Hide/Unhide Topics

Most teachers choose the allow users to hide/unhide topics option, because that allows both you and your students to decide which topics to display within a module.

When you allow users to hide/unhide topics, the topic index - the web page they see when they first enter a module - has a few additional controls. Here's a student's view of the Handouts/Notices module, with the allow users to hide/unhide topics option enabled:

Hide/Unhide controls

Without getting into too much detail, the smiley-face icons next to each message, together with the "Hide 'sleepy' topics" link, allow you to decide which topics to display within a module.  This can be important for busy classrooms, since it allows you (and your students) to say, hide a message that was posted six weeks ago that you no longer want to see each time you enter the module.

If you "Enable this module, but don't allow users to hide/unhide topics", the controls highlighed above won't be available for that module.  Some teachers prefer it that way, since it provides a simpler page and makes it impossible for students to hide a message and claim they never saw it.