Course Roles & Permissions

Canvas @ Yale supports differentiated roles to control access and permissions of users in a course.

Faculty Roles

Instructor

  • Primary Use: Official instructor(s) of record for the course. These users will be automatically added to course sites by the registration system.
  • Permissions: Full course permissions to add / edit / delete / copy course content and manage manually added users.
  • Limitations: Cannot manage users that are automatically enrolled by the registration system.

Guest Instructor

  • Primary Use: Unofficial users that need instructor level permissions but are not the official instructor of record. These users must be manually added by the course Instructor or a TA.
  • Permissions: Full course permissions to add / edit / delete / copy course content and manage manually added users.
  • Limitations: Cannot manage users that are automatically enrolled by the registration system.

Course Support Roles

TA

  • Primary Use: Teaching fellows and teaching assistants who will be supporting the instructor(s) for a course. These users must be manually added by the course Instructor or a TA.
  • Permissions: Full course permissions to add / edit / delete / copy course content and manage manually added users.
  • Limitations: Cannot manage users that are automatically enrolled by the registration system. Also, the TA role can be restricted so that they can only view the course section they are assigned to manage.

Grader

The Grader role is NOT anonymous in Canvas. If you need an anonymous grader, please contact canvas@yale.edu for more information.

  • Primary Use: TAs or other staff who will be grading assignments. These users must be manually added by the course Instructor or a TA.
  • Permissions: Add / edit student grades and add / edit / delete assignments and quizzes.
  • Limitations: Cannot manage users or any other course content.

ULA (Undergraduate Learning Assistant)

For more information regarding the usage of ULAs in a course, please reference the Yale College Guidelines for Teaching with Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULAs) support page.

  • Primary Use: Undergraduate students who are providing peer tutoring and academic support in a class. These users must be manually added by the course Instructor or a TA.
  • Permissions: Add / edit / delete assignments, quizzes and discussions, as well as add / edit / delete course files. Can send announcements.
  • Limitations: Cannot manage users, or grade activities.

Designer

  • Primary Use: Departmental and administrative staff supporting the creation of course sites. These users must be manually added by the course Instructor or a TA.
  • Permissions: Add / edit / delete course content. Can add other TAs and Guest Instructors.
  • Limitations: Cannot manage student users and cannot update / edit student grades.

Accessibility Support

  • Primary Use: Accessibility support staff that are assisting faculty.
  • Permissions: Add / edit / delete course assignments, files, announcements, discussions, and pages.
  • Limitations: Cannot manage users, cannot update / edit / view student grades, and cannot add / edit / delete all other course content.

Librarian

  • Primary Use: Librarian staff that are assisting faculty.
  • Permissions: Add LibGuides links to Course Navigation.
  • Limitations: Cannot manage users, cannot update / edit / view student grades, and cannot add / edit / delete course content.

Viewer

  • Primary Use: For users who would like to view the course only.
  • Permissions: View course content and post to discussions.
  • Limitations: Cannot view or modify course settings or view other students’ grades or assignments.

Student Roles

Student

Avoid manually adding users to course sites with the Student role. This role should be reserved for officially registered students who have added the course to their Registration Worksheet. Users with this role will be added to a Canvas course through the official Banner feed.

  • Primary Use: Students who have added the course to their Registration Worksheet in Yale Course Search to officially enroll in a course. These users will be automatically added to course sites by the registration system.
  • Permissions: View course content and participate in course activities and assignments.
  • Limitations: Cannot view or modify course settings or view other students’ grades or assignments.

Visitor

Avoid manually adding users to course sites with the Visitor role. This role should be reserved for students adding courses to their Canvas Worksheet. Users with this role will be added to a Canvas course through the official Banner feed.

All Visitor enrollments will be removed at the end of the Add / Drop period. If a student (or instructor) wants their Visitor role removed before the end of Add / Drop, they will need to remove the course from their Canvas Worksheet.

  • Primary Use: Students who have added the course to their Canvas Worksheet in Yale Course Search because they are interested in, but not ready to officially register for a course. These users will be automatically added to course sites by the registration system.
  • Permissions: View course content and participate in course activities and assignments. Visitors have the same permissions in the course as users with the Student role.
  • Limitations: Cannot view or modify course settings or view other students’ grades or assignments.

Guest Student

  • Primary Use: People who are unofficially requesting to audit or participate in a course. These users must be manually added by the course Instructor or a TA.
  • Permissions: View course content and participate in course activities and assignments. Guest Students have the same permissions in the course as users with the Student role.
  • Limitations: Cannot view or modify course settings or view other students’ grades or assignments.

Auditor

Avoid manually adding users to course sites with the Auditor role. This role should be reserved for officially registered students. Users with this role will be added to a Canvas course through the official Banner feed.

  • Primary Use: Students who have officially registered to audit a course. These users will be automatically added to course sites by the registration system.
  • Permissions: View course content and participate in course activities and assignments. Auditors have the same permissions in the course as users with the Student role.
  • Limitations: Cannot view or modify course settings or view other students’ grades or assignments.

Course Roles to Avoid Using

Teacher

  • Primary Use: Please do not use.
  • Permissions: Full course permissions to add / edit / delete / copy course content and manage manually added users.
  • Limitations: Cannot manage users that are automatically enrolled by the registration system.

Observer

This is a default Canvas role and is not recommended for use.

  • Primary Use: Typically used in the K-12 arena to allow parents to view and monitor their children’s progress.
  • Permissions: View course content. When linked to a student account, this user can also see the associated student’s assignment submissions and grades.
  • Limitations: Cannot add / edit / delete content or participate in any activities.

Course Role Permissions

Permissions Instructor Guest Instructor Sandbox Instructor
Analytics - view pages Yes Yes Yes
Announcements - view Yes Yes Yes
Conversations - send messages to entire class Yes Yes Yes
Conversations - send messages to individual course members Yes Yes Yes
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete Yes Yes Yes
Courses - change visibility Yes Yes No
Custom Links - manage Yes Yes Yes
Discussions - create Yes Yes Yes
Discussions - moderate Yes Yes Yes
Discussions - post Yes Yes Yes
Discussions - view Yes Yes Yes
Grades - edit Yes Yes Yes
Grades - select final grade for moderation Yes Yes Yes
Grades - view all grades Yes Yes Yes
Grades - view audit trail No No No
Groups - view all student groups Yes Yes Yes
Intelligent Insights - Students in Need of Attention - Course Level Yes Yes Yes
Item Banks - manage account No No No
Item Banks - share with subaccounts No No No
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete Yes Yes Yes
Learning Outcomes - import Yes Yes Yes
Manage Assignments and Quizzes - add / delete / edit Yes Yes Yes
Manage Course Content - add / delete / edit Yes Yes Yes
Manage Course Files - add / delete / edit Yes Yes Yes
Manage Course Sections - add / delete / edit No No No
Manage Courses - conclude No No No
Manage Courses - delete No No No
Manage Courses - publish Yes Yes Yes
Manage Courses - reset No No No
Manage Differentiation Tags - add / delete / manage Yes Yes Yes
Manage Groups - add / delete / manage Yes Yes Yes
Manage LTI - add  No No No
Manage LTI - delete Yes Yes Yes
Manage LTI - edit  Yes Yes Yes
Manage Pages - create / delete / update Yes Yes Yes
Question banks - view and link Yes Yes Yes
Reports - manage Yes Yes Yes
Rubrics - add / edit / delete Yes Yes Yes
SIS Data - read Yes Yes Yes
Student Collaborations - create Yes Yes Yes
Submissions - Submit on behalf of student Yes Yes Yes
Users - allow administrative actions in courses Yes Yes Yes
Users - view list Yes Yes Yes
Users - view login IDs Yes Yes Yes
Users - view primary email address Yes Yes Yes
Web Conferences - create Yes Yes Yes
Permissions Student Guest Student Visitor Auditor
Analytics - view pages No No No No
Announcements - view Yes Yes Yes Yes
Conversations - send messages to entire class No No No No
Conversations - send messages to individual course members Yes Yes Yes Yes
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete No No No No
Courses - change visibility No No No No
Custom Links - manage No No No No
Discussions - create Yes Yes Yes Yes
Discussions - moderate No No No No
Discussions - post Yes Yes Yes Yes
Discussions - view Yes Yes Yes Yes
Grades - edit No No No No
Grades - select final grade for moderation No No No No
Grades - view all grades No No No No
Grades - view audit trail No No No No
Groups - view all student groups No No No No
Intelligent Insights - Students in Need of Attention - Course Level No No No No
Item Banks - manage account No No No No
Item Banks - share with subaccounts No No No No
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete No No No No
Learning Outcomes - import No No No No
Manage Assignments and Quizzes - add / delete / edit No No No No
Manage Course Content - add / delete / edit No No No No
Manage Course Files - add / delete / edit No No No No
Manage Course Sections - add / delete / edit No No No No
Manage Courses - conclude No No No No
Manage Courses - delete No No No No
Manage Courses - publish No No No No
Manage Courses - reset No No No No
Manage Differentiation Tags - add / delete / manage No No No No
Manage Groups - add / delete / manage No No No No
Manage LTI - add  No No No No
Manage LTI - delete No No No No
Manage LTI - edit  No No No No
Manage Pages - create / delete / update No No No No
Question banks - view and link No No No No
Reports - manage No No No No
Rubrics - add / edit / delete No No No No
SIS Data - read No No No No
Student Collaborations - create Yes Yes Yes Yes
Submissions - Submit on behalf of student No No No No
Users - allow administrative actions in courses No No No No
Users - view list Yes Yes Yes Yes
Users - view login IDs No No No No
Users - view primary email address No No No No
Web Conferences - create Yes Yes Yes Yes

Please scroll to the right within this table as there are additional columns that may not display immediately.

Permissions TA Grader ULA Designer Librarian Accessibility Support Viewer
Analytics - view pages Yes Yes No No No No No
Announcements - view Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Conversations - send messages to entire class Yes No Yes Yes No No No
Conversations - send messages to individual course members Yes No Yes Yes No No No
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete Yes No Yes Yes No No No
Courses - change visibility Yes No No Yes Yes No No
Custom Links - manage Yes No No Yes No No No
Discussions - create Yes No Yes Yes No No No
Discussions - moderate Yes No Yes Yes No No No
Discussions - post Yes No Yes Yes No No No
Discussions - view Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Grades - edit Yes Yes No No No No No
Grades - select final grade for moderation No No No No No No No
Grades - view all grades Yes Yes No No No No No
Grades - view audit trail No No No No No No No
Groups - view all student groups Yes No Yes Yes No No No
Intelligent Insights - Students in Need of Attention - Course Level No No No No No No No
Item Banks - manage account No No No No No No No
Item Banks - share with subaccounts No No No No No No No
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete No No No No No No No
Learning Outcomes - import No No No No No No No
Manage Assignments and Quizzes - add / delete / edit Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Manage Course Content - add / delete / edit Yes No No Yes No No No
Manage Course Files - add / delete / edit Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No
Manage Course Sections - add / delete / edit No No No Yes No No No
Manage Courses - conclude No No No No No No No
Manage Courses - delete No No No No No No No
Manage Courses - publish Yes No No Yes No No No
Manage Courses - reset No No No No No No No
Manage Differentiation Tags - add / delete / manage No No No No No No No
Manage Groups - add / delete / manage Yes No Yes Yes No No No
Manage LTI - add  No No No No No No No
Manage LTI - delete Yes No No Yes Yes No No
Manage LTI - edit  Yes No No Yes Yes No No
Manage Pages - create / delete / update Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No
Question banks - view and link Yes Yes No Yes No No No
Reports - manage Yes No No Yes No No No
Rubrics - add / edit / delete Yes Yes No Yes No No No
SIS Data - read No No No No No No No
Student Collaborations - create Yes No Yes No No No No
Submissions - Submit on behalf of student No No No No No No No
Users - allow administrative actions in courses Yes No No Yes No No No
Users - view list Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No
Users - view login IDs Yes No No No No No No
Users - view primary email address Yes No No No No No No
Web Conferences - create Yes No Yes No No No No