Roles in Canvas are set for each course and determine the access and capabilities of the user. Teachers have the ability to add and assign additional roles to people in a course, providing users with additional privileges.
Currently, UCSB is using Canvas' default roles with the addition of the Librarian and Undergraduate Learning Assistant role. We are soliciting feedback for other roles that need to be added or adjusted. If you have suggestions or feedback, please email help@collaborate.ucsb.edu.
Teacher: Instructors are automatically assigned to the Teacher role in Canvas if they are listed as the Instructor of Record on GOLD.
- Full access to course, including adding and managing all content, activities, and student grades. Teachers can also publish course, update course settings, and add users to the course in all roles.
TA: TAs are automatically assigned to the TA role in a Canvas course if they are listed as a TA in GOLD.
- Similar access to the Teacher role -- TAs can add, edit, and delete all content and activities. They can view and modify student grades.
- TAs can add users to the course in the Student or Observer role but cannot add users in the Teacher, Designer, or TA roles.
- TAs have access to a course when it is unpublished.
- TAs cannot publish a course.
Student: Students are automatically added to the Canvas site in this role if they are enrolled in the course on GOLD.
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Can view and participate in courses, including submitting assignments and participating in discussions. They can also view their own grades in activities and in the gradebook (if grades are published).
- Students cannot access a course unless it is published.
Designer:
- Can add, edit, and delete course content including assignments, discussions, and quizzes.
- Designers do not have access to view or modify student grades.
Librarian:
- Same permissions as the Designer role.
Observer:
- Can view course content and discussions
- Observers cannot participate, submit assignments or quizzes, or grade student assignments.
Undergraduate Learning Assistant:
- Can view course content (including unpublished resources) and participate in discussions. They can also view the course roster and send inbox messages to individual students.
- ULAs cannot add, edit, or delete course content nor can they access to view or modify student grades. They also cannot submit assignments or quizzes.
Colleague:
- Common use case: Sharing materials and allow another instructor to import course materials into their own course site.
- Can view published and unpublished course materials.
- Cannot view student information including Discussions, submissions, and grades.
- Can preview Classic Quizzes, cannot preview New Quizzes.