Roles available in Brightspace

Overview of available roles

The Brightspace Learning Environment used by MSU features automatic course provisioning whereby all courses listed in the Banner system are automatically created and available for use to both learners and instructors affiliated with MSU-Bozeman campus.

Brightspace has enrollment capability built in to the learning management system itself so that Instructors are able to enroll participants into their Brightspace course offering according to need. Additional participants can be enrolled into courses utilizing one of the six role types described below.

 

Instructor

The instructor role gives full ability to the enrolled participant regarding design in the course including access to all functions in the "Manage Files" area, all course Editing functionality, and access to the Grades area and related functions. Typically, the Instructor role is reserved for participants that are working in the course offering in a co-instructor capacity. Instructor role can see past terms and courses that have not been made active.

• Announcements – create, utilize draft/publish states, set start/end dates, dismiss and delete
• Content – add/remove/organize Modules and Topics
• Discussions – create/remove Forums and Topics, create private discussion groups and post messages
• Assignments – create /remove new folders and link to gradebook
• Quizzes – create/remove quizzes and question library
• Classlist – view classlist and enroll/unenroll students, audit, course assistants and instructors
• Grades – view, add/remove and release student grades
• Groups – create/remove groups and give private access to assignments, discussion and locker
• Chat – create/remove and participate in chats
• Surveys – create/remove surveys and question library
• Checklist – create/remove checklists
• Edit Course – able to effect all areas of the course... for example: build content areas, create discussion areas, access and create items in the Grades area
• Course Offering Information – activate a course
• Import/Export/Copy Components – import/export/copy to and from org units
• Manage Files – upload/download, cut/copy/paste, delete, zip/unzip

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Course Assistant

Typically, Instructors restrict enabling this role only to users with appropriate access at the university level – for instance, Instructors will usually enroll only participants who have been identified as an official Course Assistant (AKA Teaching Assistant) assigned to the course. Course Assistant accounts can see and edit the Grades in the class. Course Assistant role cannot see courses in past terms but can see courses that have not been made active.

• Announcements – view, dismiss
• Content – view content
• Discussions – post messages
• Assignments – grade submitted assignments
• Quizzes – preview quizzes, grade submitted quizzes, reset attempts, view quiz setup and export to grades
• Classlist – view classlist
• Grades:
  • view and enter student grades
  • cannot export grades
  • import grades via .csv file (but not create a new grade item)
• Groups – view groups
• Chat – participate in chats
• Surveys – view survey reports (if instructor releases them to CA role)
• Checklist – view checklists

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Student

Student role is restricted to participating in current term course offerings in which they are enrolled and have been made active by the instructor of a course.

• Announcements – view, dismiss
• Content – view content
• Discussions – view/post messages
• Assignments – submit files to folders released to them by the instructor
• Quizzes – take quizzes released to them by the instructor
• Classlist – view classlist
• Grades – view their own grades
• Groups – view group information
• Chat – participate in chats
• Surveys – take surveys released to them by the instructor
• Checklist – see checklists

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Audit

Differences between the Student role and the Audit role:

A student auditing the course does not receive credit for the course though they can participate at the level of a student. MSU states:

"Registered students may, with the permission of the instructor, audit a course and earn zero credit. A student must submit a signed Add/Drop form, by the 10th semester day, indicating the course is for audit. Auditors pay the same fees as students enrolled for credit." (from the MSU Online Catalog - search for "Taking Courses for Zero Credit")

Using an Audit role can also serve to distinguish users in a course from student accounts. When enrolled as an "Audit" role, participants appear in the classlist with their role listed as Audit – not Student. The Audit role can also be used for individuals in the course who are participating as librarians, tutors, guests, or general support personnel.

Audit role is restricted to participating in current term course offerings that he/she is enrolled in and have been made active by the instructor of a course.

Note: Individual accounts entered into a Brightspace course as Audit role, whether emanating from Banner or in the system as a guest, cannot be graded and will not show up in the Grades area.

• Announcements – view, dismiss
• Content – view content
• Discussions – view/post messages
• Assignments – submit files to folders released to them by the instructor
• Quizzes – take quizzes released to them by the instructor
• Classlist – view classlist
• Grades – cannot access the grades area
• Groups – view groups
• Chat – participate in chats
• Surveys – take surveys released to them by the instructor
• Checklist – see checklists

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Librarian

Typically, Instructors restrict enabling this role to librarians at the university level. The role is very similar to the Course Assistant role with the exception of being able to see or interact with the Grades area. Librarian role participants appear in the classlist with their role listed as Librarian.

• Announcements – view, dismiss
• Content – view content
• Discussions – post messages
• Assignments – grade submitted assignments
• Quizzes – grade quizzes and and work in question library
• Classlist – view classlist
• Groups – view groups
• Chat – participate in chats
• Surveys – view survey reports (if instructor releases them to Librarian role)
• Checklist – view checklists

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Reviewer

Reviewer role has no power to change anything (except for an ability to access the Assignments function - necessary if the role wants to be able to see how assignments area has been set up) but can be added into courses that are in past (and other) semesters. Instructors can add this role into their courses to allow individuals to see course content and see how the course is set up but Reviewer role individuals are unable to make changes to the course offering or see the grades area. Reviewer role participants appear in the classlist with their role listed as Reviewer. Reviewer role can see past terms and courses that are active.

• Announcements – view, dismiss
• Content – view content
• Discussions – view messages; cannot post messages
• Assignments – access Assignment folders; can submit files to folders
• Quizzes – view quiz list, preview quizzes, and see tabs used for set-up/editing of quizzes
• Classlist – view classlist
• Grades – cannot access/view grades area
• Groups – view group information
• Chat – participate in chats
• Surveys – take surveys released to them by the instructor
• Checklist – see checklists

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Copy For Instructor Use (CFIU)

The CFIU role can be added to courses that are in past (and other) terms, and courses that are inactive or active.

The role allows users to see course content without any ability to change anything in the course.

The role also has access to the "Import/Export/Copy Components" functionality.  Users placed in a course with the role can faciltate copying course contents from one course into another course.

• Announcements – view, dismiss
• Content – view content
• Discussions – view messages; cannot post messages
• Assignments – access Assignment folders; can submit files to folders
• Quizzes – view quiz list, preview quizzes, and see tabs used for set-up/editing of quizzes
• Classlist – view classlist
• Grades – cannot access/view grades area
• Groups – view group information
• Chat – participate in chats
• Surveys – take surveys released to them by the instructor
• Checklist – see checklists

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Select this link to access the "Add Participants to a Brightspace Course" tutorial.

If you find you have a need for a specific role that is not detailed on this page don't hesitate to contact Ecat Team Staff at MSU-Bozeman and inquire.

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CD 202106