User Groups and Permissions

User groups specify who has access to a class or section website and a user's level of permission. For example, some users (e.g., instructors and TAs) can make changes to a class or section website, others (e.g., students) have access to class or section materials, and some (e.g., guests) have limited access to class materials.

Unless a class website has worldwide access, all website users must be in one of the following user groups: Participants, Administrators, Instructors, TAs, Graders, or Guests. Each group lists its members on the Access Control page.

Access Control


Instructors use the Access Control page to determine:

  • Who has access to the restricted class or section website. This Site Access setting applies to the entire class website.
  • Who can view materials and participate in discussions. These user groups determine which class members have access to which class content and materials.

To display these settings, click the appropriate tab at the top of the Access Control page.

Site Access

The world can view a class or section Homepage. An instructor selects one of the following settings to specify who can log in to the class or section, view its materials, and participate in discussions.

  • Whole world: Select this option to grant Guest privileges to anyone with Internet access.
  • Known users: Select this option to allow access only to individuals with either a Kerberos account or a Touchstone account.
  • Class only: Select this option to allow access only to class members and faculty. Only users listed in the class user groups can log into the class website.

Regardless of the setting you choose, restricted material (such as e-reserves from MIT libraries) and student information are limited to the class website members.

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Overview of User Groups

Participants

The 'Participants' group is for people who are not on the official class list but who are participating in the class. They have the same privileges as those in the Official Class List group.  Instructors can add participants to a Stellar site through the Access Control page.

Class participants can:

  • Read all class materials.
  • Download files posted on the website (except those marked Staff Only).
  • Participate in discussions.
  • Use restricted materials.
  • Sign up for sections.
  • See class members who have chosen to make their information visible on the Membership page.

For academic class websites, the Official Class List is created automatically from the MITSIS database. Class websites use preregistration data from the Registrar's office to populate the list about a week before the start of classes. Each night, the list is refreshed with the day's adds and drops. By the end of the first full week of classes at the latest, the preregistration list is replaced with the Registrar's official class list, which is also updated nightly.

Administrators

Administrators can:

  • Add or delete documents (i.e., class content) and announcements.
  • Manage homework.
  • Set up and participate in discussions.
  • Use all website management features and customization tools.
  • View the full list of class members on the Membership page.
  • Add/edit grades in gradebook
  • Approve Grades
  • Create/edit/delete assignments in gradebook
  • Configure the gradebook
  • Change approved grades

Administrators' names do not appear on the Staff List.

Tip: The Administrators group typically includes administrative assistants who set up class websites for instructors.

Instructors

Instructors have the same privileges as Administrators, and Instructors' names appear on the Staff List.

  • Add or delete documents (i.e., class content) and announcements.
  • Manage homework.
  • Set up and participate in discussions.
  • Use all website management features and customization tools.
  • View the full list of class members on the Membership page.
  • Add/edit grades in gradebook
  • Approve Grades
  • Create/edit/delete assignments in gradebook
  • Configure the gradebook
  • Change approved grades
Teaching Assistants

TAs also have the same privileges as Instructors, and TAs' names appear on the Staff List. However, TAs can only configure the gradebook if given permission.

Instructors and TAs are in separate user groups to maintain the class hierarchy. They are listed separately on the Homepage, and their labels can be changed separately on the Homepage.

Graders

Graders Have the following privileges:

  • Can read homework assignments and solutions- solutions only after their release date and post and edit students' grades and post comments. Graders' names do not appear on the Staff List. (However, when posting or editing a grade, the grader can choose to have his or her last name displayed on the Submissions Details and Grade Page. Comments will always carry the grader's name)
  • Graders added through the class website Membership page have access to the whole class; graders added through a Section Membership page have access to only that section.
  • Graders can add and edit grades in the gradebook, and, when given permission, can change an approved grade, though this will change the grade back to unapproved.
Guests

Guests can view all class materials except the following: section subsites, homework, restricted materials, forum, calendar, schedule and the Participants list.  Visitors to websites with world access also have Guest privileges.

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Adding Users to a Group


Instructors use this procedure to add users to a user group for a class or section.

Directions to Adding Users to a Group
  1. Click Membership on the navigation bar.
  2. Click the Access Control tab on the Membership page. The Access Control page has tabs for the user groups: Participants, Administrators, Instructors, TAs, Graders, and Guests.
  3. Click the tab for the user group to which you are adding users.
  4. Enter the user name(s) of the individuals to add in the Add New text box. There are two ways to do this:
    • Type the user names.
    • Look up the user names.
  5. Add as many user names to the text box as needed and separate the user names with line breaks or commas.
  6. Click the Submit button.


Tips: To move a user from one group to another, remove the user from the first user group, then add the user to the second group.

You can also manage the Participants user group by clicking the Participants tab on the Membership page.

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Removing Users from a Group

Directions to Remove Users from a Group:

Instructors use this procedure to remove users from a user group; for example, to remove a class's participants or guests.

  1. Click Membership on the navigation bar.
  2. Click the Access Control tab on the Membership page. The Access Control page has tabs for the user groups: Participants, Admins, Instructors, TAs, Graders, and Guests.
  3. Click the tab for the user group from which you are removing users.
  4. Check the Remove checkbox for the user(s) you want to remove in the Current table.
  5. Click the Submit button.

You can also manage the Participants user group by clicking the Participants tab on the Membership page.

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