User Roles

User Roles and Affordances

A user can be assigned only one role in Blackboard. [See also, Changing a User's Role...]

  • Instructor: The instructor has master access over the Blackboard course functions.
  • Teaching Assistant: Teaching assistants have almost the same access level that the instructor does, with the exception that a TA CANNOT "Add" instructors and TA's to a Blackboard course. The role of TA is typically assigned to faculty assistants, teaching assistants, or administrative assistants who help to develop and maintain course materials, communications, assessments, and grades in a Blackboard course.
  • Student: Enrolled students have access to content areas, communication and collaboration tools, and assessments, given the instructor has made these available to students. Students do not have access to the Control Panel. Only those with the role of Student can take assessments and have grades recorded in the Blackboard gradebook. Instructors can make grades available to students and the student will see only his/her own grades via a "My Grades" view.

Caution: If you change the role of a Student who is enrolled in your Blackboard course to that of TA or Grader they will be removed from the gradebook and will not be able to submit work in Blackboard.

  • Grader: The grader is able to access all areas under Assessments in order to manage/assign grades.
  • Course Builder: Course builders have access to most content functions. They cannot build assessments or pools, do not have access to the gradebook, cannot create calendar entries and course tasks, and cannot access course statistics.
  • Guests are defined by Blackboard, Inc. as users in a course who do not directly participate in its activities. By default, Guest Access is turned off at the course level. Instructors have the control to turn this on or to allow/disallow guest access to specific areas and tools of the course.
  • Observers are defined by Blackboard, Inc. as users in a course who do not directly participate in its activities but who follow the actions of one or more Students enrolled in the course. By default, Observer Access is turned off at the course level. Instructors have the control to turn this on or to allow/disallow observer access to specific areas and tools of the course.

Changing a Users Role in a Blackboard Course

Instructors can easily change a user's role in their Blackboard course.

  1. Navigate to the Users page.
  2. Click on the dropdown arrow icon next to a user's name and select "Change User's Role in Course" from the dropdown menu.
  3. The available roles will appear. Click on the radio button next to the role you wish the user to have.
  4. Click "Submit."

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