Access to copying content from a course

[Nancy_Webb_CCSF]

In the document on course copy/import (https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-12935-415257077 ) it says "You only have access to copy content from courses from current or previous courses in which you are an enrolled user."  It doesn't mention the role the user might have had in the "from" or source course.  With permissions we can control who can copy content into a course, but apparently not what courses they can copy from.

On testing, I find that someone with a TA role in a course is allowed to copy the content from that course into their own course (as long as they have privileges to Import Content). On the other hand, someone who had a student role is not allowed to do such a copy. Limiting students makes sense. But it seems to me that a TA role should also not be allowed to copy content into a course where they are a teacher.

Is this behavior intended?  Is there any course permission we could use to limit which roles gives a user the right to choose that course to copy from?

[kblack · Accepted solution]

Hi  @Nancy_Webb_CCSF ‌ - This is something to go over with your local Canvas administrator, assuming you're not also that person! The short answer is yes, this is a default permission for the TA as well as the Designer role.  This and many other account-level permissions can be seen one the How do I set permissions for an account-level role? online guide, specifically by downloading the PDF that is referenced there called Account Permissions PDF.  I *think* specific permission allows this for TAs (and Designers) is the permission called Course Content: Add/Edit/Delete.  However--as that name implies--that permission carries with it significant other permissions that a TA or Designer will likely need.  

And that's the issue--and has been for a long time.  Canvas currently needs more granular permissions.  Fortunately, Canvas is well aware of this and you can keep track of updates here: Priority: Granular Permissions .

I hope this helps a bit, Nancy!

[Nancy_Webb_CCSF]

Hi  @kblack  - thanks for answering and sorry it took me so long to reply.  Yes I am an administrator in our Canvas.

But that wasn't really my question, it's very difficult to get across! Unless I am not understanding the permissions in the account level roles and how it affects course level permissions. The right for teachers, TA's, designers to import content into a course (target) is controlled by course level permission Course Content - add/edit /delete, but not the ability to control which courses can be copied from (source). If someone is a teacher in both target and source, we want them to be able to copy their content.  But we don't allow TA's to copy content into a course (Course Content - add/edit /delete is off).  So, if a teacher in a course wants to copy content from a course in which she was a TA, shouldn't that be disallowed?  In our schools teachers have rights to their own content and not just anybody in their course should be able to copy its content, only instructors.

[kblack]

Hi Nancy -  Well, from my own experience, at least, TAs or Designers of courses are able to import from courses in which they are, in turn, TAs or Designers.  And I'm not too sure that the permissions are granular enough yet to disallow that. You may need to play around with that a bit in your Beta or Test environment.  TAs and Teacher roles, especially, are pretty much the same.  Sorry I can't be of more direct assistance.  If I stumble across anything, though, I'll let you know!

[Nancy_Webb_CCSF]

Appreciate that Ken!  I may have to talk to our Instructure rep.  I don't see anywhere that copying "from" choices have any permission tied to it.  Only permission to copy into a course.

[Nancy_Webb_CCSF]

 @kblack , Just wanted to say I found my answer.  A user in a course (I'll call it first course) with a role based on the teacher role, including designers and TAs, will be able to export that course's content.  There is no permission to change this fact, it's built in to the Teacher and its derivative roles.

In another Canvas shell, if these same users have any role that permits editing content and files, then they can import or copy the content from the first course. It will appear in their list of available courses if they choose Copy a Canvas Course with the import tool.  Or they can import from the export file.

Mystery solved, not that I like the answer!  I don't believe TAs should be allowed to export course content.

[kblack]

Thanks for the update,  @Nancy_Webb_CCSF ‌. Yes, this all gets back to the need for more granular permissions like I mentioned earlier; perhaps there will be a solution down the road for this.  I'm sure at some institutions faculty want their TAs to have the ability to do this; but it would be nice to be able to determine it on an institution-by-institution basis.  (If not a subaccount-by-subaccount basis within that institution.)

[Gregory_Putman]

It would really be great to have more control over TA permissions as an instructor/course designer.  Just last night a student had trouble with a multiple answer question "not accepting the correct answer" for one selection.  When I checked I saw that the answer choice in question was not one of the possible answer choices in the question settings!  Someone had edited the question choices while she was working, removing her answer as one of the answer choices.  I hope it was a TA thinking they had found a mistake, trying to help.  Since they didn't discuss with me first (I make a big deal about TAs not editing but discussing with me so if there is a problem I know about it and can make global changes (multiple sections of similar courses to coordinate...) they actually broke the homework for multiple students.  I didn't realize that the questions were linked between course sections, too, so they actually broke the homework for multiple sections of the course.  We will discuss this in our upcoming training meeting in a few minutes, but having the ability to at least block TAs from editing unless I give them specific instructions and am expecting it would be great since I obviously can't trust them all to follow instructions.  Please consider adding teachers more control over content access by TAs.  I think there is a similar idea, I upvoted it yesterday but wanted to add my experience, support, to this conversation.