Canvas Roles

Canvas Roles at a Glance

COURSE ROLE

Course Teaching and Learning Roles

Assigned via Compass

Teacher
Alternate Teacher
Student

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COURSE ROLE

Course Associate Roles

Assigned via Department Scheduler/ORCA

Course Designer
Grader
Grade Submitter
Teaching Assistant
Lead Teaching Assistant
Librarian

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COURSE ROLE

Course Observer Roles

Assigned via Department Scheduler

Student Peer Mentor
Faculty Peer Evaluator
Transcriber
Visiting Student

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USER ROLE

Student Observer Roles

Assigned via Instructor of Record

Student Observer

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USER ROLE

Community Roles

Assigned via ORCA

Leader
Co-Leader
Evaluator
Participant

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ADMINISTRATION ROLE

Administration Roles

Assigned after Approval from Deans and LMS Teams

Academic Liaison

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Texas A&M Course-Level Roles

COURSE TEACHING AND LEARNING ROLES

The table below lists the Course Teaching and Learning roles that are available at Texas A&M. These roles are managed and updated through feeds provided by Compass daily. The Teacher role is identified as the Instructor of Record for a course, while the Alternate Teacher is enrolled via Compass by a department scheduler as the Additional Instructor. Students are enrolled in a course through Howdy. For additional guidance on enrolling Course Teaching and Learning roles or identifying your Department Scheduler, email scheduling@tamu.edu.

LMS Course Role Code	Definition	Banner Table	Description in Banner
Teacher	Instructor for an academic course.	Instructor enrolled from SSASECT with primary indicator checked.
Alternate Teacher	Secondary instructor for a course and enrolled in a section as indicated from Compass.	Instructor enrolled from SSASECT with primary indicator not checked.	LMS Alternate Teacher
Student	Individual student for an academic course and enrolled in a section.	Enrolled from SFRSTCR.
***Special Note: Course roles are derived from SSBSECT, SFRSTCR, and SWASECT forms in the SIS or through ORCA. An individual may only be assigned to one course role per course. Students enrolled in the course may not be assigned any other course role other than the Student role.

Assigning Teaching and Learning Roles

To be assigned as instructor of record (IOR) or as an additional instructor the departmental scheduler will add the access on either SSASECT or SWASECT in Compass as follows:

Instructor of Record (IOR) – Added on SSASECT and has the primary indicator checked, can only have one per section/course.

Additional Instructors – added on SSASECT and do not have the primary indicator checked, can have multiple

Permissions

The table below illustrates the permissions provided by Canvas that determine how a Course Teaching and Learner role can interact with course content, features, and tools.

Permissions	Teacher	Alternate Teacher	Student
Analytics - view pages	X	X
Announcements - view	X	X	X
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete	X	X
Canvas Insights (Beta) - View	X	X
Conversations - send messages to entire class	X	X
Conversations - send messages to individual course members	X	X
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete events	X	X
Course Content - add / edit / delete	X	X
Course Files - add / edit / delete	X	X
Course State - manage	X	X
Courses - change visibility
Courses - view usage reports	X	X
Discussions - create	X	X	X
Discussions - moderate	X	X
Discussions - post	X	X	X
Discussions - view	X	X	X
Grades - edit	X	X
Grades - select final grade for moderation	X	X
Grades - view all grades	X	X
Grades - view audit trail	X	X
Groups - add / edit / delete	X	X
Groups - view all student groups	X	X	X
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete	X	X
Learning Outcomes - import	X	X
Manage Pages - add / edit / delete	X	X
Question banks - view and link	X	X
Rubrics - add / edit / delete	X	X
Users - view list	X	X	X
Users - view login IDs	X	X
Users - view primary email address	X	X

COURSE ASSOCIATE ROLES

The table below lists the Course Associate roles that are available at Texas A&M that are assigned via Department Scheduler. If the Course Associate role can be added via the ORCA website, it is noted under the Banner Table column below. These roles are required to complete training prior to obtaining access to the courses they are assigned to in Canvas. Additional information on how to enroll course associate roles and the training requirements are listed below.

LMS Course Role Code	Definition	Banner Table	Description in Banner
Course Designer	Individual that provides specific course design, accessibility requirements, navigation, and creation of digital content (audio & video files) for a course within the Learning Management System (LMS).	Enrolled from SWASECT - AC_CD and/or ORCA.	LMS Course Designer
Grader	Individual that provides grading for all course assignments, assessments, and other projects within the course.	Enrolled from SWASECT - AC_LG and/or ORCA.	LMS Grader
Grade Submitter	Individual with that can submit final academic course grades from the LMS to the SIS.	Enrolled from SWASECT - AC_GR.	Final Grade Submissions
Librarian	Individual in a course that manages library resources. Role must be assigned by Department Schedulers.	Enrolled from SWASECT.	AC_LB – LMS Librarian
Lead Teaching Assistant	Individual acting as Lead TA responsible for managing groups of TAs across courses and sections.	Enrolled from SWASECT - AC_LT and/or ORCA.	LMS Lead Teaching Assistant
Teaching Assistant	Individual acting as a teaching assistant working with the teacher within a course and responsible for content, features, tools, and/or grades.	Enrolled from SWASECT - AC_TA and/or ORCA.	LMS Lead Teaching Assistant
***Special Note: Course roles are derived from SSBSECT, SFRSTCR, and SWASECT forms in the SIS or through ORCA. An individual may only be assigned to one course role per course.

Training Requirements for Course Associate Roles

All individuals associated with a course in Canvas are required to have completed FERPA and Information Security Awareness training in TrainTraq. This includes Canvas course associate roles (Lead TA, TA, Designer, Grader, Grade Submitter).;

FERPA Training – TrainTraq Training #11012.
Information Security Awareness Training – TrainTraq Training #3001

FERPA training will need to be recertified every four years. Information Security Awareness training will need to be recertified every year.

Adding Course Associate via ORCA

After logging in to ORCA, select Courses then Enrollments
A list of additional members already added to your sections will appear on this page.
If the individual you are trying to add does not appear in this list, select Add Enrollment. Enter the individual’s UIN.
Select the Tab key to move to the next box, the individual’s information should then fill in. Choose which section they need to be added to and the Role. Select Add to submit.
The individual’s Status will appear on the Enrollments list page:
- Training Required*: The user has not completed one or both of the required TrainTraq trainings.
- Pending: The user has completed the required training and will be added to the section(s) during the next process of enrollments. The user should appear within 30-60 minutes in the Canvas section(s).
- Ready: The user will now appear in the Canvas section.
If after 24 hours the individual’s status is Ready and they do not appear in your People list in Canvas, please contact LMS Support with the section, user’s UIN, and the date/time you added them through ORCA.
- *If an individual is requiring FERPA and/or Information Security Awareness training, indicators will appear in red at the top of the Edit Enrollments page in ORCA

Permissions

The table below illustrates the permissions provided by Canvas that determine how a Course Associate role can interact with course content, features, and tools.

Permissions	Course Designer	Grader	Grades Submitter	Librarian	Lead Teaching Assistant	Teaching Assistant
Analytics - view pages					X	X
Announcements - view	X			X	X	X
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete	X			X	X	X
Canvas Insights (Beta) - View					X
Conversations - send messages to entire class	X			X	X	X
Conversations - send messages to individual course members	X			X	X	X
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete events	X			X	X	X
Course Content - add / edit / delete	X			X	X	X
Course Files - add / edit / delete	X			X	X	X
Course State - manage					X	X
Courses - change visibility	X
Courses - view usage reports	X			X	X	X
Discussions - create	X			X	X	X
Discussions - moderate	X			X	X	X
Discussions - post	X			X	X	X
Discussions - view	X	X		X	X	X
Grades - edit		X	X		X	X
Grades - select final grade for moderation			X		X	X
Grades - view all grades		X	X		X	X
Grades - view audit trail
Groups - add / edit / delete	X			X	X	X
Groups - view all student groups	X	X		X	X	X
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete	X			X	X
Learning Outcomes - import	X			X	X
Manage Pages - add / edit / delete	X	X		X	X	X
Question banks - view and link	X			X	X	X
Rubrics - add / edit / delete	X			X	X	X
Student Collaborations - create				X
Users - view list	X	X	X	X	X	X
Users - view login IDs		X	X		X	X
Users - view primary email address					X	X
Web Conferences - create	X			X

COURSE OBSERVER-TYPE ROLES

The table below lists the Course Observer-Type roles that are available at Texas A&M that are assigned via Department Schedulers. For additional guidance on enrolling Course Observer-Type roles or identifying a Department Scheduler, faculty can seek assistance from their department or their Dean’s office. Each department has a departmental scheduler and if they are not familiar with you that may be, they can ask their Dean’s office.

LMS Course Role Code	Definition	Banner Table	Description in Banner
Faculty Peer Evaluator	Individual enrolled to observer course instructor for tenure or promotion, or for a quality assurance program to evaluate online course quality.Role must be assigned by Department Schedulers.	Enrolled from SWASECT.	AC_PE – LMS Peer Evaluation
Student Peer Mentor	Individuals enrolled into a course by the Academic Success Center to act as Peer Mentors associated with students in a course. Role must be assigned by Department Schedulers.	Enrolled from SWASECT.	AC_SM – LMS Student Mentor
Transcriber	Individual enrolled into a course to assist disabled students that have filed for an accommodation through the Department of Disability Resources.Role must be assigned by Department Schedulers.	Enrolled from SWASECT.	AC_TS – LMS Transcriber
Visiting Student	Student enrolled into a current-semester course to observe current content, course structure, and third-party tools. Use of this role should align with Student Rule 2.1.Role must be assigned by Department Schedulers.	Enrolled from SWASECT.	AC_VS – LMS Visiting Student
***Special Note: Course roles are derived from SSBSECT, SFRSTCR, and SWASECT forms in the SIS or through ORCA. An individual may only be assigned to one course role per course. Students enrolled in the course may not be assigned any other course role other than the Student role.

Permissions

The table below illustrates the permissions provided by Canvas that determine how a Course Observer role can interact with course content, features, and tools.

Permissions	Faculty Peer Evaluator	Student Peer Mentor	Transcriber	Visiting Student
Announcements - view	X	X	X	X
Conversations - send messages to individual course members		X
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete events		X
Discussions - post		X
Discussions - view	X	X	X	X

Texas A&M Student Observer Role

The Student Observer role at TAMU allows for the ability to pair a Student Observer with an assigned student in a course in Canvas. The Student Observer role will have read-only access to courses, meaning they cannot change or edit any course content, submit work, or complete quizzes and exams. Student Observers are restricted from viewing data for other students enrolled in the class except in grouped assignments, peer reviews, and third-party tools.

Student Observers are visible to teachers in Canvas. They will appear in the People section of a course in Canvas and list their paired students. If there are no students participating in programs that required Student Observers to be enrolled in your course(s), no Student Observers will be added.

Student Observers will complete the two required trainings in order to receive access to view and monitor student information in the course.

LMS User Role Code	Definition	Banner Table	Description in Banner
Student Observer	Individual enrolled to observe assigned students	Enrolled from ORCA.	Enrolled from ORCA.

Permissions

The table below illustrates the permissions provided by Canvas that determine how a Student Observer role can interact with course content, features, and tools. The X in a cell indicates permissions the Student Observer role has in a course. If the cell is blank, then the Student Observer role does not have the respective permission.

Permissions	Student Observer
Announcements - view	X
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete
Assignment Submissions - view	X This includes Group assignment submissions
Assignment Submissions - submit
Collaborations - create
Course Content - view	X
Course Content - add / edit / delete
Course Files - add / edit / delete
Discussions - view	X
Discussions - create / post / modify
Discussions - reply
Grades - view	X Only grades of the assigned student
Grades - edit / add / edit / delete
Inbox - view	X Only messages sent to Student Observer; no ability to view direct messages sent to assigned student.
Inbox - reply
Modules - view	X
Modules - edit / duplicate
Pages - view	X
Pages - add / edit / delete
People - view
Peer Reviews - view	X
Course Available on User Dashboard	X

Enterprise Third-Party Tools

The table below illustrates the enterprise level tools that a Student Observer role will have access to in a course. The X in a cell indicates tools the Student Observer role has access to in a course. If the cell is blank, then the Student Observer role does not have access to the tool.

Tool	Student Observer
Google Assignments
Gradescope	X *Accessed as themselves in a Student role; can submit assignments on their own behalf, not the student's.*
Mediasite	X *Accessed as themselves in a Student role; can submit assignments on their own behalf, not the student's.*
Office 365
Peerceptiv	X *Accessed as themselves in a Student role; can submit assignments on their own behalf, not the student's.* Ability to view other student submissions as part of the peer review process**.
Perusall	X Accessed as themselves in a Student role; can submit assignments on their own behalf Ability to view other student interaction.
Zoom	X Can watch linked Zoom recordings.

Student Observer Role Opt In Process

The Student Observer Role Opt In Process can be accessed through ORCA. This process will allow Instructors of Record that are assigned to teach course sections with students that require an individual to be assigned to observe them the ability to update their preferences for the specified term.

Only the Instructor of Record has the ability to update their preferences for the process. The process is available for a 7-day window following the add/drop deadline of each term. During this window, instructors will have the ability to view students with their assigned observer and update their preferences. After the window is closed, the individuals will be enrolled in the course sections with the Student Observer role. After the window is closed, any changes will need to route through the Office for Academic Innovation Service Desk. any changes will need to route through the Office for Academic Innovation Service Desk.

Update Opt In Process Preferences in ORCA

During the Opt In Window, Instructors can follow these steps to review students and their assigned observer:

Navigate and login to ORCA at https://orca.tamu.edu with TAMU NetID and password.
Upon first logging in, a message will appear prompting to review assigned observer and the students they are assigned to in your assigned course sections. Click Review.
- After the instructor has viewed the Review page once, the popup message will disappear for the remainder of the semester. To view the preferences made, from ORCA, navigate to the user’s NetID that displays on the top right and then select User Settings. If Dismiss is selected, a warning message will appear confirming if you would like to dismiss the message. This message will then be dismissed for the remainder of the opt in window until the following semester. By default, if no action is taken, Instructors will be opt-ed out of the process.
The Opt In page will display the following:
- Options to opt in or opt out to the process
- Table with course sections Instructors are assigned to teach
- Drilldown menu to display student(s) and their assigned observer
To opt-in to the process, select Yes. To opt-out of the process, select No. On the bottom of the table with the course section information, click Save.
The date when the preference was last updated will appear to the right of the Yes or No buttons.

After the instructor has viewed the Review page once, the popup message will disappear for the remainder of the semester. To view the preferences made, from ORCA, navigate to the user’s NetID that displays on the top right and then select User Settings.

An email will be sent to the Instructor confirming the opt in or opt out preference.

What happens if I opt in?

If you select Yes, you have selected to opt in to the Student Observer Role Process and the assigned observers will be enrolled as Student Observers in your course section(s). Student Observers will have read-only access to view course content, syllabus, assignment details, and grades of the assigned student. Additional information on what a Student Observer can and cannot do in courses in Canvas can be viewed on the Student Observer Permissions section.

What happens if I opt out?

If you select No, you have selected to opt out of the Student Observer Role Process and the assigned observers will not be enrolled in your course section(s).

If you teach a course that includes a student-athlete, this also means that the Athletics Department will request multiple updates throughout the semester on the academic status these athletes. This is to ensure NCAA compliance. These requests will be sent via progress reports along with individual emails, and will ask for information such as: class attendance, current grades, and remaining assignments. Additional information can be viewed on the Athletics Department Student-Athlete Program page.

Opt In Communication Timeline

Below is the timeline of communication you will receive throughout the opt-in process that will vary depending on the preference you select.

Course and User Observer Role Comparison

The table below illustrates the permissions provided by Canvas that determine how a Student Observer role can interact with course content, features, and tools. It compares the Student Observer role to 4 additional observer-type course roles at Texas A&M. The X in a cell indicates permissions the role has in a course. If the cell is blank, then the role does not have the respective permission.

Permissions	Student Observer	Visiting Student	Student Peer Mentor	Faculty Peer Evaluator	Transcriber
Role Type	User Role	Course Role	Course Role	Course Role	Course Role
Announcements - view	X	X	X	X	X
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete
Assignment Submissions - view	X This includes Group assignment submissions
Assignment Submissions – submit
Collaborations - create
Course Content - view	X	X	X	X	X
Course Content - add / edit / delete
Course Files - add / edit / delete
Discussions - view	X	X	X	X	X
Discussions - create / post / modify
Discussions - reply
Grades - view	X Only grades of the assigned student
Groups - view
Groups - add / edit / delete
Inbox - view	X Only messages sent to Student Observer; no ability to view direct messages sent to assigned student.
Inbox - reply
Modules - view	X	X	X	X	X
Modules - edit / duplicate
Pages - view	X	X	X	X	X
Pages - add / edit / delete
People - view
Peer Reviews - view	X
Course Available on User Dashboard	X	X	X	X	X

How the Student Observer Role Supports Student Athletes' Academic Success

The Office for Academic Innovation has partnered with the Center for Student-Athlete Services to create a process to allow course instructors to opt in to the Observer program each semester. If course instructors choose to opt in, scholastic supervisors will be enrolled as Student Observers assigned to students in a course.

Download and Print the Canvas Observer Program for Texas A&M Student Athletes

Communication

All communication sent to instructors and students is archived and can be found on Campus Messages.
Students will receive communication about this process directly from the Center for Student-Athletes. Course instructors will receive communication about the Observer program in the following ways:
1. Email on the day the opt in window opens, typically on the last day of add/drop
2. Reminder email 48 hours before the deadline closes
3. Email confirmation with the selected preference

Permissions

Student Observers have read-only access to the following student-specific areas of course(s):

Permissions	Student Observer
Role Type	User Role
Announcements - view	X
Assignment Submissions - view	X This includes Group assignment submissions
Assignment Submissions – submit
Course Content - view	X
Discussions - view	X
Discussions - create / post / modify
Discussions - reply
Grades - view	X Only grades of the assigned student
Grades - add / edit / delete
Inbox - view	X Only messages sent to Student Observer; no ability to view direct messages sent to assigned student.
Inbox - reply
Modules - view	X
Pages - view	X
People - view
Peer Reviews - view	X
Course Available on User Dashboard	X

Texas A&M Community Roles

Communities in Canvas are non-academic course shells that are not associated with course sections maintained by the Office of the Registrar and do not have a connection to Compass, so the process for managing enrollments will be carried out through ORCA.

Once your Community has been created, it will have The Texas A&M University Community template that is unique to the typology selected. The Community templates have been designed for ease of use by Community Leaders, Co-Leaders, Evaluators, and ultimately Participants.

Student Observers will complete training in order to receive access to the course to view and monitor student information.

LMS Course Role Code	Definition	Banner Table	Description in Banner
Leader	Instructor for a community college	Enrolled from ORCA	N/A
Co-Leader	Secondary instructor for a community	Enrolled from ORCA	N/A
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete	Individual that provides grading of items within a community	Enrolled from ORCA	N/A
Conversations - send messages to entire class	Individual functioning as a student within a community	Enrolled from ORCA	N/A

Permissions

The table below illustrates the permissions that determine how Community roles can interact with course content, features, and tools.

Permissions	Leader/Co-Leader	Participant	Evaluator
Analytics - view pages	X
Announcements - view	X	X
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete	X
Conversations - send messages to entire class	X
Conversations - send messages to individual course members	X	X
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete events	X
Course Content - add / edit / delete	X
Course State - manage	X
Courses - change visibility
Courses - view usage reports	X
Discussions - create	X	X
Discussions - moderate	X
Discussions - post	X	X
Discussions - view	X	X	X
Grades - edit	X		X
Grades - view all grades	X		X
Grades - add / edit / delete	X
Grades - view all student groups	X	X	X
LTI - add / edit / delete
Learning Outcomes - import	X
Manage Course Files - add	X
Manage Course Files - delete	X
Manage Course Files - edit	X
Manage Course Pages - create	X		X
Manage Course Pages - delete	X		X
Manage Course Pages - update	X		X
Question banks - view and link	X
Rubrics - add / edit / delete	X
Student Collaborations - create	X	X
Users view list	X	X

Texas A&M Account Level Roles

Your School, Colleges', or Branch Campus’ Academic Liaison is a new resource with Texas A&M’s transition to Canvas. Each Dean has identified at least one Academic Liaison per School/College. This group is going through training and networking with each other to ensure they can be of assistance. Your Academic Liaison (or AL for short) can assist you troubleshooting issues with Canvas tools and features, applying online course design and facilitation best practices, and assisting with content import.

What an Academic Liaison Can Do for You

An Academic Liaison (AL) is typically a staff member in a School, College, or Branch Campus that regularly supports faculty and staff with academic technology and/or instructional design needs.

Your School, College, or Branch Campus’ AL can help you in the following ways as you use Texas A&M's digital learning environment:

Troubleshoot issues with Canvas and third-party tools and features
Provide guidance with multimedia solutions using Mediasite, Google Drive, and Office 365
Keep you informed on key dates and annoucements related to the digital learning environment
Point you toward helpful resources

Permissions	Academic Liaisons
Analytics - view pages	X
Announcements - view	X
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete	X
Conversations - send messages to entire class
Conversations - send messages to individual course members
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete events	X
Course Content - add / edit / delete	X
Courses - change visibility
Courses - view usage reports	X
Discussions - create	X
Discussions - moderate
Discussions - post	X
Discussions - view	X
Grades - edit	X
Grades - select final grade for moderation	X
Grades - view all grades	X
Grades - view audit trail	X
Groups - add / edit / delete	X
Groups - view all student groups	X
Item Banks - manage account
LTI - add / edit / delete
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete	X
Learning Outcomes - import	X
Manage Course Files - Add / Delete / Edit
Manage Course Sections - Add / Delete / Edit
Manage Courses - Add / Conclude / Delete / Reset
Manage Courses - Publish	X
Manage Pages - create / delete / update	X
Outcome Mastery Scales - add / edit	X
Outcome Proficiency Calculations - add/edit
Question banks - view and link	X
Rubrics - add / edit / delete
Users - view list	X
Users - view login IDs	X
Users - view primary email address

Becoming an Academic Liaison in Canvas

Step 1

Full Time Position responsibilities at TAMU include faculty support in the digital learning environment.

Step 2

Email of support from Dean’s Office (or equivalent).

Step 3

Complete training requirements: TrainTraq Course 11012, TrainTraq Course 3001, and TrainTraq Course 2113434.

Step 4

Complete Canvas-specific training requirements distributed by the Office for Academic Innovation.

Step 5

Gain access to School, College, or Branch Campus Canvas subaccount.

Step 6

Attend and actively engage in regularly-convened meetings of Academic Liaisons for Canvas updates, submit feedback, and network with others serving in the same role.

Texas A&M Mediasite Roles

Mediasite allows Course Instructors the ability to record, upload, share, and view video content in any Canvas course. The combined power of Canvas with Mediasite means all your videos have a central secure home benefiting from Mediasite’s in-video search, engagement tools, and viewership stats. To learn more about Mediasite, visit the tools page here. There are two roles within Mediasite: (1) Teacher and (2) Mediasite Liaison. Permissions are assigned to each type of role in Mediasite.

Texas A&M Mediasite Role Definitions and Permissions

Role	Definitions	MyMediasite Portal	Presentations - add, edit, delete	Presentations - edit permissions	Mediasite Management Portal*	Shared Folders within College/School - add, edit
Teacher	Instructor for a course	X	X	X
Mediasite Liaison	Individual within the School/College who regularly supports faculty and staff with academic technology and/or instructional design needs	X	X	X	X	X
*The Mediasite Management Portal cannot be accessed within the LMS.