Include custom teacher-derived roles for commons content import

[buellj]

  This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

Currently, to bring commons content into a course you teach you must be enrolled using the "teacher" role; if you use custom roles even with identical permissions and are enrolled under those roles you will be unable to bring commons content into your courses. Commons functionality needs to be updated so that any teacher-derived custom role is included as well. Our institution does not use the word "teacher" as it has K-12 connotations, but instead uses "instructor" and "primary instructor". In addition, we hide the teacher role to avoid confusion. Consequently, we are not able to participate in commons or make it available to our faculty until this gets fixed.

For more information, please read through the: Commons Release Notes (2015-11-23)

[biray]

 @buellj ​ - Thank you for your submission.

This idea is open for vote. I'm also moving this idea into the Canvas Commons​ area where all other Commons ideas exist.

[buellj]

Through our CSM, we heard that adding custom "teacher" roles was not a priority or even on the roadmap or radar; I was given to understand that the Product Manager and that team said that no one has had an issue with custom roles not having access to Commons. I find this hard to believe; it would be very helpful to know whether other Canvas users are using custom roles instead of teacher. Politically our faculty prefer "instructor". The problem could also easily be solved by having the ability to change the words of the non-custom roles; if we could have the "teacher" role appear as "instructor" we would also be good and this issue would not be a problem. What do you think?

[diana_matthews]

We have an issue with not being able to use Commons with custom roles. I am a librarian and we have a custom Librarian role in Canvas based on the instructor role. Librarians are frequently added to classes to import modules, lessons, and library resources, and to serve as a resource for students who are doing research assignments. We also will sometimes grade specialized library assignments within a course. Having the "Librarian" role makes our role clearer to the students (as opposed to our previous use of the "TA" role). I am frequently added into all sections of a class to import the same module. Being able to import from the Commons would allow me to quickly make updates across the board when library resources change in the middle of the semester (unfortunately companies don't strategically plan their new platform launches until between semesters).

[biray]

Hi  @buellj ​ - Please read the information listed in this Commons Release Notes: Commons Release Notes (2015-11-23) It includes the information needed to ensure the right 'roles' have access to Commons.

For now, this idea will be closed as complete.

[millerjm]

We need some support for our case that the permissions available in Canvas are not sufficient for our needs.  Above is the update that Allison Weiss posted to many of our feature ideas.  She is asking for use cases for granularity and we really need to justify each and every one.  I made a document to track discussions and feature ideas related to permissions: 

Canvas Permissions and Granularity Feature Ideas

This is the sort of information that would assist in getting these changes made during this permissions audit.  This information would need to be added as comments to the individual feature ideas, and if it needs to be pasted to more than one, then please do that.  I know it's tiresome to post the same thing again and again, even though someone else has already done it, but they need to see that it's not just 5 people with these issues!  We haven't gotten much traction because we haven't had enough use cases posted but my document above seems to have gotten some attention.

• What has the current user permissions "bundling" and lack of granularity cost you in terms of support and functionality?
• What permissions have you HAD to grant to someone simply to allow them to be able to do their job, that you would have rather NOT given?
• What permissions have you had to DENY giving someone because it gave them access to something that you could not due to security, concern about causing trouble, etc.?
• What other qualms do you have about things?
• What things have cost you more in staff hours because of denying access to someone, means that your department had to research, do work, etc, on behalf of a user that would have been able to do their work if the permissions were granular?

Thank you!

Joni

I'm also tagging  @kona ​ and cms_hickss​  since they have been so involved in getting attention to these feature ideas. 

[Renee_Carney]

Thank you to  @buellj  for submitting this idea, as well as,  @diana_matthews ​ &  @millerjm  for your contributions. Your investment in this idea helped refine a feature which is now part of Canvas!