Restrict Access is a versatile setting within Moodle. Restrict Access is available for many activities and resources that are created. When you are in the settings menu for an activity or resource you will see Restrict Access available as an expandable menu towards the bottom of the page:

Once you expand this area you can choose to Add restriction...:

When you choose to Add restriction... you will be greeted with a new window containing different restriction options. The types of restrictions with brief definitions are detailed below:

To proceed past this area, you will need to select your desired restriction type. In this example, we will choose a User profile. Once you select user profile, you will see editable fields to declare the restriction:

The fields are explained below:

1. Choose whether a student must or must not match the stipulations for #2-5
2. This icon determines whether or not this restriction is visible for people that it doesn't pertain to
3. This allows you to choose a field that you would like to stipulate, such as First Name, Last Name, Username, etc.

4. Allows you to specify whether the field should be equal to, not equal to, or other options
5. The blank field in #5 is where you type in your stipulation (case sensitivity is important when dealing with names)

A completed example is below:

This example restricts the activity to only be available to users with the Last Name of Graham (G in Graham must be capitalized for this to work).

If I click on the eyeball to the left of the criterion, I can specify that I only want this item to be visible to people with the Last Name of Graham:

You are welcome to add multiple restrictions by selecting Add restriction... again. An example is provided below:


When using Multiple Restrictions, you will need to be careful of the top phrase Student must match all of the following. Generally when dealing with Last Names, you will want it to be any of the following specified below. The and in between the restrictions will then change to an or:

Once you are finished editing, do not forget to Save.

Tip:

It is a common practice to pair Restrict Access with Activity Completion. This allows you as the instructor to specify:

Activity X must be completed before Activity Y will open or become available.

These types of practices help the facilitator control the way a student navigates and progresses throughout a course in Moodle.