There are a variety of reasons why you may need to enroll an external to UMSystem user into your Canvas site. This article describes common situations and the process for adding them to your site. If you see multiple options for a user example, you may choose the route that best suits your needs.
For Registrar courses:
- All roles except Student and any unpaid appointment roles that are not teacher roles require a passing FERPA score.
- All Canvas roles except Student, Course Coordinator, Observer, Guest, and Grader can add Zoom meetings to a Canvas course site. One must be in the regular UM System Zoom, not UM System Protected, to add Zoom meetings to a Canvas course.
- Users must be added to PeopleSoft via your course scheduler or Registrar's Office.
For Organization, Development and Non-credit courses:
- All roles may be added using the +People button on the course People page.
Types of accounts
Alternative Login
The external user creates an Alternative Login account.
⚠️Note: Alternative Login accounts may not have Teacher access in Canvas.
Unpaid Appointment
For more information, see HR-513 Volunteers and Other Unpaid Appointments.
⚠️Note: All unpaid appointment accounts must meet the required FERPA and security guidelines prior to gaining access to Canvas.
Methods of adding the user
Canvas Request System (CRS)
How to add the user to your Canvas site using the CRS
Canvas
How to add the user to your Canvas site using Canvas
Email request
Email the Academic Technology team with the following information.
- Guest account information (provided by DoIT), includes first and last name, guest account id, email address
- Level of access needed
- Courses the account needs to be added to
PeopleSoft
Email your course/department scheduler or Registrar's Office to get the user added to PeopleSoft.
Examples
Guest Speaker in a registrar course
- Type of Account: Unpaid Appointment: Guest Affiliate appointment
- Method: PeopleSoft
- Level of Access: Observer
Student test account for instructors
For specific instructions for this process, please see Adding a test student to your Canvas course.
- Type of Account: Alternative Login
- Method: Canvas Request System
- Level of Access: student
Access to any non-credit site
Examples include development or organization sites, including allowing access for a retired or graduated user:
- Type of Account: Alternative Login
- Method: Canvas
- Level of Access: Student
or
- Type of Account: Unpaid Appointment
- Method: Canvas Request System or Canvas
- Level of Access: Any
Accrediting agencies in a registrar course
- Type of Account: Unpaid Appointment
- Method: Email Request
- Level of Access: Any
Professional reviewers
- Type of Account: Unpaid Appointment
- Method: PeopleSoft
- Level of Access: Any
Students and instructors from other institutions participating in study abroad programs
- This type of guest account must be set up and approved via the registrar. Once the accounts are created send the information to the Academic Technologies team.
Canvas campus and vendor resources