All instructors who have access to student records should have FERPA certification. Please visit HERE for more information and how to be FERPA certified.
For information on general usage and how to enter instructors into CAPS, including Instructor ID and name, please refer to the CAPS Basics page.
For more information about CANVAS roles, please visit Assigning CAPS Roles in Canvas
The information below is effective from March 18, 2024.
*Instructor of Record (Primary Instructor - PI)is an individual responsible for delivering the primary instruction in the class. The class can be in person or as on online course, credit-bearing or associated class, and may be graded or not.
**Instructional Support refers to a wide range of activities to support the work of Instructors of Record (PI), including curriculum support, grading papers, managing on-line resources, preparing experiments, holding office hours or managing the course. Individuals making a minor or occasional contribution (e.g., a guest lecturer) may be assigned an Instructional Support role but should not be designated an Instructor of Record role.
Guidelines for Assigning Instructor Roles in CAPS for Undergrad Classes (100- 400 level)
| Employee Type | Instructor role | Print on Spire | Grading Access on CAPS |
| Faculty | PI/SA | Y | Approve/Grade/Post |
| Graduate Students | PI | Y | Grade/Post |
| Graduate Students | TA/TA Grading | N | None |
| Undergraduate Students | LMS only or LMS only Grading | N | None |
| Professional/Classified Staff | Not Allowed | NA | NA |
Guidelines for Assigning Instructor Roles in CAPS for Graduate Classes (500- and above)
| Employee Type | Instructor Role | Print on Spire | Grading Access on CAPS |
| Grad Faculty – Full Grad Faculty (Teach Only) | PI/SA | Y | Approve/Grade/Post |
| Graduate Students | TA/TA Grading | N | None |
| Undergraduate Students | LMS only or LMS only Grading | N | None |
| Professional/Classified Staff | Not Allowed | NA | NA |
Translation of Instructors on CANVAS: The above two CAPS submission will translate in CANVAS as below.
| CAPS Role | Role in Canvas | Allow Grading Access on CANVAS only |
| PI | UMA Instructor | Yes |
| SA | UMA Instructor | Yes |
| TA Grading/LMS Only Grading | TA-Grading and Building | Yes |
| TA /LMS Only | TA-Building | No |
Graduate Courses
For graduate courses, the PIs must be approved by the members of the Graduate Faculty.
Note: Please do not select grading for Thesis/Dissertation courses (699 and 899).
Instructor Roles:
Primary Instructor (PI)
- Only faculty, Graduate students and anyone with a NENS designation may be designated as PI.
- Graduate students can be PI only for undergrad classes (100-400 level courses).
- Graduate students responsible for undergrad lab or handling discussion sections should always be assigned a PI role.
- Only faculty members may be designated PI for independent study, practicum.
- For classes that are co-taught, there may be multiple PIs.
- Individuals making a minor or occasional contribution (e.g., a guest lecturer), can be designated as PI, if providing evaluation for the class.
- On Canvas, PI are assigned the role known as “UMA Instructor”.
Section Assistant (SA)
- Faculty members, including those who supervise graduate or undergraduate students who serve as PI for discussion or lab sections, should be assigned the SA role.
- Faculty members who submit grades for independent study, practica, or similar work but who are not the supervisors of such work should be given the SA role.
- Faculty can be listed on Thesis/Dissertation courses (699 and 899) as SA only.
- On Canvas, SA are assigned the role known as “UMA Instructor”.
Teaching Assistant (TA)
- Graduate students assigned to any form of instructional support must be entered into CAPS and assigned the TA role.
- Faculty members, graduate students with a TA role will not be allowed to grade but can build/edit a course on CANVAS.
- On Canvas, “TA” are assigned the role known as “TA-Building”.
Teaching Assistant Grading (TA Grading)
- Graduate students who will need to grade on CANVAS along with building and editing a course should be assigned the TA Grading role.
- Graduate students with TA Grading role on CAPS will have access to grading on CANVAS.
- On Canvas, TA Grading are assigned the role known as “TA-Grading and Building.”
LMS Only
- This role should be used to identify faculty and students who only provide help through Canvas. They will not have access to grades or class rosters through SPIRE.
Please follow the new process to have certified FERPA agreements, HERE.
- On Canvas, “LMS Only” are assigned the role known as “TA-Building”.
LMS Only Grading
- This role should be used to identify faculty and students who only provide help through Canvas. They will have access to grades or class rosters through CANVAS.
Please follow the new process to have certified FERPA agreements, HERE.
- On Canvas, “LMS Only Grading” are assigned the role known as “TA-Grading and Building”.
Print in Schedule
This field controls whether the instructor’s name is visible in the schedule of classes for the semester. It should be set to ‘Y’, for primary instructors of graded sections, as students and advisors like to identify the instructor for a class. The Print field is by default, populated as ‘N’ on CAPS, for non-graded sections, and if the instructor role is TA, SA or LMS Only. TA and LMS Only roles cannot be changed, but if you want an SA to be printed in schedule, please choose ‘Y’ on CAPS.