As an instructor, can I give a non-student read-only access to my course?

[david_jull-patt]

I'd like to give a non-student read-only access to my Canvas course.  How can I do that, or is it even possible?

[Steve_Watts]

Hi  @david_jull-patt and welcome to the Canvas community. You could do this by enrolling the user on your course as an "observer" rather than a "student". Users in the observer role can view all the content that students see but they can't actively participate in the course, for example they can't post to discussions or take quizzes.
See this page for a full description of the observer role: What is the Observer role?‌
(The page mentions linking an observer to specific students but in your case I don't think that part will be necessary)

[david_jull-patt]

Thanks very much for the help. I’m in the middle of getting a couple people signed in as observers and then I’ll find out what they can (and can’t) see.

[kmeeusen · Accepted solution]

Hi  @david_jull-patt  Welcome to the Canvas Community!

 @Steve_Watts  is correct, Observer would be a useful role for your purpose.

Keep in mind that many schools do not permit instructors to add users to their courses. If your school does permit this, you can learn how at How do I add users to a course? If this functionality is not available, you will need to ask your Canvas Admin to do this for you.

Kelley

[david_jull-patt]

Thanks very much for your help!