This guide is designed for CAPS Schedulers and UMass instructors to better understand the new CAPS system in Canvas. For detailed guidelines on CAPS assignments and the new roles, please refer to the Instructor Roles in CAPS page. For information on general usage and how to enter instructors into CAPS, including Instructor ID and name, please refer to the CAPS Basics page. 

Below, you can find information on the different roles in Canvas, information on providing access to TAs in Canvas, and a table for assignments.

Note: Your TA must be listed in SPIRE as a Teaching Assistant in order to have access to your Canvas course.

When you add in a TA you need to select the proper role from the Role pull-down menu:

 

All TAs added to a course in SPIRE will be able to access the associated Canvas course(s).

In general, you can refer to the following table for TA assignments and additional capabilities. For a detailed explanation of each role, refer to the sections below the table. 

 

 

 

Role	Appropriate for Undergraduates	Can Edit LMS Course Content	Can See and Grade Student Work in LMS	Can See Roster and Grades in SPIRE
LMS Only	X
LMS gradng	X	X	X
Primary Instructor		X	X	X
Section Assistant		X	X	X
TA		X
TA-grading		X	X	X

 

Teaching Assistant (TA) and Teaching Assistant Grading (TA-grading)

Teaching Assistant (TA) should be assigned to graduate students and faculty members who do not need to grade on Canvas. The TA role provides only the ability to build and edit course material. In Canvas, TAs are assigned the role “TA-Building”. The TA-Building role does not provide assistants with the ability to interact with students; it is limited strictly to building and editing course materials.

If a TA, guest speaker*, or other assistant will be interacting with students in discussions or commenting on work, they will need to be assigned the “TA - Grading” role.

Teaching Assistant Grading (TA Grading) should be assigned to graduate students and faculty members who need the ability to grade in Canvas and build and edit course material. This includes interacting with students, providing assignment feedback, and access to all grading functions in the LMS. In Canvas, TA – Grading is assigned the role “TA-Grading and Building”.

*If a guest instructor needs student access, they will need to request a NENS account and be assigned in SPIRE.

Examples of Assigning TAs vs. TA Grading:

• Graduate student who supports a PI through building and designing course modules   – TA
• Faculty member or graduate student who assists in grading course work, providing assignment feedback, and/or interacting with students – TA Grading

Undergraduate students supporting faculty members cannot be assigned a TA role.

However, if an instructor requests an undergraduate student be given access to grade coursework, they should be assigned the role “LMS Grading” in CAPS. This will translate to the TA Grading and Building role in Canvas.

We encourage CAPS schedulers to ask instructors if their TA needs grading access before assigning a role, as well as if they are a graduate or undergraduate student.

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LMS Only and LMS Grading

The LMS Only role is assigned to faculty, graduate and undergraduate students that provide support through Canvas or Moodle who do not need access to grades or class rosters through SPIRE. 

The LMS Grading role is assigned to faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students that provide support through Canvas and need access to grades and/or class rosters. If an instructor would like their undergraduate TA to assist in grading, they should be provided the LMS Only Grading role.

In Canvas, LMS Only Grading is assigned the role “TA Grading and Building”.

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Providing Canvas Access to TAs

If a graduate or undergraduate TA needs access to Canvas, or is not seeing their role configured properly, we recommend the following:

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. 
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.

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.

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Assigning Primary Instructors and Section Assistants

Primary Instructors (PI)

Primary Instructors can include faculty members, graduate students, and anyone with a NENS designation. This role is assigned to the instructors leading a course and can include more than one instructor if the class is co-taught. In Canvas, PIs are assigned the role “UMA Instructor”, allowing full grading access. 

Examples of when to assign the PI role:

• Leading instructor(s) of a graduate or undergraduate course*
• Graduate student managing undergraduate discussion section or lab**
• Graduate student teaching a Lecture or Seminar***
• Guest lecturers, if providing evaluation for the class.

*If a class is being co-taught, there may be multiple PIs assigned. Additionally, only faculty members can be designated PI for independent study, practicum.

**If a graduate student is responsible for lab or discussion sections, faculty members supervising section leaders should be assigned the SA role.

***Graduate students cannot be Primary Instructors for classes numbered 500 and above unless members of the graduate faculty.

Section Assistant (SA)

Section assistants can include faculty members and graduate faculty. In Canvas, SAs are assigned the role “UMA Instructor” allowing full grading access.

Examples of when to assign the SA role:

• Faculty members that supervise graduate students who serve as the PI for discussion or lab sections.
• Faculty members who submit grades for independent study or practicum but are not the not the supervisor of the work.
• Faculty members listed on Thesis/Dissertation courses (699 and 899).

For additional information on CAPS, please refer to the Instructor Roles in CAPS page. If you’re looking for more information on using CAPS, please refer to the CAPS Basics page.