Learn - Create and customise LMS roles

LMS roles comprise a set of ACL permissions, each of which allows access to a specific feature or function in the LMS. For example a permission might allow a User to add, create or delete a Course, or to view the properties of any Group.

In some instances however, the default LMS roles may not quite fit what you require so in this article, we'll show how to create a custom LMS role. We'll also share some examples of custom roles that LMS administrators may want to create.

A few things to know about LMS roles:

• Avoid changing default  LMS roles. Always copy an existing role and edit the new copied role
• LMS roles are adapted by adding and removing ACL permissions
• Every role must be assigned an Access level to define it's position in the hierarchy of LMS role

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Create a custom LMS role

There are over 400 individual ACL permissions available, so creating custom LMS roles can get complex. For example, a role might permit allow Course titles to be edited, but if the role does not also include permission to access the Course area of Learn, then the 'edit' permission is redundant.  

For this reason, it's generally easier to start by creating a copy of an existing LMS role.

Steps to create a new LMS role by copying an existing role

1. In Learn admin, browse to settings:
2. Select 'LMS role' from the administration menu
3. Select the LMS role that most closely aligns with the new custom role you wish to create:
4. Select 'Copy':
5. Give the new LMS role a title (a name):
6. Check 'Copy permissions' to copy all ACL permissions to the new role
7. Check the box 'Transfer user assignments to this LMS role' to assign this role straight away. Use this option with caution - we recommend that you create and test the role before assigning to Users
8. Select 'Submit' to save the changes. The new LMS role is now created
9. Update the 'Description' field (it can be helpful here to detail the purpose of the custom role):
10. Update the 'Access Level' field as required
11. Select 'Submit' to save the changes made on the 'Details' page area:
12. Add and remove ACL permissions to limit access to Learn as required
13. Select 'Save' when you're done
14. Assign the LMS role to a User

Before you create a custom role, always take time to plan out beforehand what you aim to achieve, and assign the LMS role to a test User to make sure access works as expected. Login as that User and see how each change you make impacts their view of Learn admin. 

Steps to create a new LMS role from scratch

1. In Learn admin, browse to settings:
2. Select 'LMS role' from the administration menu
3. Select 'New' 
4. Add a 'Title'. This should clearly describe what the role is for:
5. Add information in the 'Description' field. Clearly state the role's capabilities or limitations
6. Set the Access level for the role
7. Select 'Submit' to create the custom LMS role
8. Add and remove ACL permissions to limit access to Learn as required
9. Select 'Save' when you're done
10. Assign the LMS role to a User

Examples of custom LMS roles

The below examples are relatively simple, however LMS roles can get complex. If you'd like some assistance with LMS roles, please reach out to the Support team or your implementation consultant before you begin, and we can advise on the best approach to take

Custom LMS roles may be necessary for various reasons. Three examples illustrate the need for customisation based on adapting a default or standard LMS role.

Remove admin access from the Manager role

By default, Managers have access to Learn admin. Watch the video below to see how to remove this access. 

ACL permissions to add/remove:

Permission(s) to add	Permission(s) to remove
	Admin

Content Uploader

This role may be useful to allow a colleague to upload content, without having full access to Learn admin. To create the 'Content uploader' role, start by copying the Manager /Tutor role.

ACL permissions to add/remove:

Permission(s) to add	Permission(s) to remove
admin.courses.import	admin.report
	Admin.events

Junior administrator role

Some of the most siginficant mistakes that might happen for a new administrator is to create or delete something they shouldn't. So for this example, we remove all the permissions that related to 'creating' and 'deleting'. 

Watch the video below to see how:

ACL permissions to add/remove:

Note that in the above video, we started by copying the LMS administrator role, so you may also want to remove access to system settings, as listed in the below table:

Permission(s) to add	Permission(s) to remove
	All permissions that include the word 'delete'
	All permissions that include the word 'create'
	admin.settings

Global Event Administrator

A single event administrator can be assigned to manage a specific event, but a group of junior administrators may require access to manage all events. This role provides unlimited access only to the Event section of the LMS, while hiding all other areas.

To create the Global Event administrator role, copy the ‘Training Coordinator’ role and delete the following permissions:

Permission(s) to add	Permission(s) to remove
	admin.courses.all
	Admin.groups.all
	Admin.learningobjects.all
	Admin.users.all
	Admin.catalogues
	Admin.accreditations
	Admin.resources
	Admin.jobprofiles
	Admin.cpd
	Admin.evaluationforms
	Admin.reflectionforms
	Admin.reports

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