Blackboard 9.1
COURSE ROLES
Would you like to have a Teaching Assistant or Grader enrolled in your Blackboard course? Or a
colleague to help you build the course or to invite into your course to see what you have done?
Easy. Simply ask your Blackboard College Administrator* to enroll that person. Before you do, though,
you should understand the different roles as Blackboard defines them…
Course roles control the privileges a user has within a Blackboard course. Each user is assigned a role for
each course in which they are enrolled. For example, a user with a role of Teaching Assistant in one
course can have a role of Student in another course. The course role is set when the user is enrolled (but
may be changed by a Blackboard College Administrator).
Here is a brief description of the major roles in Blackboard:
Instructor
Student
An Instructor has privileges for editing and
Students have no privileges other than to
control of all aspects of the course. This is the
interact with the course components as a
default role for the instructor of record for a
student. This is the default role for all students
course.
enrolled in a course.
Course Builder
Teaching Assistant
A Course Builder has all of the editing and
A Teaching Assistant has essentially all the
control privileges of an Instructor, but does not
privileges of an Instructor, but cannot make a
have access to the Grade Center. This is an
course available. While this gives a TA more
appropriate role for someone who is helping
authority than we might typically consider, it’s
you build your course.
the way Blackboard defines it.
Guest Instructor
Grader
A Guest Instructor has essentially the privileges
A Grader is able to see and grade student
of a Student, with a little more ability to see all
work, and to enter scores into the Grade
students’ work. This is an appropriate role if
Center. This is an appropriate role for someone
you want a colleague to be able to see what
helping you grade in a course, without giving
you are doing in your course, but not be able to
that person editing or control privileges.
edit content or control the course.
*Blackboard College Administrator contacts
If you’d like more of the nitty-gritty, please read on…
09.08.2012
1 of 2
Instructors have access to all areas in the Control Panel. This role is generally given to those developing,
teaching, or facilitating the class. Instructors may access a course that is unavailable to students.
The Course Builder role has access to most areas of the Control Panel. This role is appropriate for a user
to manage the course without having access to student grades. A course builder can still access the
course if the course is unavailable to students. A course builder cannot delete an instructor from a
course.
Course Builders have access to the following areas of the Control Panel.



Course files
Content Collection
Course tools



Users and groups
Customization
Packages and utilities
A Guest Instructor has limited access to some areas in the Control Panel, primarily for being able to view
groups, discussion boards, journals, etc., but cannot access the Grade Center. A course builder can still
access the course if the course is unavailable to students. A course builder cannot delete an instructor
from a course.
Student is the default course role. Students have no access to the Control Panel.
The Teaching Assistant (or TA) role is that of a co-teacher. Teaching assistants are able to administer all
areas of a course, but cannot make a course available. A teaching assistant cannot delete an instructor
from a course.
Teaching assistants have access to most tools and features in the Control Panel.
Even if the course is unavailable to students, teaching assistants still have access to the course. Teaching
assistants are not listed in the Course Catalog listing for the course.
A Grader assists the instructor in the creation, management, delivery, and grading of items, such as tests
and discussion board posts. A grader also assists the instructor with managing the Grade Center. A
grader cannot access a course if it is unavailable to students.
Graders have access to the following areas of the Control Panel.



Content Collection
Course tools
Evaluation
09.08.2012


Grade Center
Packages and utilities (limited access)
2 of 2