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Canvas - Account Roles and Permissions [UW-Madison]

This document lists and describes the Canvas account-level roles that are used at UW-Madison. The vast majority of UW-Madison faculty, staff, and students interact with Canvas via course-level roles. Account-level roles are typically held by departmental administrators, IT support staff, or instructional designers.

For further information on course roles, see Canvas - Course Roles and Permissions [UW-Madison]

Account Admin Role

The "Account Admin" role is the top-level role used to manage system-wide access. It is assigned to a small number of central IT staff who are responsible for administering and supporting UW-Madison's instance of Canvas.

Sub-Account Admin Role

The "Sub-Account Admin" role is typically held by departmental IT staff who provide Canvas consulting and support for instructors. Other candidates for the Sub-Account Admin role may include program chairs or administrators who need access to multiple courses within their department for accreditation or other administrative purposes. (Note: As of January 2024, several new account-level roles have been created. They are outlined below. One of these may be a better fit for Canvas users serving a more supervisory or oversight role.)

Departmental Sub-Account Roles

UW-Madison provides five additional sub-account roles to meet the several and varied use cases found across campus. The table below identifies the primary administrative powers of each.

Primary permissions per role
Role View Content Add/Edit Content Add/Remove Students Add/Remove Non-Students View Grades Edit Grades
Sub-Account Instructor Associate Y Y N Y Y Y
Sub-Account Support Y Y N Y N N
Sub-Account Designer Y Y N N N N
Sub-Account Grade Viewer Y N N N Y N
Sub-Account Observer Y N N N N N

Other Account Roles

These roles are fairly uncommon. In most instances, they were created to address specific support needs and are affiliated with IT support groups.

  • API/Service: Account role used to integrate with SIS.
  • DoIT AT Support Staff: Role used by DoIT Academic Technology staff to support faculty, students, and staff.
  • DoIT Help Desk 1: Role used by DoIT Help Desk Level One staff and Help Desk Level Two student employees.
  • DoIT Help Desk 2: Role used by DoIT Help Desk Level Two staff.

Requesting Canvas Sub-Account Permissions

To apply for Canvas Sub-Account Admin access, fill out the Canvas Sub-Account Admin Request Form. Requests must be approved by a departmental authority and may take several weeks to process. For more information, contact learnuwsupport@wisc.edu.