Blackboard
Blackboard: Roles and Permissions
Role Hierarchy
Blackboard employs a structured system for roles that organizes permissions hierarchically:
System Roles: Determine access to administrative privileges across the entire platform.
Institution Roles: Control user access to specific tabs, modules, and branding elements.
Course and Organization Roles: Govern access to content and tools within courses or organizations.
Roles can be combined to provide users with all associated privileges. For instance, a user with both a "Student" and "Course Administrator" role will inherit permissions from both.
Default Roles
Blackboard provides several standard roles at installation, each tailored to a specific function:
System Roles: Include System Administrator, Support, Observer, and more.
Institution Roles: Control branding and module access based on user type (e.g., Campus or Department roles).
Course Roles: Roles like Instructor, Student, Grader, and Guest manage course-level permissions.
Role Customization
Administrators can create custom roles to meet unique institutional needs by:
Copying an existing role and modifying privileges.
Starting fresh with no pre-configured permissions.
Permission Management
Permissions are defined by privileges, which determine what actions a user can perform. These can be adjusted for:
System Level: Affecting the entire platform.
Institution Level: Controlling access to specific branding and modules.
Course Level: Governing course content and tools.
Managing Roles and Privileges
Blackboard supports:
Exporting and Importing Roles: To replicate permissions across organizations.
Testing Roles: Using test accounts to verify role configurations before deployment.
Assigning Roles: At the user creation stage or by editing existing accounts.
Advanced Features
Inherited Privileges: Users automatically gain permissions from higher roles in the hierarchy.
Granular Control: Administrators can permit or restrict over 1,100 individual privileges to align with institutional policies.
Tools and References
Administrators can use resources like the Privileges Descriptions Spreadsheet to plan and configure roles effectively. This includes default settings and detailed privilege descriptions for all system and course roles.
Source Material:
https://help.blackboard.com/es-es/Learn/Administrator/Hosting/User_Management/Roles_and_Privileges