Granting Observer Access
Observer access in a course allows a user to view published course content, discussions, and announcements. However, the user cannot participate in the course like a student, for example, by replying in discussions or submitting assignments. This is essentially view-only access — the user can observe the course without participating.
Give Observer Access
Observer access to a Canvas course is granted in Ugla.
Steps
- Open Ugla at ugla.hi.is.
- On the Ugla homepage, click the three-dot menu next to the course to open the tools menu.
- Click All operations on the right under Operations Teacher.
- In the Canvas section, click Add an “observer” to the course.
- Find the user by entering either the username, without @, or the national ID number.
- Click Save.
It may take up to one hour for the user to receive observer access in Canvas.
Check Whether Observer Access Has Been Granted
To confirm that the user has received observer access, open the course in Canvas.
Steps
- Open the course in Canvas.
- Click People in the course navigation.
- Search for the observer by name, or check the list under All Roles.
- The number in parentheses next to Observer shows how many users currently have that role.
- Select Observer to check whether the user appears in the list.
Once access has been granted, the user’s name will appear there.
Under the observer’s name, Canvas shows Observing: Nobody. This is normal. It means that the observer is not linked to a specific student, but instead has general observer access to the course.
In Canvas, you can also link an observer to a specific student. In that case, the observer can, for example, view that student’s grades. This option is primarily intended for younger students and for parent access. It is not used at the University of Iceland.