How do I link a student to my user account as an observer?

If you signed up for a Canvas account as a parent, you can add students to observe within the same school. Additionally, if a school created an observer account linked to a student for you, you can add students to observe.

To link yourself to a student, you will need to enter a student-specific pairing code. Pairing codes are case sensitive and are valid for seven days. Students can generate pairing codes from their User Settings. Depending on school permissions, admins and instructors may also be able to generate pairing codes. For more information on pairing codes, view the Pairing Codes - Frequently Asked Questions PDF.

Notes:

  • You cannot add students whose accounts are not within your same school (Canvas URL). To observe students in another school, you must sign up for an account using that school's Canvas URL.

  • If you are not able to access all of a student's courses, the option to link to additional students is not available to you.

  • Once you have linked to a student from the Observing page, you cannot remove the student. To remove a student, please contact the student's instructor.

Open Account Settings

In Global Navigation, click the Account link [1], then click the Settings link [2].

Open Observing

In User Navigation, click the Observing link.

Add Student

Type the pairing code in the Student Pairing Code field [1] and click the Add Student button [2].

View Student

View the paired student.