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Understanding LMS Roles and Permissions

Written by Sveta Vyatkina

The LMS platform uses a role-based access structure to help organisations manage training efficiently and securely. Available roles and administrative permissions depend on your LMS plan.

Roles available on FreeLMS

FreeLMS includes:

  • 1 Super Admin

  • Up to 10 Learners

If your organisation requires a more advanced management structure, you can upgrade to LMS+ for additional administrative roles and expanded functionality.

Roles available on LMS+

LMS+ plans support multiple role levels, including:

  • Super Admin (1 per organisation)

  • Admins (number depends on your plan)

  • Group Managers (number depends on your plan)

  • Learners (unlimited)

Important:

Each user can only hold one administrative role at a time. However, some higher-level roles include permissions that cover lower-level functionality.

What is a Super Admin?

The Super Admin is the primary owner and highest-level administrator of the organisation’s LMS account.

This role has full access to all platform functionality, including:

Important:

Billing, payments, subscription upgrades/downgrades, and certificate purchases can only be managed by the Super Admin.

There can only be one Super Admin per organisation.

Although the Super Admin cannot officially hold another role, they can still manage groups and perform Group Manager-level actions when needed.

The Super Admin role cannot be transferred directly within the platform. To change the Super Admin, the current Super Admin must contact Alison Support for assistance.

Summary

  • Only 1 Super Admin is allowed per organisation

  • Super Admins cannot be assigned as Learners

  • Super Admins have full access across all groups and LMS features

  • Super Admin changes must be processed through Alison Support

What is an Admin?

The Admin role is an advanced management role assigned by the Super Admin.

Admins have broad organisational access and can manage most LMS activities across all groups, including:

Admin permissions can be configured by the Super Admin depending on organisational needs.

Permission settings apply to the Admin role as a whole, not to individual Admins. Any permission changes made by the Super Admin will affect all users assigned the Admin role. It is currently not possible to customise permissions for specific Admin users separately.

Admins can also participate in learning and be assigned courses as learners.

Important:

A user cannot hold both the Admin and Group Manager roles simultaneously.

If a Group Manager is promoted to Admin, their Group Manager assignment is removed automatically.

Summary

  • Admin limits depend on your LMS+ plan

  • Admins can manage all groups across the organisation

  • Admins can also be learners

  • Admins cannot be assigned as Group Managers

What is a Group Manager?

A Group Manager is a role designed for managing specific teams or departments within the organisation.

Group Managers only have access to the groups they are assigned to.

They can:

Group Managers cannot:

  • Create groups

  • Invite new users

  • Deactivate learners

  • Manage certificates or subscriptions

  • Create learning paths

  • Upload content to the Content Library

  • Access other groups’ data

A Group Manager can manage one or multiple groups, depending on organisational needs.

If no Group Manager is assigned during group creation, the Super Admin becomes the default manager for that group.

Summary

  • Group Managers only see assigned groups

  • They can manage learning and reporting within those groups

  • They cannot manage billing, invitations, or organisation-wide settings

  • They can be learners within their own or other groups

  • One Group Manager can manage multiple groups

What is an LMS Learner?

A Learner is a user who accesses courses and training but does not have access to the LMS management dashboard.

Learners can:

  • Start and complete courses

  • Access assigned learning

  • Enrol in additional courses independently

  • Track their own progress and certificates via learner dashboard

How are LMS learners different from regular Alison learners?

LMS learners have additional features connected to their organisation’s training environment.

LMS learners can:

  • Receive assigned courses and learning paths from managers

  • Access assigned learning from a dedicated section on their dashboard

  • Receive certificates assigned by managers for completed courses

Important to know

If a learner enrols in a course independently, outside of their assigned learning, and would like a certificate for that course, they can either purchase the certificate themselves or request assignment for self-enrolled courses from their learner dashboard.

LMS learners are still free to explore and enrol in additional courses outside of their assigned training.

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