its members there is a risk of stigmatization; 2) Groups interact with all activity settings in complex ways, with unpredictable consequences.
Create a User override
- Open your Moodle course
- Click the title of the Assignment, Lesson or Quiz that needs to be overridden.
- Click on More > Overrides. Make sure you have User Override selected. You do not want to have Group Override selected unless you intend on creating an override for a group.
- Select User overrides from the drop-down menu, then click Add user override
- Search for and select a student's name.
- Select the Enable check box next to settings you want to override and enter the new values. The default activity settings will be applied to everything else. For example:
- To enable a student to make up an overdue Assignment, Enable and change only the close/due date.
- To give a student additional time on a Quiz, but require them to complete it by the class deadline, Enable and change only the time limit.
- Click Save or Save and enter another override.
Re-open a Quiz attempt
Occasionally you may need to re-open the quiz in a way that enables student can keep working on incomplete answers (rather than reattempt it anew), for example if in-progress quiz attempt is accidentally submitted too soon due to a student's mistake, system glitch, or power outage.
Moodle does not normally allow a submitted attempt to be re-opened, so you will need to use a workaround:
- First, follow the instructions above to Create a User override for the student, selecting Enable next to Attempts allowed and increasing the number by one, then Save
- Next change the Quiz Settings overall to enable attempts to build on each other:
- Click the Quiz title to open, then click the Settings tab.
- Click Question Behavior to expand, then Show more.
- Change the Each attempt builds on the last setting to Yes.
- Click Save and return to course.
- Finally, have your student open the course and restart the quiz.
- Their new attempt will begin where the interrupted one left off. Once they submit it, be sure to grade the new attempt, rather than the incomplete one.
- Since no other students were granted additional attempts, the Quiz remains closed for everyone else.
Videos & further reading on extensions on overrides
- MoodleDocs: Override permissions
Questions?
If you have any additional questions or problems, don't hesitate to reach out to the Help Desk!
Phone: 610-526-7440 | Library and Help Desk hours
Email: help@brynmawr.edu | Service catalog
Location: Canaday Library 1st floor
