Canvas lets you add another teacher to your course through the People section, where you assign them the Teacher role
To share a course in Canvas, you go to the People tab, click the Add People button, and enter the other teacher's email address or login ID. Canvas then sends them an invitation. Once they accept, you choose what role they have — Teacher, Teaching Assistant, Designer, or Observer — which controls what they can see and change in the course.
The Teacher role gives full access: they can edit content, create assignments, post announcements, and change grades. Teaching Assistant lets them grade and give feedback but not alter the course structure. Designer can edit content but not grade. Observer can only view. Most teachers share courses by making the other person a Teacher or Teaching Assistant, depending on how much control they need.
Key Takeaways
- Add another teacher through People > Add People, using their email address or Canvas login ID.
- The Teacher role gives full course editing and grading rights; Teaching Assistant can grade but not restructure the course.
- The invitation goes to their email, and they must accept before they can access the course.
- You can change a teacher's role or remove them at any time from the People section.
Step-by-step: adding a teacher to your course
Open your course and click the People tab on the left navigation menu. At the top right, click the Add People button. A dialog box opens asking you to enter names or email addresses.
Type the other teacher's full email address (the one they use to log into Canvas) or their Canvas login ID if you know it. Canvas will search and show matching results. Click the person's name to select them. If you are adding multiple teachers, you can enter several names or addresses separated by commas, and Canvas will add them all at once.
After you select the person, a dropdown menu appears asking you to choose their role. Select Teacher if you want them to have full control, or Teaching Assistant if they should grade and comment but not change assignments or course settings. Click Add People. Canvas sends an email invitation to the teacher's address on file.
What each role can and cannot do
The Teacher role has no restrictions. They can create and delete assignments, change due dates, post announcements, edit the syllabus, adjust grade settings, and see all student submissions and grades. Use this role when you want to truly co-teach the course or hand off full responsibility.
The Teaching Assistant role can grade assignments, leave comments on submissions, post in discussions, and send messages to students. They cannot create new assignments, change the course structure, edit the syllabus, or adjust grade settings. This is the right choice if you want someone to help with grading and feedback but keep course design under your control.
The Designer role can edit course content, create pages and modules, and organize materials, but cannot grade or see student submissions. Use this if someone is helping you build the course but will not be teaching it.
The Observer role can only view the course and see grades if you allow it. They cannot make any changes. This role is useful for department heads, instructional coaches, or parents who need to monitor progress without participating.
How the invitation works and what the teacher sees
When you add someone, Canvas sends an email to the address associated with their account. The email contains a link that takes them to the course. They do not have to do anything special to accept — clicking the link or logging into Canvas and navigating to the course automatically activates their access.
If the teacher has not yet created a Canvas account, the invitation email will direct them to set one up first. They will need to use the same email address you entered when you added them. Once their account is active, they can access the course when ready.
The teacher will see the course listed in their course dashboard under the role you assigned. If you gave them Teacher or Teaching Assistant access, they will see the Grades page, assignment submissions, and discussion posts. If you assigned Designer or Observer, their view will be limited to the course content and structure.
Changing or removing a teacher's access
You can change a teacher's role at any time. Go to People, find the teacher's name, click the three-dot menu next to their name, and select Edit. Choose the new role from the dropdown and click Update. The change takes effect when ready — they will see different options the next time they log in.
To remove someone from the course entirely, go to People, click the three-dot menu next to their name, and select Remove. They will no longer see the course in their dashboard and cannot access it. You can add them back later if needed.
If a teacher leaves your institution or you no longer want them in the course, removing them is the cleanest option. They will not receive a notification that they have been removed, but they will notice the course disappears from their list.
Sharing a course across multiple sections or terms
If you teach the same course in multiple sections, you can add the same teacher to each section separately by repeating the People > Add People process in each course. Canvas treats each section as its own course, so you must add them individually.
Some institutions set up cross-listed courses, where multiple sections share the same Canvas course. If your course is cross-listed, adding a teacher once gives them access to all sections at once. Check with your Canvas administrator if you are not sure whether your sections are cross-listed.
If you want to copy a course to a new term and keep the same teaching team, you can use Canvas's course copy feature. When you copy a course, you have the option to copy the People section, which will add all the same teachers and assistants to the new course with their original roles.
Troubleshooting: teacher cannot see the course
If a teacher says they cannot find the course after you added them, ask them to log out of Canvas completely and log back in. Sometimes the course list does not refresh when ready. They should then see it in their dashboard.
If they still do not see it, check the People section to confirm they were actually added. Look for their name in the list and verify their role is not Observer (which might make the course harder to spot). If their name is not there, the invitation may not have gone through — try adding them again.
If the teacher's email address is different from the one they use to log into Canvas, the invitation will go to the wrong place. Ask them for their Canvas login ID or the email address they registered with, and add them using that instead. You can remove the incorrect entry first to avoid confusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add a teacher who does not have a Canvas account yet?
Yes. Canvas will send them an invitation email with a link to create an account. They must use the same email address you entered when you added them. Once they set up their account, they will automatically have access to the course with the role you assigned.
What happens if I add someone as a Teacher and then change my mind?
Go to People, click the three-dot menu next to their name, select Edit, choose a different role (like Teaching Assistant), and click Update. The change is when ready. If you want to remove them entirely, select Remove instead.
Can a teacher I add make changes to the course without my permission?
If they have the Teacher role, yes — they have the same rights you do. If you want to prevent changes, assign them Teaching Assistant, Designer, or Observer instead. Teaching Assistant can grade but not edit the course structure.
Do I need to add a teacher to every section of my course separately?
Only if each section is a separate Canvas course. If your sections are cross-listed (combined into one Canvas course), adding them once gives them access to all sections. Check with your Canvas administrator to confirm whether your course is cross-listed.
Can I see what changes another teacher makes to the course?
Canvas does not have a built-in change log that shows who edited what. If you need to track changes, you and the other teacher should communicate directly about who is making updates, or you can use the course's audit trail feature if your institution has enabled it.