Override permissions

Overrides are specific permissions designed to override a role in a specific context, allowing you to "tweak" your permissions as required. When you override a role in a specific context, you are actually creating a new role. The new role is local to the context. When you assign a user to the role in that context, only that user is affected by your overrides.

Overrides page

For example, users with the role Student can normally start new discussions in forums. Suppose there is one particular forum for which you want to restrict that capability for certain students. Within the forum, set an override that PREVENTS the capability for Students to "Start new discussions." Then assign selected students to the modified Student role. Students who have been assigned to the role will not be able to start discussions. Others will be able to start discussions.

Overrides can also be used to "open up" areas of your site and courses to give users extra permissions where it makes sense. For example, you may want to experiment giving Students the ability to grade some assignments.

The interface is similar to the one for defining roles, except sometimes only relevant capabilities are shown, and you will also see some capabilities highlighted to show you what the permission for that role would be WITHOUT any override active (ie when your override is set to INHERIT).

Enabling teachers to override roles

By default, only administrators are able to override roles. You can enable teachers to do so as follows:

1. Access Administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles
2. Edit the teacher role and change the capability moodle/role:override to allow
3. Click the button "Save changes"
4. Click the tab "Allow role overrides" (in Administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles)
5. Check the appropriate box to allow a teacher to override the student role
6. Click the button "Save changes"

If preferred, a new role for overriding the student role may be created and selected teachers assigned to it.