How to Add a Faculty, Course Admin, or TA to a Past Course

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At a Glance

By default, Canvas courses inherit MIT’s term start and end dates—unless the course end date is manually extended. Once the term ends, the course becomes read-only—students can no longer be added, but teaching teams can still grant access to colleagues as needed.

This guide is for teaching teams who need to share access to a past Canvas course with someone at MIT—such as a new Primary Course Admin or TA preparing for an upcoming term.

Here’s how it works:

Need access? Ask someone from the teaching team to add you as a Faculty Observer.
Granting access? Add the person as a Faculty Observer. They’ll be able to view all course content—but not student grades or submissions—ensuring FERPA compliance.

Need help? If you have any questions, contact our team by submitting a support ticket.

Request Access to a Past Course

If you’re an MIT colleague—such as a Sloan faculty member, Primary Course Admin, or TA—and need access to a past Canvas course:

Contact a member of the teaching team directly. If you need help finding their contact information, use the Sloan Course Browser to look up the course by term.
Email a member of the teaching team and ask to be added as a Faculty Observer. (See the Email Template below.)
Once you’ve been added, follow the steps in How to Access a Past Course in Canvas to access it.

Email Template

Here’s a sample email you can use to request access to a past Canvas course (customize as needed):

Subject: Request for Access to Past Canvas Course

Hi [Teaching Team Member’s Name],

I’m reaching out to request access to [Course Number and Name] from [Term] as a Faculty Observer in Canvas. This role allows me to view course materials without accessing student grades or submissions—keeping everything FERPA compliant.

I’m requesting access because [brief reason, e.g., “I’m supporting this course as a new PCA for the upcoming term.”].

If you’re able to add me, the steps are outlined in this guide.

Thanks so much for your help!

Best,
[Your Name]
[Your MIT Email Address]

Add MIT Faculty, Course Admins, TAs, or Other Staff to a Past Course

If you are a member of the teaching team and need to grant someone at MIT access to a past course in Canvas:

Navigate to the past course in Canvas.
In your Canvas site, click Membership in the Course Navigation Menu.
Click the Add button.
In the Search by text box, enter the person’s MIT ID number (preferred) or MIT email address, and select their name when it appears.
Their MIT ID will appear in the Add MIT ID or Email text box.
Under Role, select Faculty Observer. Note: This role gives access to course materials without exposing student grades or private information, following FERPA regulations.
Under Section, select Teaching Staff.
Click the Add button.
Confirm the expected user(s) was enrolled successfully [1] and click Close [2].