Learn - Access levels: control the hierarchy of LMS roles

Every role in Learn LMS is assigned an Access level. This determines its position in the hierarchy of LMS roles in Learn LMS, and importantly, how easily a User can make changes to another Users LMS role.

In this article, we'll explain how Access levels work, and why it's an essential setting to understand if you're responsible for managing, creating, or customising LMS roles. 

We'll cover:

• How to view the Access level for an LMS role
• How Access levels control changes to a Users LMS role
• Where LMS roles can be changed
• How to choose the right Access level for a new or customised LMS role

How to view the Access level for an LMS role

View any LMS role, and you'll see the 'Access level' field:The Access levels for standard LMS roles are:

LMS role	Access level
LMS administrator	1
Training Coordinator	10
Manager / Tutor	40
Manager	50
Student	80

The LMS Administrator role has an Access level of 1, positioning it at the top of the hierarchy. LMS Administrators can assign any role to any User within Learn LMS. The Student role has an Access level of 80, placing it at the bottom of the hierarchy.

How Access levels control changes to a User's LMS role

Access levels ensure that Users with admin access cannot make unauthorised changes to their own LMS role, or the LMS role for other Users. There are two key aspects to this. 

Users cannot upgrade the LMS role for any User - including themselves - to a role with a higher Access level than they currently have. For example, a Training Coordinator cannot promote themselves - or any other User - to an LMS Administrator role.

Users cannot downgrade another User's LMS role, if that User has a role with a higher Access level than theirs. For example, a Training Coordinator cannot downgrade an LMS Administrator, to a Training Coordinator role.

Where LMS roles can be changed

A Users' LMS role can be changed in two places.

Firstly, LMS roles can be changed in Global admin settings. This area is visible only to LMS Administrators, so any changes here can be tightly controlled.

A Users LMS role can also be changed directly on a Users' profile. This is where Access level settings are especially relevant, as a wider number of Users can see User profiles. For example a Manager with admin access, a Tutor, or a Group Administrator, may find they can see - and edit - the profile for a subset of Users. 

Importantly though, it is not possible to make any edits to a User profile if that User has a higher Access level than you. Therefore, a Tutor could downgrade another Tutor to the student role, however they could not downgrade the role for someone who is an LMS Administrator. 

How to choose the right Access level for a new or customised LMS role

Let's look at an example of setting the Access level for a new LMS role. 

An LMS Administrator copies the 'Training Coordinator' role to create a new, similar role. The Access level specified will position the new role either above, or below, the existing Training Coordinator role in the hierarchy of LMS roles.

If the new role is given an access level of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, then it will have a higher access level than 'Training Coordinator',  meaning that a Training Coordinator could not assign themselves, or anyone else the new role. 

If the new role is given an access level in the range of 11 to 40, then it will have a lower access level than the Training Coordinator role, meaning that a Training Coordinator could assign anyone the new role to a User.

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