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Add/Manage With the People Tool

What Does It Do?

In Pepperdine Canvas, the People page allows you to view, search, and manage everyone enrolled in your course. It serves a similar purpose to the Roster tool in Sakai.

What Can You Do?

Using the People tool, instructors can:

  • View all enrolled users and their roles.
  • See sections and groups.
  • Check last activity and total participation.
  • Manually add users (if enabled by your institution).
  • Message individuals or groups of students.

How to Access the People Tool

  1. Enter your course in Pepperdine Canvas.
  2. In the Course Navigation menu on the left, select "People."
    Canvas left sidebar navigation example with the People tool selected.

Understanding the People Page Layout

  • Name: Displays user names. Clicking a name takes you to the user’s profile.
  • Role: Indicates the user’s role (e.g., Student, Teacher, TA).
  • Last Activity: Shows when the user last accessed the course.
  • Total Activity: Shows cumulative time spent in the course.
  • Section: Displays which section(s) the user is enrolled in.
  • Groups: Indicates group membership, if applicable. (Any group associations will be visible to all members of a group.)

Adding Teaching Assistants to Your Course

  1. From the People page, click + People.
    Screenshot of the People tool options, including the +People button.
  2. Add users by email address or CWID.
  3. Select the appropriate role: TA
  4. Click Next, then confirm and click Add Users.

Reminders for Adding Teaching Assistants 

  • Instructors do not need to add officially enrolled students to a class site.  All registered students are automatically enrolled every 4-6 hours.
  • It is the responsibility of the instructor of record to add any teaching assistants, unofficial co-instructors, or other special users to class sites. The process is easy, using the instructions above. The official instructor of record may also request training as needed.
  • Professors cannot elevate an enrolled student to be a Teaching Assistant in the same class section they are taking. The Teaching Assistant roles cannot submit classwork, so they will be unable to complete their assignments. Also, to avoid the possibility of FERPA complications or bias, professors must choose a TA from outside the enrollment of the given class.
  • Remember FERPA! Be careful when adding other users to an official course site. Instructors must comply with FERPA and protect student privacy. Choose the appropriate role based on a legitimate need for access. Request training as needed.

Additional Options

The Options menu (three dots icon) in the People page lets instructors access several course-level user management tools:
Screenshot of the additional options on the People page including View User Groups, View Prior Enrollments, and Student Interactions Report

  • View User Groups: See all user groups as defined in the course settings.
  • View Prior Enrollments: Access records of students who were previously enrolled and whose enrollments have been concluded.
  • Student Interaction Report: View a summary of all interactions with each student, including messages sent via Canvas Conversations and assignment comments.

Viewing User Details

Clicking on a user’s name on the People page will take you to their user details page, where you can:

  • See recent activity.
  • See enrollment status.
  • View grades and submissions.
  • Message the user directly.