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Learning Management System

Learning Management System Texas A&M University Learning Management System

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
Learning Assistant
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USER ROLE

Student Observer Roles

 Assigned By Instructor During a Defined Opt-In Period
Athletics 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
Department Manager
College/School Manager
Interdisciplinary Manager
Dean Viewer
LEARN MORE

Texas A&M Course-Level Roles

COURSE TEACHING AND LEARNING ROLESmaroon divider



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 CodeDefinitionBanner TableDescription in Banner
TeacherInstructor for an academic course.Instructor enrolled from SSASECT with primary indicator checked.
Alternate TeacherSecondary 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
StudentIndividual 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.  


PermissionsTeacherAlternate TeacherStudent
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

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 CodeDefinitionBanner TableDescription in Banner
Course DesignerIndividual 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
GraderIndividual 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 SubmitterIndividual that can submit final academic course grades from the LMS to the SIS.Enrolled from SWASECT - AC_GR.Final Grade Submissions
LibrarianIndividual in a course that manages library resources. 
Role must be assigned by Department Schedulers.
Enrolled from SWASECT.AC_LB – LMS Librarian
Lead Teaching AssistantIndividual 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 AssistantIndividual 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 NoteCourse 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 will need to be recertified every four years. Information Security Awareness training will need to be recertified every year.


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.
 

PermissionsCourse DesignerGraderGrades SubmitterLibrarianLead Teaching AssistantTeaching Assistant
Analytics - view pages    XX
Announcements - viewX  XXX
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / deleteX  XXX
Canvas Insights (Beta) - View    X 
Conversations - send messages to entire classX  XXX
Conversations - send messages to individual course membersX  XXX
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete eventsX  XXX
Course Content - add / edit / deleteX  XXX
Course Files - add / edit / deleteX  XXX
Course State - manage    XX
Courses - change visibilityX     
Courses - view usage reportsX  XXX
Discussions - createX  XXX
Discussions - moderateX  XXX
Discussions - postX  XXX
Discussions - viewXX XXX
Grades - edit XX XX
Grades - select final grade for moderation  X XX
Grades - view all grades XX XX
Grades - view audit trail      
Groups - add / edit / deleteX  XXX
Groups - view all student groupsXX XXX
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / deleteX  XX 
Learning Outcomes - importX  XX 
Manage Pages - add / edit / deleteXX XXX
Question banks - view and linkX  XXX
Rubrics - add / edit / deleteX  XXX
Student Collaborations - create   X  
Users - view listXXXXXX
Users - view login IDs XX XX
Users - view primary email address    XX
Web Conferences - createX  X  



COURSE OBSERVER-TYPE ROLES   maroon divider



The table below lists the Course Observer-Type roles that are available at Texas A&M that are assigned via Department Schedulers (with exception of the Learning Assistant Role). 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 who that may be, they can ask their Dean’s office .


LMS Course Role CodeDefinitionBanner TableDescription in Banner
Faculty Peer EvaluatorIndividual 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 MentorIndividuals 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
TranscriberIndividual 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 StudentStudent 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
Learning AssistantIndividual that can support students with permissions limited to course communication and viewing content (e.g., Supplemental Instruction).
Enrolled from SWASECT - AC_LA and/or ORCA
AC_LA - LMS Learning 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. 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. 


PermissionsFaculty Peer EvaluatorStudent Peer MentorTranscriberVisiting StudentLearning Assistant
Announcements - viewXXXXX
Conversations - send messages to individual course members X  X
Conversations - send messages to entire class 
  X
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete events X   
Discussions - post X  X
Discussions - viewXXXXX
Groups - view all student groups 
  X
Users - view list

  X
Users - view primary email address 
  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 CodeDefinitionBanner TableDescription in Banner
Student ObserverIndividual enrolled to observe assigned studentsEnrolled 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.  


PermissionsStudent 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. 

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. 

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): 

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

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 CodeDefinitionBanner TableDescription in Banner
LeaderInstructor for a community collegeEnrolled from ORCAN/A
Co-LeaderSecondary instructor for a communityEnrolled from ORCAN/A
Evaluator Individual that provides grading of items within a communityEnrolled from ORCAN/A
ParticipantIndividual functioning as a student within a communityEnrolled from ORCAN/A

Permissions

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

PermissionsLeader/Co-LeaderParticipantEvaluator
Analytics - view pagesX

Announcements - viewXX
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / deleteX

Conversations - send messages to entire classX

Conversations - send messages to individual course membersXX
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete eventsX

Course Content - add / edit / deleteX

Course State - manageX

Courses - change visibility


Courses - view usage reportsX

Discussions - createXX
Discussions - moderateX

Discussions - postXX
Discussions - viewXXX
Grades - editX
X
Grades - view all gradesX
X
Grades - add / edit / deleteX

Grades - view all student groupsXXX
LTI - add / edit / delete


Learning Outcomes - importX

Manage Course Files - addX

Manage Course Files - deleteX

Manage Course Files - editX

Manage Course Pages - createX
X
Manage Course Pages - deleteX
X
Manage Course Pages - updateX
X
Question banks - view and linkX

Rubrics - add / edit / deleteX

Student Collaborations - createXX
Users view listXX

Texas A&M Account Level Roles

Academic Liaisons (or AL for short) provide support for each college/school/branch campus (limited to 2) and are important participants in the learning management system governance. The group became self-governing starting in Fall 2023 and in addition to regular AL meetings, attends other relevant digital learning environment meetings, trainings, and educational development opportunities. In addition to serving as a key communication point with the Canvas Operations teams, your Academic Liaison can assist you troubleshooting issues with Canvas tools and features including multimedia solution, applying online course design and facilitation best practices, and assisting with content import and course combination. You can find your AL’s contact information here: https://lms.tamu.edu/governance#Academic-Liaisons.

Starting in August 2024, there are three new account level roles: departmental manager, college/school manager, interdisciplinary manager. These roles have mirrored permissions to Academic Liaisons in Canvas and ORCA, but are not including the AL community or LMS governance. New manager requests must be initiated by Academic Liaisons and require Dean approval.

The Dean Viewer role was implemented December 2023 and provides administrators with view access for course content. This role must be initiated by Academic Liaisons and requires Dean approval.






PermissionsAcademic Liaisons / Manager RolesDean Viewer
Account-level settings - manage

Admin Analytics - view and export data 
X

Admins - add / remove

Alerts - add / edit / delete

Analytics - view pagesX
Announcements - viewX
Blueprint Courses - add / edit / associate / deleteX
Conversations - send messages to entire class 
Conversations - send messages to individual course members 
Course Calendar - add / edit / delete X
Course Content - viewX
X
Courses - change visibility 
Courses - undelete

Courses - view change logs
X

Courses - view list
X
X
Courses - view usage reports
X

Data Services - manage


Developer Keys -  manage

Discussions - createX
Discussions - moderate
 X

Discussions - postX
Discussions - viewX
Feature Options - enable / disable

Feature Options - view

Global Announcements - add / edit / delete 

Grades - editX
Grades - select final grade for moderationX
Grades - view all gradesX
Grades - view audit trailX
Grades - view change logs
X

Groups - view all student groupsX
Impact - manage

Item Banks - manage account
 X

Learning Outcomes - add / edit / deleteX
Learning Outcomes - importX
Manage Account Calendars

   Account Calendars - add / edit / delete events

   Account Calendars - change visibility

Manage Assignments and Quizzes ( Add / Delete / Edit )
X

       Assignments and Quizzes - add 
X

       Assignments and Quizzes - delete 
X

       Assignments and Quizzes - edit
X

Manage Course Content (Add / Delete / Edit)
X

       Course Content - add
X

       Course Content - delete
X

       Course Content - edit
X

Manage Course Files (Add / Delete / Edit)
X

       Course Files - add
 X

       Course Files - delete
 X

       Course Files - edit
 X

Manage Course Sections (Add / Delete / Edit)

       Course Sections - add

       Course Sections - delete

       Course Sections - edit

Manage Course Templates (Add / Delete / Edit)

       Course Templates - add

       Course Templates - delete

       Course Templates - edit

Manage Courses (Conclude / Delete / Edit / Reset)

       Courses - add

       Courses - manage/update

       Courses - conclude
X

       Courses - delete

       Courses - publish
X

       Courses - reset

Manage Groups (Add / Delete / Manage)
X

       Groups - add  
X

       Groups - delete
X

       Groups - manage
X

Manage LTI (Add / Delete / Edit)

       LTI - add

       LTI - delete

       LTI - edit

Manage Pages - Create / Delete / Update
X

       Pages - create
X

       Pages - delete
X

       Pages - update
X

Notifications - viewX
Outcomes Mastery Scales - add/edit
X

Outcomes Proficiency Calculations - add/edit
X

Permissions - manage

Question banks - view and link
 X

Quizzes - view submission logX
Reports - manage
 X

Reset Multi-Factor Authentication

Rubrics - add / edit / deleteX
SIS Data - import

SIS Data - manage

SIS Data - read
X
X
Statistics - view
X

Storage Quotas - manage

Submission - Submit on behalf of student

Student Collaborations - create

Users - Designers

       Designers - add

       Designers - remove

Users - Observers

       Observers - add

       Observers - remove

Users - Students

       Students - add

       Students - remove

Users - TA's

       TA's - add

       TA's - remove

Users - Teachers

       Teachers - add

       Teachers - remove

Users - act as

Users - allow administrative actions in courses

Users - generate observer pairing codes for students

Users - manage login details

Users - manage observers

Users - manage students in courses

Users - moderate content

Users - view list
X

Users - view login IDs
X

Users - view primary email address
X

Web Conferences - create
 X

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


RoleDefinitionsMyMediasite PortalPresentations - add, edit, deletePresentations - edit permissionsMediasite Management Portal*Shared Folders within College/School -  add, edit
TeacherInstructor for a courseXXX  
Mediasite LiaisonIndividual within the School/College who regularly supports faculty and staff with academic technology and/or instructional design needsXXXXX
*The Mediasite Management Portal cannot be accessed within the LMS.