Start with visibility. New content is hidden from students until you show it, which is useful while you build. One caution: set visibility before you set release conditions, because if an item is hidden from a student, it stays hidden no matter what a release rule says. You can use the show and hide control to test how a release plan will behave.

For timing, there is no single right answer, and the point is to have a clear reason for the choice you make. Some instructors open everything at once so students can work ahead; others release week by week so attention is not pulled to week 12 during week 1. Blackboard lets you set release conditions so content appears by date, for specific members or groups, or after a student meets a performance condition. Used lightly, release conditions keep students on a sensible path; used heavily, they frustrate, so apply them only where sequence genuinely matters.