Learners see default Welcome window content even though Admins see correct content

Question

I've added content for Welcome windows to a couple of courses.  I followed the instructions, adding a module called "Welcome" to the Content (hidden from students), then added a new page to that with the info to be shown in the window.  Then when I try it as an Admin, it looks correct.  But when I either impersonate a Learner or login with my test Learner account, I see the default content telling me how to configure the window.  When I go back to my normal role, the content is there in the window.  What gives???

Janet.O.779 · Answer

Me too, @Gordon.W.2315! But I guess the focus is just on it popping up immediately when students first enter the course, not on the pages being hidden from view where they're housed.

Another video I watched suggested adding something to the Welcome module and then just deleting and replacing that with other things as you go along in your course…that is, using it as a spotlight so students just can't miss seeing something. Examples were a welcome message from your announcements widget copy-pasted into an html page in the Welcome module, or a link to an activity (e.g., a quiz) added into the module using the "Add Existing" button. Those are interesting ideas.

Gordon.W.2315 · Answer

Oh, yeah, that works.  Wonder why I didn't try that? 😁 Thanks!

I thought the whole idea was that it remained hidden in your Content???

Janet.O.779 · Answer

Hi, @Gordon.W.2315.

I was able to duplicate the puzzling results you describe… and then fix it by unhiding the Content!

This is somewhat puzzling design to me too, because I wouldn't have assumed you'd want them to see it in Content too as well as in/on the Homepage… but I watched someone's demo video for using the Welcome Widget (not a D2L-created video) and they suggested adding availability start and end dates onto the items added into the Welcome module (they had the module at the bottom/end of their course content). That kinda makes sense…