Study of tools for the secure management of digital materials

You need to examine one or more tools that are used daily in higher education institutions — SharePoint and/or Moodle — and demonstrate how access rules, file sharing, role assignment, file protection, and other security settings are configured in these platforms. 

Task

Explore the tools commonly used in higher education — Moodle and SharePoint — and demonstrate the following:

• setting access rules
• file sharing
• assigning roles
• file protection and additional security features

The goal of this task is to understand how these tools:

• manage and verify user access
• protect and share educational resources (course materials, assignments, documents)
• apply security policies and data‑protection rules

Suggested steps for exploration

1. Moodle is often used as a platform for online teaching and exams. The focus is on role and resource management.

Roles and access:

• create users (student, teacher, guest)
• assign different roles (Teacher, Student, Manager, Guest)
• demonstrate how Course Settings → Users → Enrollment methods determine who can access a course

File sharing:

• upload resources such as PDFs, Word documents, or videos
• set file visibility (visible to all, hidden, available to a specific group, or conditional access)

File protection:

• apply restrict access rules (e.g., a file becomes available only after completing a quiz)
• configure permissions (e.g., students can only view, teachers can add content)

Additional:

• enable “Groups” → separate or visible groups, and demonstrate access limited to a specific group of students

2. SharePoint is used for teamwork and collaboration, often together with MS Teams. The focus is on document control and collaborative work.

Access rules (Permissions):

• create a Document Library and explain the difference between site permissions and library permissions
• assign roles: Owner, Member, Visitor

File sharing:

Upload a document and share it with:

• the entire team
• a specific user
• an external user (with or without editing rights)

File protection:

• apply Information Rights Management (IRM) to prevent printing, copying, or local saving
• set view‑only or edit rights for a document

Version control:

• enable versioning and demonstrate restoring an older version of a document
• demonstrate the check‑in/check‑out functionality

Expected outcomes

After completing this activity, you will understand:

• the difference between user roles and their permissions
• how to securely share files in an educational environment
• how to monitor and control access to educational content
• which best practices do higher‑education institutions use to protect digital resources

Additional materials (recommended for further study):

• Microsoft Learn – SharePoint Permissions
• Moodle Docs – Roles and Permissions