Course Permissions and Course Contributors

Course permissions control access across an entire course and its associated content. They allow course administrators, educators, evaluators, and other stakeholders to collaborate within a course while ensuring users have the appropriate level of access.

Unlike session-level permissions, which apply only to an individual session, course permissions are designed to provide ongoing access to course content and activities. These permissions can also automatically extend to sessions associated with the course, reducing the need for manual access management.

Understanding Course Permissions

Course permissions determine what users can see and do within a course.

Administrators can assign users as either Course Owners or Course Contributors , depending on the level of access required.

Course Owners

Course Owners have full management access to a course and its associated content.

Course Owners can typically:

• Manage course settings
• Add or remove contributors
• Create and manage sessions
• Manage participants
• Manage evaluations
• Run reports
• Access recordings
• Configure course-related content

Because Course Owners have broad administrative control, this role should generally be assigned only to users responsible for managing the course.

Course Contributors

Course Contributors are users who need access to course content and activities but do not require full ownership of the course.

Common Course Contributors include:

• Faculty members
• Evaluators
• Course coordinators
• Simulation operations staff
• Program administrators

Course Contributor Access to Learner Information

In addition to any permissions assigned to them, Course Contributors can access information associated with the course, including:

• The course roster
• Learner participation information
• Overall course scores for learners

This allows contributors to understand who is enrolled in the course, monitor learner progress, and support course activities.

Note that the specific permissions available to a Course Contributor may vary based on your organization's Sharing Defaults and any custom permission settings applied to the individual contributor.

Understanding Course Contributor Permissions

While all Course Contributors have visibility into the course and its participants, contributor permissions determine what actions they can perform.

Administrators can assign different permissions to different contributors based on their responsibilities.

How Organization Access Affects Course Permissions

Course permissions determine what a Course Contributor is allowed to do, but organization assignments may also affect whether the contributor can access the locations required to perform those actions.

For example, granting a contributor permission to start and manage course sessions does not automatically provide access to every recording location.

A contributor may need to:

1. Be assigned as a Course Contributor.
2. Have the required Course Contributor permission enabled.
3. Belong to an organization that can access the location being used for the session.

Example: Contributor Can Manage Sessions but Cannot Start a Recording

A faculty member has the Start, Join, and Manage Course Sessions permission but cannot start a recording.

When troubleshooting:

1. Confirm the user is assigned as a Course Contributor.
2. Confirm the appropriate course permission is enabled.
3. Confirm the session is using the expected location.
4. Confirm the contributor's organization has access to that location.

For more information, see Organization-Based Location Access in SimCapture .

How Course Contributors Affect Session Access

One of the most important aspects of course permissions is that they can automatically extend to sessions associated with the course.

When a user is added as a Course Contributor, their access is not limited to the course record itself. Their assigned permissions can also be inherited by sessions created within that course.

This means Course Contributors may automatically appear in the session's People list and receive access based on their assigned permissions.

For example:

• Contributors with Debrief Course Sessions permission can access completed course sessions and recordings.
• Contributors with Manage Participants permission may be able to perform participant-related tasks within associated sessions.
• Contributors with View Results permission can access learner results and reporting associated with the course.
• Contributors with Start, Join, and Manage Course Sessions permission can participate in session delivery and management activities.

This inheritance helps ensure recurring faculty and staff have the access they need without being manually added to every session.

For organizations running large numbers of sessions, course-level permissions provide a scalable way to manage access.

What Happens When a Session Is Created?

When a session is associated with a course, SimCapture can automatically apply course permissions to that session.

This means that users assigned as Course Contributors may automatically appear in the session's People list and receive access based on their assigned course permissions.

For example:

• A Course Contributor with recording access may automatically be able to access recordings associated with course sessions.
• A Course Contributor with participant management permissions may be able to perform participant-related tasks within those sessions.
• A Course Contributor with reporting permissions may receive access to reports associated with the course.

This automatic inheritance reduces the need to manually configure access each time a new session is created.

Understanding Automatic Session Access

Course Contributors are commonly used when users require ongoing access across multiple sessions.

Consider the following example:

A faculty member teaches a course that includes ten simulation sessions throughout the semester.

Rather than manually adding the faculty member to each session:

1. The faculty member is added as a Course Contributor.
2. Appropriate course permissions are assigned.
3. Access is automatically available across associated course sessions.

This approach simplifies administration and ensures access remains consistent as new sessions are created.

Course Contributors vs. Session Contributors

Although their names are similar, Course Contributors and Session Contributors serve different purposes.

Understanding this distinction can help administrators choose the most efficient access model.

When Should You Use Course Contributors?

Course Contributors are generally the best choice when users:

• Work with the course regularly
• Need access to multiple course sessions
• Frequently review recordings
• Participate in learner evaluations
• Run reports on course activity
• Manage participants throughout a course lifecycle

Examples include:

• Faculty members
• Course coordinators
• Simulation operations staff
• Evaluators who support the entire course
• Program administrators

When Should You Use Session Contributors Instead?

Session Contributors are often a better option when access is only needed for a specific session.

Examples include:

• A guest evaluator reviewing a single recording
• A facilitator participating in one debrief session
• A technical support specialist troubleshooting a recording issue
• A subject matter expert providing feedback on a particular event

In these cases, assigning course-wide access may be unnecessary. Instead, access can be granted only to the specific session where it is needed.

For more information, see Session Contributors and Session Viewers .

Best Practices

Use Course Contributors for Recurring Course Staff

If a user consistently participates in a course, assigning them as a Course Contributor is typically the most efficient option.

This reduces administrative overhead and ensures they automatically receive access to future course sessions when appropriate.

Use Session Contributors for One-Off Access Needs

If a user only needs access to a single recording or session, consider adding them as a Session Contributor instead of granting broader course access.

This helps maintain security while ensuring users receive the access they need.

Review Contributor Permissions Regularly

As courses evolve, contributor responsibilities may change.

Periodically reviewing Course Contributor permissions helps ensure users continue to have appropriate access while avoiding unnecessary privileges.

Configure Sharing Defaults Carefully

Sharing Defaults can automatically assign permissions when Course Contributors are added.

Well-designed defaults reduce manual permission management while still allowing individual contributors to be customized as needed.

For more information, see Sharing Defaults and Default Contributor Permissions .

Common Questions

Does being a Course Contributor automatically make someone a Session Contributor?

No.

Course Contributors and Session Contributors are managed separately.

Course Contributors may automatically receive access to sessions through course permission inheritance, but they are not automatically added as Session Contributors.

Can Course Contributor permissions be customized?

Yes.

Course permissions can be adjusted based on organizational requirements, course needs, and individual user responsibilities.

Do Course Contributors automatically gain access to every session?

Course Contributors can automatically receive access to sessions associated with the course based on their assigned permissions. However, their capabilities within those sessions depend on the permissions granted to them.

Can someone be both a Course Contributor and a Session Contributor?

Yes.

A user may have ongoing access through course permissions while also receiving additional session-specific permissions for a particular session.

Related Articles

Continue learning about other SimCapture permission models:

• Session Contributors and Session Viewers
• Sharing Defaults and Default Contributor Permissions
• Organization-Based Location Access in SimCapture
• Understanding SimCapture Permissions
• Troubleshooting Permission Issues in SimCapture