Canvas - Account Roles and Permissions [UW-Madison]
There are two types of "roles" within Canvas: account-level roles, and course-level roles. This KnowledgeBase article addresses account-level roles. For further information on course-level roles, see Canvas - Course Roles and Permissions [UW-Madison]
Account-Level Roles
The UW-Madison instance of Canvas is divided into several hundred sub-accounts. They are arranged in a "root" format: Each node on that root structure is called a sub-account, and each sub-account can be further divided into additional sub-accounts.
Those sub-accounts can be managed and accessed by individuals who have been assigned one of UW-Madison's six account-level roles. Each role has varying levels of permissions regarding several administrative functions. The table below summarizes the distinctions between the roles by focusing on three key functions:
- the ability to view and edit content
- the ability to add and remove people
- the ability to view and enter/edit grades
Below the table, we provide descriptions of and sample use cases for each role.
| Role | View Content | Add/Edit Content | Add/Remove Students | Add/Remove Non-Students | View Grades | Edit Grades | View Admin Analytics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-account Administrator | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Sub-account Instructor Associate | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Sub-account Support | Y | Y | N | Y | N | N | N |
| Sub-account Designer | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| Sub-account Grade Viewer | Y | N | N | N | Y | N | N |
| Sub-Account Observer | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
Sub-account Administrator
This is the highest-level of sub-account access hosted at UW-Madison. The sub-account administrator is typically departmental IT staff who provide Canvas consulting and support for instructors, as well as maintain account-level activity and settings for their school or department. The Sub-account Administrator is the only sub-account role that has access to Canvas Analytics.
Sub-account Instructor Associate
A sub-account instructor associate has a lot of power within a sub-account, and (as the name would imply) could be someone whose responsibilities included supporting instructors as they develop Canvas courses.
Sub-account Support
The sub-account support role can help develop content and manage people within the Canvas courses, but is not involved with or have access to grades.
Sub-account Designer
Canvas courses often need instructional technologists to develop professional content: pages, quizzes, assignments, discussions, etc. The sub-account designer applies skills and insights to develop more engaging and efficient learning experiences in the sub-account's courses.
Sub-account Grade-Viewer
The sub-account grade-viewer will often serve as an academic advisor, to check-in on student progress and consider whether some support intervention is warranted. However, they are not involved in the development of course content.
Sub-account Observer
As the name implies, the sub-account observer is a very hands-off role. Such an individual may perform quality assurance checks or departmental accreditation evaluation of course content. They only need to see content in the course, and nothing more: no editing permissions, no interest in or adjustments to enrollments, and no interest in seeing grades.
Required Training
Learn@UW-Madison requires training for most of these roles. The amount and nature of training depends on the nature of the permissions granted. The training comes in two forms:
- FERPA training, as sponsored by the UW-Madison Office of the Registrar.
- Canvas Sub-Account Admin training, as sponsored by Learn@UW-Madison
The first two roles -- Sub-Account Administrator and Sub-Account Instructor Associate -- requires the completion of both training courses.
The next three roles -- Sub-Account Support, Sub-Account Designer, and Sub-Account Grade Viewer -- require the completion of only the FERPA course.
The last role -- Sub-Account Observer -- does not require any training.
Access to both training courses will be provided upon completion and submission of the Canvas Sub-Account Access Request Form, below.
Other Account Roles
For high-level administration purposes, the UW-Madison Canvas administrator also supports four account-level roles. These roles are fairly uncommon, and apply to very specific support needs.
- 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 any of these Canvas sub-account roles, fill out the Canvas Sub-Account Access Request Form. Requests must be approved by a departmental authority and may take several business days to process. For more information, or to followup on a request, contact learnuwsupport@wisc.edu.