Parent versus Grade Viewer Role

Parent versus Grade Viewer Role

by Sandy Stockholm -
Number of replies: 7

I am wanting to set up a custom role for a person to be able to view the grades, activities of people in a specific group, in a specific course. This user may also be assigned another group in another course, and so on. The person would view grades only; no editing or approving of anything. User would not need access to view course activities. We do not utilize forums, discussion boards, etc. Basically for a supervisor to view progress of his/her assigned employees with scorm activities and quizzes, other activities like viewing files, lessons.

The role would be assigned at the course level and then to a particular group. Do I create the available role in each course, or is there a way to create it so that it is an optional role for each course created? The supervisor would not have a site-wide role, just a course role (but multiple courses).

I did view the docs for Grade Viewer Role, and wasn't certain about the last bit on restricting the role further. I would not want the Grade Viewer to be able to view any course activities site wide, only the courses in which the Grade Viewer has employees (and then to their specific group.) It sounds like you create the role as administrator and then with the view courses without participation to non-set; then the grade viewer would only view activities to specific courses. The grade viewer role would then show up in each course created as an assignable role ... ? The grade viewer would not need access to each activity, but just the completion status/grade. Or does access to the activity come with viewing grades?

Please provide any feedback regarding whether this sounds like a "parent" or a "grade viewer." Thank you!

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In reply to Sandy Stockholm

Re: Parent versus Grade Viewer Role

by Sandy Stockholm -
I added a grade viewer role; however I am unable to assign anyone with that role. It does not show up site wide assignments (just manager and course creator). As I understand it, the grade viewer is assigned "site-wide" but by restricting it to a course role (course/activity context), I would then enroll the grade viewer in the applicable course and their role is already established? I do see that I am able to change the names of the roles including grade viewer in courses.
Do I need to assign while logged in as a site administrator?
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In reply to Sandy Stockholm

Re: Parent versus Grade Viewer Role

by Mary Cooch -
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Hello there. I am assuming you are following the instructions in the documentation Grade viewer role? You should indeed assign it in the system context  (you can't do it just within a course) and then when you go to Assign system roles, you should see the  Grade viewer role alongside Manager and Course creator and be able to give someone that role.
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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Parent versus Grade Viewer Role

by Sandy Stockholm -

Yes I was. However, I did change a few more settings to prevent. Would there be one that you can think of that would be preventing the grade viewer role to show up with manager and course creator in the assign system roles?

I utilized "archetype: Teacher (non-editing)" then for context roles where this role may be assigned:

Checked Course and Activity Module. Perhaps that still needed to be system; and then the further restriction to have it set by course was just a permission setting.

Update: So I changed the context to system; and I was able to assign the role of grade viewer to a user. However, when I go to a specific course, I cannot enroll the person as a grade viewer. It shows up in the list of role renaming in course settings. I only have the choices of manager, teacher, non-editing teacher, and student when it comes to enrolling and then giving a role. When I select other users, the user who is a gradeviewer is listed (but not enrolled in the course.)

I should say I am using the adaptable theme.

Update #2: It looks like it is working by just enrolling the person as a student, it goes back to grade viewer. There are a few things accessible that I wouldn't really want accessible for this role. But looks like making progress.

A person can edit the settings for the gradeviewer role without modifying settings for other roles, correct? If I need to, I could always just delete this new role or not use it?

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In reply to Sandy Stockholm

Re: Parent versus Grade Viewer Role

by Randy Thornton -
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Sandy,

For your situation, the key part of the document is at the bottom:

"If you would like to restrict the role further, then you can create the role in the 'Course' context; set 'view courses without participation' to 'Non-set' and then enrol the user into the relevant courses with the role of Grade viewer. "

This is what you should do with the role since what you want it to have this only in a specific course, not in all courses, which is how the Grade viewer role is set up to be used usually.

So, if you make those two changes as the documentation suggests - use the course context for the role rather than the system context and unset that view all courses capability, then you will be able to enrol in the specific courses (and add it to the group) as you wish.
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In reply to Randy Thornton

Re: Parent versus Grade Viewer Role

by Sandy Stockholm -

Thank you Randy. Am I safe to shut off other permissions, such as viewing permissions? I really want this to be a simple straightforward way for a manager outside our organization to view the grades of their students, and not other students (I will have them in separate groups within courses.)

So the grade viewer really needs very limited permissions to view grades of certain groups within certain courses. No messaging, no posting, editing, calendars, anything.

When I go to limit permissions, is prevent just as good as prohibit? I built gradeviewer off the archetype non editing teacher. I wasn't clear what the difference is in building a new role off non-editing teacher or the archetype non editing teacher.

Thanks!

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In reply to Sandy Stockholm

Re: Parent versus Grade Viewer Role

by Randy Thornton -
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That's a good bunch of questions.

The non-editing teacher role only applies in the course. So, this user will also be an Authenticated user when the log, before they get to the course. So, the can do all the things that any user can do, have a Dashboard, edit their profile, use Messaging, etc. To do that would be rather complicated.

Secondly, the non-editing teacher is designed to be able to grade things but not edit course content. You may need to remove some permissions from that role that allow that and replace them with viewing only ones (which is why the Grader viewer role is a good model).

When you build a role use an archetype that just means that it copies over the existing default permissions of that role to get you started. It is a time saving method to help in basing one role on another. Of course, you may not want all those permissions and need to change them. So, as a rule of thumb, if you have to fewer changes to a role using an archetype than starting from no role at all, then start with the closest archetype to what you want to end up with.

Prohibit is better than Prevent since you know the user will not be doing anything with activities at all, in your particular case. Prohibit just means that the permission can not be overridden in some other place further up or down the chain. Try Prohibit first if you need to. Just unsetting the permission to take away the Allow will usually work fine, but use Prohibit if you need to.
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