In Oncourse, what are the participant roles, and how do I find out what my role is?

The descriptions below characterize the default permissions for each role in the relevant sites. Permissions, however, are tool-specific. Users with full permissions (i.e., instructors, site owners, and coordinators for course, project, and portfolio sites, respectively) can add or remove permissions for any role in any tool.

The following roles are available:

Course sites

• Instructor: Instructors can create, delete, and read anything on the site. They can also manage users and groups, publish or unpublish the site, and change the global access of the site.
  
  
• Assistant: The assistant may access the site to help with configuration, settings, and loading resources. The assistant has broad access to the site.
  
  
• AI/TA (Teaching Assistant): Teaching assistants can read, add, and revise most content in their sections; this role lets the site owner assign Gradebook privileges for the AI/TA. More...

  Note: Due to FERPA restrictions, AIs/TAs are only able to see student names and grades for people in their own sections or groups. If your AI/TA needs to be able to see everyone in the class, create a group including everyone.

• Librarian +: This role is intended for librarians who are taking an active role in leading the class, and gives permission to view and create course content; lead and participate in communication tools such as Chat Room, Forums, and Email Archive; and grade items for specific groups and gradebook categories if the instructor assigns Gradebook privileges. More...
  
  
• Librarian: This role allows a librarian who provides assistance in a course to view, but not create, most content. It gives full permissions in the Library Resources tool. A librarian with this role can also participate in communication via Chat Room, Forums, Email Archive, etc.
  
  
• Student: Students are automatically granted student permissions in course sites when they register for a course. The student role allows posting of discussion replies and chat messages, and managing or uploading files in a student's Drop Box. Elsewhere in the site, a student can read content but cannot create Resources, Forum topics, Announcements, or Calendar items.
  
  
• Visitor: This role is limited to posting to forum topics, participating in chat, and observing other parts of the site. A visitor cannot view grades.
  
  
• Observer: The observer cannot add content or participate actively, but can read content. An observer cannot make any changes, additions, or posts, and cannot view grades.

Project sites

• Owner: The project owner has full permissions throughout the site, including publishing the site and setting its global access.
  
  
• Assistant: The assistant may access the site to help with configuration, settings, and loading resources. The assistant has broad access to the site.
  
  
• Member: Members can create resources and announcements, schedule events, create new forums and forum topics, and email the site. Members cannot modify the site and cannot see unpublished items.
  
  
• Candidate: This role is used in a project site supporting a dissertation committee. The candidate will not have access to the email archive and mailing list functions, so that the committee may correspond separately about the dissertation.
  
  
• Observer: As in a course site, the observer cannot add content or participate actively, but can read content. An observer cannot make any changes, additions, or posts.
  
  
• Student: Someone with a student role can view the project site.

Portfolio sites

• Coordinator: The coordinator has full permissions throughout the site, including publishing the site and setting its global access.
  
  
• Assistant: The assistant may access the site to help with configuration, settings, and loading resources. The assistant has broad access to the site.
  
  
• Participant: A participant has permission to use specific features of the following tools: Matrices, Wizards, Glossary, Presentations, Presentation Layouts, and Presentation Styles.
  
  
• Evaluator: An evaluator has permission to view and evaluate content directly in a wizard or matrix, or via the Evaluations tool. In the Matrices tool, evaluators may access only those cells to which they have been assigned.
  
  
• Reviewer: A reviewer has permission to view and provide feedback on content in a wizard or matrix. In the Matrices tool, reviewers may access only those cells to which they have been assigned or invited.
  
  
• Observer: By default, observers have no permissions in portfolio tools. Site coordinators can customize the permissions for this role to serve needs not addressed by the other roles.

Note: To see how roster syncing affects the roles users from an associated course site will assume in a portfolio site, see Turning roster syncing on or off.

Determining your role

Users at campuses other than IUB

To find out your role, check the roster, which will list participants by role. To see the roster, follow the directions in Viewing participants in your site.

Users at IUB only

Due to certain installation requirements, members of sites at IUB will not be able to view other members' profiles. Therefore, the only way to determine your role is below:

1. From My Workspace, click Worksite Setup.
   
   
2. You will see a list of the sites to which you belong.
   
   
   • If a checkbox is next to the name of the site, you may check the box and click Edit. On this screen, you will see a list of the site's members. Next to the members' names, you will see a drop-down menu that shows the role.
     
     
   • If no checkbox is next to the name of the site, your role is limited to merely accessing and participating in the site; you do not have full permissions. While you are a member of that site, you cannot change your role or that of others.