Introduction 

Instructors might be asked to provide accommodations to students to ensure equitable access to course materials and assessments. Brightspace offers several tools to help instructors customize settings for individual students.  

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This guide will walk you through the steps to set extra time on quizzes, provide additional quiz attempts, and adjust quiz or assignment settings for individual students, called “Special Access” in Brightspace. By following these instructions, you can effectively support your students’ diverse learning needs.

Table of Contents 

  1. Set Extra Time on All Quizzes for an Individual Student
  2. Set Extra Time for an Individual Quiz
  3. Provide Additional Attempts in Quizzes
  4. Set Different Availability and Due Dates in Quizzes
  5. Set Different Availability and Due Dates in Assignments

1. Set Extra Time on All Quizzes for an Individual Student

Steps:

  1. From the course navigation bar, select ‘Tools’ and select ‘Classlist’ from the drop-down menu.
  1. Locate the student, select the chevron icon to the right of the student’s name, and select ‘Edit Accommodations’ from the dropdown menu.
  1. Check the Modify Time Limit checkbox and select how you would like to enter the student(s) accommodations.
    Multiplier of original quiz time:  For example, you can allow for  1.5 times the original quiz time (sometimes referred to as time and a half). For a 30-minute quiz, the student with this accommodation would have 45 minutes to complete the quiz.
    Extra time:  This option allows you to allocate a specific amount of extra time, such as 20 minutes, to each quiz. For example, for a 30-minute quiz, the student would have 50 minutes to complete the quiz.
  1. Select Save to save these settings.
  2. You should see an icon next to the student’s name, indicating that the student now has accommodations for all quizzes within the course.

2. Set Extra Time for an Individual Quiz

Steps:

  1. From the course navigation bar, select ‘Activities’ and select ‘Quizzes’ from the dropdown menu.
  2. Select the quiz you’d like to modify. After going into the quiz, select ‘Availability Dates & Conditions’ on the left and select ‘Manage Special Access’.
  3. In the Manage Special Access dialog, select one of the following options:
  • Allow users with special access to submit outside the normal availability dates for this folder
  • Allow only users with special access to see this folder

Select Add Users to Special Access to proceed.

  1. Under Timing, select ‘Override time limit’ to customize the time allowed for the selected learner(s).
  • Choosing “Set time limit” to specify a new time limit. You can also define the action that occurs when the time limit expires by selecting the appropriate option under “When the Time Limit Expires.
  • Choose “No time limit” if you want the learner(s) to have unlimited time to complete the quiz.
  1. For settings under ‘Attempts’, refer to Provide Additional Attempts in Quizzes.
  2. In the Users area, select the learners you want to give special access to by checking the checkbox before their name. After setting up, select Save.
  3. Make sure that you have saved all the changes before exiting the Quiz editing page as well.

3. Provide Additional Attempts in Quizzes

Steps:

  1. From the course navigation bar, select ‘Activities’. And select ‘Quizzes’ from the drop-down menu.
  1. Select the quiz you’d like to modify. Select ‘Availability Dates & Conditions’ on the right.
  2. Select ‘Manage Special Access’.
  1. In the Manage Special Access dialog, select one of the following options:
  • Allow users with special access to submit outside the normal availability dates for this folder
  • Allow only users with special access to see this folder
  1. Select ‘Add Users to Special Access’ to proceed.
  • “Allow selected users special access to this quiz” is the default and is used to set different access specific to the learner/instructor’s needs.
  • “Allow only users with special access to see this quiz” can be used to isolate quiz visibility and access to a subset of users. When enacted, the quiz is visible only to selected users.
  1. Under Attempts, select ‘Override attempts allowed’, set up the number of attempts allowed, and select ‘Apply’.
  1. Under Users, select the student(s) who need additional attempts. After setting up, select ‘Save’.
  1. Once returned to the Special Access page, select ‘Save and close’.
  1. Make sure that you have saved all changes before exiting the quiz editing page.

4. Set Different Availability and Due Dates in Quizzes

Steps:

  1. From the course navigation bar, select ‘Activities’ and select ‘Quizzes’ from the dropdown menu.
  2. Select the quiz you’d like to modify. After going into the quiz, select ‘Availability Dates & Conditions’ on the left and select ‘Manage Special Access’.

In the Manage Special Access dialog, select one of the following options:

  • Allow users with special access to submit outside the normal availability dates for this folder
  • Allow only users with special access to see this folder

Select Add Users to Special Access to proceed.

  1. Due Dates:
  • To give learners who have special access a different quiz due date, select ‘Has Due Date’ checkbox and set the due date for the quiz.
  1. Availability Dates:
  • Under Availability, select ‘Has Start Date’ and ‘Has End Date’ checkboxes and set the date availability for when you want learners to have special access to the quiz.

Make sure that you have saved all the changes before exiting the Quiz editing page.

5. Set Different Availability and Due Dates in Assignments

  1. From the course navigation bar, select ‘Activities’ > ‘Assignments’ from the dropdown menu.
  1. On the Assignments page, select the chevron icon next to the assignment you’d like to modify and select ‘Edit Assignment’. On the next page, select ‘Availability Dates & Conditions’ on the right and select ‘Manage Special Access’.
  1. In the Manage Special Access dialog, select one of the following options:
  • Allow users with special access to submit outside the normal availability dates for this folder
  • Allow only users with special access to see this folder
  1. Select ‘Add Users to Special Access’ to proceed.
  1. Due Dates:
  • To give learners who have special access a different assignment due date, select ‘Has Due Date’ checkbox and set the due date for the assignment.
  1. Availability Dates:
  • Under Availability, select ‘Has Start Date’ and ‘Has End Date’ checkboxes and set the date availability for when you want learners to have special access to the assignment.
  1. In the Users area, select the learners you want to give special access to by checking the checkbox before their name. After setting up, select ‘Save’.
  1. Make sure that you have saved all the changes before exiting the Assignment editing page.

Support and Resources


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OFDIT Newsletter March 2025 – SPS Faculty Community Hub

OFDIT Newsletter March 2025 – SPS Faculty Community Hub

[…] to a student or group of students for an individual assignment after a due date? Check out our Setting Accommodations in Brightspace teaching guide to learn how to provide these common accommodations in your […]

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