Canvas Permission Updates
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This document is no longer updated. To view the most recent permissions updates, please view Canvas Permissions PDF Updates.
Hello Canvas Admins!
We appreciate all of the feedback we've received regarding the need for better communication of permission updates.
This purpose of this document is to inform you of any updates or changes that are made to the Canvas Course Role Permissions PDF and Canvas Account Role Permissions PDF documents. We will specify which permission was updated and what specifically changed with the permission. We typically publish updates to the permission documents on production release days, when necessary. Occasionally, we may publish updates in between release cycles.
The most recent update(s) will always be listed at the top of this document.
Subscribe to this document if you want to receive update notifications. We will continue to do our best to provide the most accurate information, but as always, please let us know if you find any inconsistencies.
2021-05-15
Courses - Course Templates
- Role: Account
- Features Affected: Course Templates
Create Course Templates
- Role: Account
- Added new permission
Edit Course Template
- Role: Account
- Added new permission
Delete Course Template
- Role: Account
- Added new permission
For more information, please see Canvas Release Notes (2021-05-15)
2021-03-20
Changed "Course Files - add / edit / delete" permission name to "Manage Course Files - add / edit / delete"
Added new granular permissions under Manage Course Files heading
Course Files - add
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Course Files - edit
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Course Files - delete
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Users - add / remove students from courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added note that the permission has been consolidated and separated into individual user permissions.
Users - Students
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Added new granular permissions under Users - Students heading
Add Students to courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Remove Students from courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Users - add / remove teachers, course designers, or TAs from courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added note that the permission has been consolidated and separated into individual user permissions.
Users - Designers
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Added new granular permissions under Users - Designers heading
Add Designers to courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Remove Designers from courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Users - Observers
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Added new granular permissions under Users - Observers heading
Add Observers to courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Remove Observers from courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Users - TAs
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Added new granular permissions under Users - TAs heading
Add TAs to courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Remove TAs from courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Users - Teachers
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Added new granular permissions under Users - Teachers heading
Add Teachers to courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Remove Teachers from courses
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Users - Allow Administrative Actions
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
For more information, please see Canvas Release Notes (2021-03-20)
2021-01-16
Users - Act As
- Role: Account
- Features Affected: In People (Account), added This permission should only be assigned to users that your institution has authorized to act as other users in your entire Canvas account. Users with this permission may be able to use the Act as feature to manage account settings, view and adjust grades, access user information, etc. This permissions also allows admins designated to a sub-account to access settings and information outside of their sub-account.
Manage Pages - create / delete / update
- Role: Account, Course
- Clarified granular permissions
Manage Course Sections - add / edit / delete
- Role: Account, Course
- Clarified granular permissions
For more information, please see Canvas Release Notes (2021-01-16)
2020-12-02
Users - Act As
- Role: Account
- Features Affected: Added "SpeedGrader - Allows user to delete a submission file."
For more information, please see Canvas Deploy Notes (2020-12-02)
2020-10-07
Outcome Proficiency Calculations - add / edit
- Role: Account, Course
- Added new permission
Outcome Proficiency Scales - add / edit
- Role: Account, Course
- Added new permission
For more information, please see Canvas Deploy Notes (2020-10-07)
2020-06-20
Changed "Pages - add / edit / delete" permission name to "Manage Pages - create / delete / update"
Added new granular permissions under Manage Pages heading
Pages - Create
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Pages - Delete
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
Pages - Update
- Role: Account, Course
- Added permissions information
For more information, please see Canvas Release Notes (2020-06-20)
2020-05-09
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete
- Role: Account, Course
- Additional Considerations: Added To import learning outcomes, Learning Outcomes - import must also be enabled.
For more information, please see Canvas Deploy Notes (2020-05-09)
Course State - manage
- Role: Account, Course
- Features Affected: Added Dashboard: Determines whether a Publish button is included in a course card for an unpublished course (Card View Dashboard).
For more information, please see Ready Release Notes (2020-04-25)
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete
- Role: Account
- Features Affected: Removed Rubrics: Determines visibility and management of Rubrics tab in the account navigation.
For more information, please see Canvas Deploy Notes (2020-04-18)
Sub-Account Permissions and Settings
- Role: Account
- Updated list of permissions not available for subaccounts
- Added Admin Tools - Logging (in Statistics - view)
- Removed Courses - view change logs
- Removed Grades - view change logs
Courses - view change logs
- Role: Account
- Additional Considerations: Removed section
Grades - view change logs
- Role: Account
- Additional Considerations: Removed Subaccounts section
2020-04-18
Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete
- Role: Account, Course
- Additional Considerations: In Rubrics, removed However, if Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete is enabled, user can still add rubrics via Outcomes (Manage Rubrics button).
Learning Outcomes - add / edit / delete
- Roles: Account, Course
- Features Affected: Removed Rubrics: Allows user to manage rubrics
- Additional Considerations: Under Feature heading, removed and Rubrics. In Related Information, removed and hides the Manage Rubrics button. User can still access individual assignment rubrics through Assignments. Added To allow the Course Outcomes page as read-only, this permission can be disabled but Course Content - view must be enabled.
Learning Outcomes - import
- Role: Account, Course
- Features Affected: Removed and Rubrics
- What it Does: Changed import learning outcomes to rubrics to import learning outcomes
- Additional Considerations: Removed section
Rubrics - add / edit / delete
- Role: Account, Course
- Feature: Added Rubrics: Allows user to view the Rubrics link in Course Navigation.
- Additional Considerations: Removed If this permission is disabled, users can still create or add rubrics to assignments if Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete is enabled. Added Users can access and create (but not edit) individual assignment rubrics through Assignments when Course Content - view and Assignments and Quizzes - add / edit / delete are enabled.
For more information, please see the Rubrics feature in Canvas Release Notes (2020-04-18)
2020-02-15
Conversations - send to individual course members
- Role: Account, Course
- Additional Considerations: Added Additionally, when disabled, students cannot send individual messages to students who belong to the same course-level (or account-level) groups.
2020-01-18
Course Content - add / edit / delete
- Role: Account, Course
- What it Does: Added Assignments, Calendar, Discussions, and Pages entries
For more information, please see the Direct Share feature in Canvas Release Notes (2020-01-18)
2019-12-21
Users - moderate content
- Role: Account
- Added permission information
For more information, please see Canvas Release Notes (2019-12-21)
2019-12-18
Courses - view usage reports
- Role: Account, Course
- What it Does: removed Student Interactions reports
- Additional Considerations: Added Reports: To access the Student Interactions report, Grades - view all grades must also be enabled.
Grades - view all grades
- Roles: Account, Course
- Additional Considerations: Added Reports: To access the Student Interactions report, Courses - view usage reports must also be enabled.
For more information, please see Canvas Deploy Notes (2019-12-18)
2019-12-04
Grades - edit
- Role: Account, Course
- What it Does: in Quizzes, added View the quiz statistics page
Grades - view all grades
- Role: Account, Course
- What it Does: in Quizzes, updated description as Allows user to view student results, view quiz statistics, and access a quiz in SpeedGrader.
Courses - add / edit / delete
- Role: Account
- Additional Considerations: Changed Modules to Course Content; updated description as To manage course content, Course Content - add / edit / delete must be enabled
Courses - change visibility
- Role: Course
- Added permissions information
For more information, please see Canvas Deploy Notes (2019-12-04)
Sub-Account Permissions and Settings
- Role: Account
- Updated list of permissions not available for subaccounts
- Added Admin Tools - Logging (in Statistics - view)
- Added Course - view change logs
- Added Grades - view change logs
For the following admin permissions, added Not available at the subaccount level:
- Statistics - view
- Users - manage login details
- Catalog - manage
- Course - view change logs
- Grades - view change logs
- Grades - edit
- Grades - view all grades
- Users - view list
