Roles, Permissions and Access
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Roles and permissions
Permissions allow users to access certain features and perform certain functions within Canvas and these permissions are dependent on the role that a user has been given. In Canvas there are two levels of role: course level (NU Module) and school level (Canvas sub-account).
- A course level role gives a user permission within an individual course (module). A user can have different roles within different courses. Any colleague that is enrolled to a Canvas course as a Teacher can add another user to that course and assign the appropriate role.
- At Newcastle University, each school has its own Canvas sub-account and all courses associated with the school are held here.
Teacher
Profile for this role:
I lead or teach on a module(s) and need full editing and grading permissions on the associated Canvas course(s).
Key permissions include:
- view, create, edit and delete course content
- collaborate with and communicate to students
- view, mark and provide feedback on assignments
- select final mark on moderated assignments
- view student and course analytics and reports
- add other users to a course
- change the status of a course
External Examiner
Profile for this role:
I am an External Examiner for the University who requires read only access to assessment information within a particular course(s). I may also need to view learning materials within the course where relevant.
This role could also be given to other colleagues who may need read only with Grades access to a course.
Key permissions include:
- read only access to course content including Announcements, Discussions, and Assessments
- view only access to the course Gradebook
Please note: Before an external colleague can be given this role in a Canvas course, they must first have a temporary University account which can be created by IT Services. Once they have a University account, they will receive a Canvas account overnight and can then be added to the relevant courses.
Teaching Assistant
Profile for this role:
I help with the delivery of a module, e.g. a PGR contributing to teaching. I may need to communicate with students, add learning materials including assessments and collaborative activities and/or mark assignments.
Key permissions include:
- view, create, edit and delete course content
- collaborate with and communicate to students
- view, mark and provide feedback on assignments
- view student and course analytics and reports
This role does not have the ability to view student and module statistics and reports, change the status of a course and add users to a course.
Observer
This is a Canvas base (default) role. If someone is given an observer role but is not attached to any students, then they will just see the course content (including announcements and discussions) as if they were a student.
Profile for this role:
I am a student who needs to view the content of a course without completing assessment or receiving credit.
I am a staff member within a school/unit and need read only access to course content. I am not required to contribute so 'Read Only' access allows review and sharing of best practice.
Key permissions include:
- view course materials as a student
- view announcements
- view discussions but cannot contribute
Course Designer
This is another Canvas base (default) role. We do not have a use case for this role at Newcastle University, but this role cannot be renamed or removed.
Key permissions include, but are not limited to:
- view, create, edit and delete course content
- collaborate with and communicate to students
- view, mark and provide feedback on assignments
- add other users to a course
Users with this role cannot grade assessments or view student and module statistics or reports.
School (Sub-Account) level roles
School level roles give set permissions that are applicable across all courses within a school. Colleagues who require this level of access will need to get the relevant approval from their school before a role can be allocated.
Sub-Account Administrator
Example profile for this role:
I am a member of Professional Services who co-ordinates and support many/all modules within a school/service. I need to perform administrative duties across multiple courses in a non-restrictive role.
Key permissions include:
- Access all courses within the school
- Add, edit and delete content, including collaborative or assessed activities, in any course within the school
- Create, edit and delete school level announcements
- Add/remove users from any course within the school
- Change the status of any courses within the school
- Edit the school blueprint and cascade changes to all associated courses
- Access and manage the grades area in any course within the school
LT Coordinator
Example profile for this role:
I am a DELT, DPD or Professional Services colleague who needs access to courses across multiple programmes of study. I need to be able to add or edit content to these courses, create assignment submission points and communicate with students.
Key permissions include:
- access all courses within the school
- add, edit and delete content, including course discussions and assessments, in any course within the school
- add/remove Teachers/Teaching Assistants to courses within a school
- read only access to the grades area in any course within the school
- view list of users within any course within the school
Read Only
Example profile for this role:
I am a Library colleague and I provide support for module reading lists.
Key permissions include:
- access a list of courses within the school
- read only access to the content in any course within the school, not including the grades area
- view the SIS ID of any course within the school
Process for Approval
- Each school should decide what the appropriate level of approval is within their school. This information will need to be communicated to LTDS@ncl.ac.uk and the names of those who can approve access within each school will be collated and shared with the IT Service Desk.
- If colleagues require a Canvas role at a school level then they should request approval from the school by the Head of school or nominee. The recommended role given at this level should be Read Only unless a case is provided for permissions over and above what this role allows. The L&T Coordinator role would then be the recommended role. Given the level of permissions granted to the Sub-Account Admin role, this should be very much limited to those where this level of access is essential e.g. School L&T Managers.
- Any colleague with approval from their school should forward their request, indicating the role needed, together with the required approval to the IT Service Desk to be actioned.
- The Head of School or nominee, will need to review the list of colleagues who have already been allocated a role at the school level (provided by the LTDS VLE lead) to ensure this level of access is still appropriate.
- The VLE Lead in LTDS will contact the Head of School or nominee, annually in September to review the list of colleagues who have a school level role within their school to ensure this list is accurate.
External Access to Canvas
The Canvas Implementation Team receive many requests for external colleagues to have access to Canvas. This may include, but is not limited to, External Examiners, Guest Lecturers and NHS Clinicians.
A University IT account needs to be created first for external colleagues to gain access to Canvas. Full details of staff IT account eligibility, requirements for access and the staff registration form can be found on the IT Service website.
Request for information
The project team would like to determine if there are any use cases where external colleagues to the University, aside from those detailed on the IT website, may require access to Canvas but do not need a University IT account.
If you feel you have any such instances in your Academic Unit, please could you complete the External Access to Canvas form with the details of this.
Please note, completing this form does not guarantee external colleagues will get access to Canvas without following existing University processes, but the Canvas Implementation team will review the information provided and will respond to your request as soon as possible.
