Access to Canvas for Teaching Assistants

This page reviews basic information on getting Teaching Assistants access to a Canvas course.

• About Teaching Assistants (TAs) in Canvas
• Your Graduate TA Needs Access to Canvas
• Your Undergraduate TA Needs Access to Canvas
• Assign Course Building and Grading Role to a TA
• Graduate Students Teaching a Lecture or Seminar

About Teaching Assistants (TAs) in Canvas

Your TA must be listed in SPIRE as a Teaching Assistant in order to have access to your Canvas course. By default, TAs automatically receive access to Canvas in the role of TA. They have the same access as students to post files and contribute to forums and activities. They can also access and grade student submissions, but they cannot add or edit content in Canvas.

Once a TA has been listed in SPIRE instructors can opt to change TA role in Canvas, you can give them TA-grading and building role. 

Your Graduate TA Needs Access to Canvas

1. If your TA cannot access your Canvas course, confirm with the Academic Scheduling Representative in your department that the TA is listed in SPIRE as a:
   • Teaching Assistant if your class is a lecture or seminar with no discussion sections/labs.
   • Primary Instructor if your TA is in charge of a separate discussion/lab.
   Note: The process of listing graduate TAs in SPIRE may take three (3) business days or longer. 
2. Once Canvas is updated with the latest information from SPIRE, your TA will automatically be enrolled in your course as a TA.

Your Undergraduate TA Needs Access to Canvas

Undergraduate TAs, and undergraduate and graduate students who assist with limited course activities (e.g., grading) receive access to Canvas only after they are listed as LMS Only in SPIRE.

1. Send the names & SPIRE IDs of your undergrad TAs to the Academic Scheduling Representative in your department. You may use an email or use the TA Request Form.
2. Ask the student to take the FERPA Certification Quiz and sign the FERPA agreement in SPIRE. On your SPIRE Center, select the Academics tile. Under the Forms & Academic Requests heading, select the TA FERPA Agreement page. (Be sure to read the reminder, then select the checkbox and click "I agree to follow FERPA guidelines.")
3. Your Academic Scheduling Representative will be able to add your TA to the class a couple of hours after the student takes the FERPA certification quiz.
4. Once Canvas is updated with the latest information from SPIRE, your TA's role will change to TA.

Assign Course Building and Grading Role to a TA

Please reach out to the IDEAS Team with at instruct@umass.edu to assign the Course Building and Grading Role to a TA in your course. If available, please include the URL of your Canvas course in your request. 

Note: A TA must be assigned in SPIRE in order to elevate the role in Canvas. 

Graduate Students Teaching a Lecture or Seminar

Graduate students teaching a lecture or seminar (not an associated discussion section or lab) are considered Primary Instructors in SPIRE. Primary Instructors can request a Canvas course in SPIRE and are enrolled in Canvas in the Teacher role.
Note: Graduate students cannot be Primary Instructors for classes numbered 500 and above.

If you are a graduate student teaching a lecture or seminar:

1. Make sure you are listed as the Primary Instructor for your class in SPIRE.
   Note: If you are not the Primary Instructor, your class will not appear on your list of Canvas-eligible classes in SPIRE. To be added as the Primary Instructor, contact the Academic Scheduling Representative in your department.
2. In SPIRE’s Main page, select Faculty Center tile > Canvas Course Request. The Step One: Choose from Eligible Sections page will open.
3. For more on requesting a Canvas course, see Request a Canvas Course Through SPIRE.