Roles and Permissions
In Canvas, permissions allow users to access certain features and perform certain functions. Roles are collections of permissions set at the system level that cannot be modified by instructors. A user's permissions in Canvas courses are determined by the role(s) the user is assigned.
Roles are cumulative, meaning that if someone is added to a course several times with different roles, they will have permissions for all of those roles in that course. Roles are assigned based on the access needs of the user and may be determined by the user’s school or department.
There are additional roles and permissions at the sub-account level for program and school administrators; if you need elevated access to Canvas, please begin that conversation with us by emailing classes@emory.edu.
FERPA Requirements for Access to Student Grades
Users in the Teacher, TA, and Grader roles can view and edit student grade information. Any user who will hold one of these roles must complete the FERPA Tutorial for Staff and take the quiz before being assigned to the role in Canvas.
Course Roles Currently Available in Canvas
| Teacher | For instructors and assistants who need full access to the Canvas features for instruction. |
| TA | For assistant instructors and teaching assistants. Teaching assistants cannot publish the course, add others to the course or merge course sections. |
| Librarian | For librarians working with faculty in their courses. Librarians can add content including pages, modules, quizzes, and assignments, participate in discussion boards, and message the class or individual students. |
| Grader | For individuals who will be grading items in Canvas. The Grader role is similar to the TA role, but has more limited permissions. Graders can view all course content including assignments, quizzes, and discussions; however, unlike users in the TA role, Graders cannot edit course content. |
| Designer | For instructional designers (and staff with similar responsibilities) who write and manage course content, but do not actually teach courses or grade student work. Designers can add content to courses, moderate and post to discussions, and view most course content except for grades. |
| Student | For students officially enrolled in the course. Students have limited permissions that include posting in discussions, sending messages to others in the class, and viewing course content. This role can only be added to Canvas courses through OPUS feeds. Note: If you need to add students who are not officially enrolled and want to grant them student-like permissions, use the "Student Non-OPUS" role instead. |
| Teacher Non-OPUS | This role has the same permissions as the Teacher role. Use this role for anyone you want to add to a class with Teacher permissions but who is not enrolled in the class on OPUS. |
| TA Non-OPUS | This role has the same permissions as the TA role. Use this role for anyone you want to add to a class with TA permissions but who is not enrolled in the class on OPUS. |
| Student Non-OPUS | This role has the same permissions as the Student role. Use this role for anyone you want to add to a class with Student permissions but who is not enrolled in the class on OPUS. |
| Observer | For users who need access to view course content but not participate in the course. This role may be used for purposes of ensuring accessibility for students who require accommodations. |