Brightspace User Definitions

Brightspace offers a variety of user types to accommodate a classroom community. The table below shows each role listing its uses or potential uses, as well as the permissions associated with that role. Click on a role below to learn more.

Course Roles

D2L Roles for CITE Documentation Website

Instructor

  • Uses: Course Professor or Instructor

  • Permissions:

  • Full access to the course

  • Generally assigned to the person developing, teaching, or facilitating the class

  • If a course is unavailable to students, users with the Instructor role may still access it

  • Can control tool availability

Instructor of Record

  • Uses: used as the classification for the instructor listed in the course catalog. This role type can't be set in Brightspace, it has to come from Banner/Fish'R'Net.

  • Permissions:

    • Included in the course description in the Course Catalog

    • Same as instructor

Clinical Instructor

  • Uses: Clinical or another type of instructor

  • Permissions:

    • Same as instructor, but doesn't have access to grades or grade book

Support Staff

  • Uses: Designate a staff member who may be supporting a course

  • Permissions: Same as the instructor

Librarian

  • Uses: Librarian who may be supporting a course

  • Permissions: Same as the instructor

Learning Assistant

  • Uses: Assistant or aide helping with course content that shouldn’t have access to grades

  • Permissions:

    • Access to most areas of the course

    • No access to grades

    • If the course is unavailable to students, a learning assistant can still access the course

    • Can't remove an instructor from a course

Facilitator

  • Uses: for co-instructors or others who need access to the course to oversee a specific section

  • Permissions: same as instructor, but can't add or remove users from the course.

When using educational technology tools, be FERPA aware. To learn more, visit the Registrar's FERPA Guidelines site.