In a Canvas course, a user’s role determines how they can interact with the content and other users. Below is a simplified explanation of what various user roles can and cannot do in a Canvas course.
| Permissions | Teacher | Course Admin | Designer | TA | Undergrad TA | Observer1 | Student2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View published content | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔3 | ✔ |
| Manage content (add/edit/delete, publish and unpublish content) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| View unpublished content | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Add/Remove users4 | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| View Student Grades; Grade Assignments/ Discussions/ Quizzes | ✔ | ✔ | ✘5 | ✔ | ✘6 | ✘ | Can view their own posted grades |
| Create and manage course Discussions | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Can create and view only | ✘ | Can create (w/ special settings), view, and post |
| Generate Course Usage Reports | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Send Announcements | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Create Assessments | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘7 | ✘ | ✘ |
| Add Calendar Events | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Only on personal calendar | Only on personal calendar | Only on personal calendar |
| Create Groups | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
1 Observers are basically read-only users in Canvas courses.
2 Waitlisted Students: Any student who is on the official class waitlist will have their Canvas course role set to “SIS Waitlisted.”
Audit Students: Students who are officially auditing the class will have Canvas role display “SIS Audit.”
Instructors will see this role on the People page in their course. Students who have either of these two Canvas course roles will continue to have the same level access to the course as any other enrolled student.
3 Observers are not restricted from seeing content in modules that are locked by prerequisites.
4 Managed enrollment users cannot be removed manually.
5 If a Designer has ever been a different role in the course, they may be able to access student answers and grades on New Quizzes and some third-party tools.
6 Undergrad TAs are able to access student answers and grades on New Quizzes and some third-party tools.
7 Undergrad TAs are able to access the settings of existing New Quizzes, can change questions, and can generate answer keys.
