Canvas Course Roles
About Canvas Course Roles
To access Canvas, users must have a Caltech credential and a Canvas account - email requests to [email protected]. To access courses, however, users must be enrolled with a specific course role. Most academic course roles are assigned through the Registrar, whereas most non-academic course roles are assigned through the Canvas at Caltech team.
Course-level role assignments mean that a user can simultaneously have one role in one course and a different role in another course. Caltech course roles have been created from three base Canvas roles: Teacher, TA, and Student. Each has its own set of permissions that have been carefully considered to meet Caltech's unique teaching and learning environment.
Beginning with Spring Term 2024-25, Teacher and Admin Assistant roles will remain active in courses even after student enrollments are concluded (after grades are submitted). Courses will remain on the Dashboard unless the Courses list is customized. Learn more about Dashboard organization here.
Permission Assignments for Course Roles
Learn more, and how to be assigned
Users: Faculty, instructors, lecturers, and postdocs who require full access to instructional features of their assigned Canvas courses.
Permissions: Create/add/import/edit/delete course content and publish/unpublish courses. View student submissions, grade student work, view course analytics. Edit the course navigation menu and view hidden menu items; add previously integrated Learning Tools Interoperability applications (LTIs) and other 3rd party applications to courses; edit some course settings (such as Course Description for the Canvas Course Index). Teacher is the only course role that has permission to reset course content, an irreversible action.
Limitations: Teachers cannot perform tasks managed by the Student Information System (SIS), such as adding users or creating new courses. Teachers cannot add new LTIs (but can request them with this form).
How to be assigned: The Registrar assigns this role after receiving information from the divisions.
Enrollment: Active indefinitely, starting with Spring 2024-25.
Users: Assigned TAs and administrative assistants who provide support to course instructors and have a legitimate need for permissions nearly equivalent to the Teacher role.
Permissions: Nearly the same permissions as Teachers, including create/add/import/edit/delete course content, publish/unpublish courses, view student submissions, and grade student work.
Limitations: Same limitations as Teachers. Additionally: unlike teachers, Head TA/TA/ Admin Assistant roles are restricted from resetting course content.
Note: Some LTIs may see users only as either instructors or students, and TAs attempting to create a courses may be blocked from doing so. Teacher roles can start the course and reassign their TAs, or TAs can request help from the LTI's tech support or by emailing [email protected].
How to be assigned: TA assignments are provided to the Registrar by the divisions; email departmental Option Admins to inquire regarding status. Administrative assistants may email [email protected] to request being automatically enrolled in courses taught by the faculty they routinely assist.
Enrollment: TA roles conclude after all student grades are submitted. Admin Assistants remain active indefinitely, starting with Spring 2024-25.
Users: Students enrolled in a course via the REGistrar's Information System (REGIS).
Permissions: Students can customize their profile, modify Canvas notifications, access and interact with course materials, including the ability to submit assignments, participate in discussions, and exchange messages via Canvas Inbox/Conversations).
Limitations: Students cannot view unpublished courses or materials. Students also cannot view course settings, create/modify course content, or view assignments/quizzes submitted by other students.
How to be assigned: Academic course assignments are updated automatically when a student adds or drops a course in REGIS. It may take 1-3 hours to update in Canvas. Non-academic assignments vary from self-enrollment links to invitations that must be accepted from the Canvas Dashboard.
Enrollment: Student roles conclude after all grades are submitted.
Users: Auditors are students, staff, and faculty who are affiliated with Caltech and have no official role in a course but have been granted access for learning purposes; these users have consent from the instructor to view course content and discussions. Faculty Observers are instructors who have consent to view to another instructor's active course and course materials.
Permissions: View course content and announcements. View and post in Discussions.
Limitations: Auditors and Faculty Observers cannot submit assignments or quizzes, view the course roster, create new Discussions, or communicate with individual course members via Canvas Inbox/Conversations.
How to be assigned: Students may be approved as auditors after applying via this form. Non-student auditors must also complete the form, obtain approval by the division, and work with HR to obtain a Caltech UID and credential. Faculty Observer assignments are made through a request from the instructor to the Registrar. Non-academic auditors should email [email protected] for assistance.
Users: Students and post-docs assigned to review student submissions and post grades for a course.
Permissions: Most of the same permissions as TAs, including: create/add/import/edit/delete course content, view student submissions, and grade student work.
Limitations: Same limitations as TAs. Additionally, unlike TAs, Graders also cannot publish or unpublish courses.
How to be assigned: The department's Option Admin requests users be assigned this role by contacting the Registrar.
Users: Students assigned as tutors who need access to course content.
Permissions: View course content, announcements, and discussions.
Limitations: Peer Tutors cannot submit work, view the course roster, post in Discussions, or communicate with individual course members via Canvas Inbox/Conversations.
How to be assigned: Users are assigned this role by the Dean's Office / CTLO with instructor permission.