Override settings allow an instructor to provide specific students with time limits, number of attempts, and open and/or close dates for a quiz that vary from the settings established for the rest of the class. Common situations requiring overrides include special-needs students who need a longer time limit, technical difficulties while attempting a quiz, or family- or job-related emergencies that require a different date range for quiz availability.
These settings can also apply to an assigned group of students. Please note that if a student is assigned both a user override and a group override, the override with the most generous parameters will apply.
Selecting a Student for a User Override
- Access the quiz you would like to grade.
- Locate the Administration block and select the User overrides link under Quiz administration. You may notice that Group overrides are indicated directly above; you can use this hyperlink if you wish to set special parameters for an assigned group of students.
- Only the Add user override button will display if there are no overrides programmed. Select the Add user override button.
- Enter the student’s first or last name in the search box labeled Override user.
- Select the name of the student for whom to provide an override.
Specifying User Override Conditions
- Require Password: Select the Unmask checkbox to implement additional security with a quiz password; enter a password in the field.
- Open the Quiz and Close the Quiz: Select the Enable check box to specify a student’s available timeframe to complete the quiz; enter the date and time for each field.(Note: Students who do not have this override programmed will not be able to re-enter the quiz during this time.)
- Time Limit: To set a unique time limit, select the Enable checkbox and enter the number in the field. You can select whether this is counted in seconds, minutes, hours, days, or weeks.
- Attempts Allowed: You may select a specific number of attempts or unlimited attempts.(Note: You must select at least a “2” here if the student has already taken the quiz once. Otherwise, the first attempt will still be counted as complete and the quiz will remain closed.)
Applying New Quiz Conditions
Select the Save button after selecting the desired settings to return to the User overrides page. Or, select the Save and enter another override button to change the quiz settings for another student. The User overrides page will now display the specifics of the override page.
Interested in learning more about how you can use assessments and universal design for learning (UDL) principles in your online course? Feel free to explore the following articles on our Center for Teaching and Learning:
- Basics of Online Assessment
- Universal Design for Learning: The Recognition Network
- Universal Design for Learning: The Strategic Network