This article will be most useful for Concourse admins.

Overview

Before You Begin

1. Yes/No: Yes/No permission is selected for a limited number of course features: View User List, Files (if enabled), and Display Group CVs (if enabled). If Yes is selected for these features, then the selected group has permission to engage with the feature. For example, if all three are set to yes, then Instructors can upload or delete course files and view the list of all users registered for the course, and the Instructors’ CVs display.
2. None: The item category does not present to the user group selected. If None is selected for the Syllabus item, the user group receives an error message when attempting to view a syllabus. If None is selected for syllabus items, such as Contact Information and Meeting Times, then those items do not appear on the syllabus at all for the selected group.
3. View: The item category presents to the user group selected. The user group can access or view the item category but not edit it. 
4. Edit: The user group selected can both view and edit the item category. 
5. Inherit: For existing items cloned from another syllabus, users in the selected group inherit the permissions assigned to the cloned item on its originating syllabus (most likely a template); when adding new items to the syllabus, users in the selected group inherit the permissions assigned to the syllabus item.
6. Syllabus: Permission for the Syllabus item takes precedence over other item category permissions:
1. If the Syllabus item is set to None, users in the selected group cannot access the syllabus and receive an error message when attempting to do so. The user group cannot view or edit any item categories regardless of what permissions are set on other items.
2. If the Syllabus item is set to View, users in the selected group can access the syllabus and view the item categories that are also set to View, but the user group cannot edit any syllabus content. The user group cannot edit any item categories regardless of what permissions are set on other items.
3. If the Syllabus item is set to Edit, users in the selected group can access the syllabus and view or edit other item categories according to the permissions assigned. For example, if the Syllabus item is set to Edit and the Materials item is set to Edit, the group can edit the Materials item. If the Syllabus item is set to Edit and the Objectives item is set to View, the group can view but not edit the Objectives item.
   

Special Considerations for Concourse Starter

System Admins can set permission for the user group to view the user list, manage files (if enabled), and display the user group’s CV (if enabled); however, there is only one item permission to select: Syllabus. Permissions for the Syllabus item also work slightly differently in Concourse Starter:

1. None: The user group cannot access the syllabus and receive an error message when attempting to do so.
2. View: The user group can view the uploaded syllabus document, but is not able to upload a new syllabus or replace an existing syllabus.
3. Edit: The user group can upload a new syllabus document, view the uploaded syllabus document, and replace an existing syllabus by uploading a new document.

With this information in mind, let’s set Initial Group Permissions in your Concourse system.

How to Set Initial Group Permissions

To set initial group permissions, system administrators should follow the steps below:

1. Select Admin in the main navigation menu.
2. In the Admin dropdown, select System.
3. On the Configure System page, select the option to Set initial group permissions for new courses and syllabus content categories.
4. On the Initial Group Permissions page, select the group whose permissions are to be set.
5. Select the appropriate permission for selected syllabus items.
6. Select Save at the bottom of the page (See image below.).
   

Best Practices and Recommendations

Because Initial Group Permissions can have widespread impacts on your Concourse system, we recommend that you exercise caution, consult other stakeholders at your institution, and assess your current system configuration before implementing any changes. Keep in mind the following best practices as well:

1. Confirming group permissions should be a part of regular system maintenance; if you don’t currently assess group permissions, you can get started by generating a group permissions report. This report can provide useful context prior to setting Initial Group Permissions.
2. Initial Group Permissions settings only apply to syllabus items that have not yet been added to an existing syllabus in your system. If changes need to be made to existing courses’ group permissions, System Admins can set group permissions en masse instead.
3. Note that if an item is deleted from a syllabus and added again later, it will be treated as a new item and will receive the same permissions as the Syllabus item.
4. When items are copied to or copied from another syllabus, only the content is being copied, not the permissions applied to the item. The group permissions on the syllabus receiving content remain unchanged.
5. When setting group permissions, be aware of the requirements for copying syllabus content. Instructors and other editors must have View permission on an item category in order to copy its content to another syllabus; Instructors and other editors must have Edit permission on an item category in the destination syllabus in order to receive content from another syllabus. 

If you have any questions about Initial Group Permissions, please reach out to support@campusconcourse.com to let us know how we can help. If your institution is in the implementation process, contact your implementation team for assistance.