Default Roles and Permissions
Learn about Lessonly's default roles and the permissions each one has
Hannah Walt avatar
Written by Hannah Walt
Updated over a week ago

In This Article


User Roles

Lessonly has four default roles: admin, manager, creator, and learner. Each role has a different set of permissions that allow users to perform different tasks in Lessonly. These roles are the same across the platform, whether you're working in the core training application or the Skills app.

Roles are assigned when creating a new user.

To edit a role thereafter, navigate to the People tab, then select the pencil icon next to a user's name.

You can also edit users' roles from their overview pages.


Default Permissions by Role

Admins have unrestricted access to all company data within Lessonly. Admins:

  • Can receive and complete assignments just like any other learner

  • Have automatic management rights for all people and groups

  • Can create, edit, and archive all people and groups

  • Have automatic ownership of all content in the system

  • Can create and edit Lessons, Paths, Certifications, and Practice Scenarios

  • Can create and manage all events in the system

  • Have full Skills administration rights

  • Can perform all program management actions, such as editing roles and permission settings, creating and editing tags and triggers, managing the image and content libraries, and customizing their tenant with primary and secondary branding colors

Admin permissions cannot be altered. Admins are born as gods and cannot escape their godhood.


Managers are the most customizable and flexible of Lessonly's roles. Every aspect of a manager's function can be tailored to his or her role in your organization. Managers:

  • Can receive and complete assignments just like any other learner

  • Can be granted management rights for people on a group-by-group basis

    • Can create, edit, and archive people in Custom Groups they manage

  • Can be granted ownership of content on an item-by-item basis

    • Can create and edit Lessons, Paths, Certifications, and Practice Scenarios

  • Can be named an instructor of an event

  • Don't have Skills administrator rights by default, but can be granted such rights

  • Cannot perform program management actions by default, but can be granted the ability to:

    • Edit company settings

    • Create and edit tags

    • Create and edit triggers

    • Create new Chrome extension mappings

    • Manage the image and content libraries

To make an initial assignment, managers must own content the content they wish to assign, and they can only assign it to users they manage. Once an assignment is made, managers can reassign or unassign it. They can also set due dates and send reminders to users they manage, whether they own the content or not.


Creators, like managers, can be extensively customized. But by default, creators are limited to those permissions that govern––you guessed it––content creation. Creators:

  • Can receive and complete assignments just like any other learner

  • Have no people management rights by default, but can be granted management rights for people and groups

  • Can be granted ownership of content on an item-by-item basis

    • Can create and edit Lessons, Paths, Certifications, and Practice Scenarios

  • Can be named an instructor of an event

  • Don't have Skills administrator rights by default, but can be granted such rights

  • Cannot perform program management actions by default, but can be granted the ability to:

    • Edit company settings

    • Create and edit tags

    • Create and edit triggers

    • Create new Chrome extension mappings

    • Manage the image and content libraries

Creators are not able to assign content or monitor learners' progress, but they can be designated as specified graders on lessons they've created or with whom ownership has been shared.


Learners are restricted to just a few actions in the training and Skills applications. Learners:

  • Can receive assignments for Lessons and Paths

  • Can complete Lessons, Paths, and Practice Scenarios

  • Can complete Skills Self-Reflections, Coaching Plans and Tasks

Learners cannot access the gradebook, make assignments, or create content; and like admins, their default permissions and read-only and cannot be changed.


Custom Roles

Roles can be customized for an additional fee. If your company has purchased Custom Roles, learn more about creating them in this article.

You can also edit People and Content permissions for users in manager and creator roles. Check out these articles for more information on permission settings.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do the core Lessonly training app and the Skills app use the same set of roles and permissions?

A. Yes. In April 2023, legacy Skills-only roles such as admin and evaluator were retired. All other Skills roles were converted to align with user roles in the core readiness application. Managing two sets of roles unnecessarily burdened trainers. Merging the two into a single user management system helps them employ all of Lessonly's training and coaching features.

Q. Do Skills-specific permissions have to be granted or enabled in the Settings menu?

A. Admins in the core Lessonly training app inherit Skills administration permissions; they enjoy unlimited account-wide access. Other users can be made Skills evaluators by toggling 'Full Skills administration rights' in role permission settings.


Questions? Contact the Support team at support@lessonly.com

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