Overview
It is possible to impersonate a User in order to troubleshoot and test features as they exist for that User. This feature is valuable when designing branding and themes, troubleshooting issues, confirming Role Permissions, gathering screenshots or videos, and any other situation where it is valuable to view the LMS from a particular User's perspective. This feature has two functions: Impersonating a User and impersonating an Admin.
Important FYI
- Any actions you take while impersonating a User will apply to your live environment. For example, if you impersonate a User and complete a Course then they will be granted completion in that Course. You may need to update the Learner's transcript afterwards in the event that actions you have taken need to be removed. The same applies to impersonating an Admin, for example any Course edits made will be applied.
Impersonating a Learner
You are able to impersonate a Learner in order to view the Learner Interface from their perspective. This is useful when designing branding and themes, troubleshooting issues, and gathering screenshots or videos.
Follow these steps to impersonate a User:
Step 1: Navigate to Users from the Users tab on the left.
Step 2: Select the User that you would like to Impersonate.
Step 3: Select Impersonate from the Action menu on the right. If the selected User is a Learner (not an Admin), this action will reopen the Learner Interface from their perspective.
While impersonating a User, the top right menu icon will appear red. Select the menu to view the First and Last Name of the Learner being impersonated. This is also where you can select Stop Impersonating to return to your Users Administration page on the Admin Interface:
Required Permissions to Impersonate a Learner
The ability to impersonate a user can be granted in the Roles menu to any Custom Role. This permission can be found with the Edit/Add Role menu in Users > Users > Allow Learner Impersonation:
Impersonating an Admin
If you are a System Admin, you can impersonate other Admins. While impersonating an Admin, you can access anything the Admin is able to, and easily troubleshoot any issues that they may be encountering. This is a hidden permission, so it’s not visible or editable in the Edit Roles menu.
Follow these steps to impersonate an Admin:
Step 1: Navigate to Users from the Users tab on the left.
Step 2: Select the Admin that you would like to Impersonate.
Step 3: Select Impersonate from the Action menu on the right. If the selected User is an Admin, this action will reopen the Admin Interface from their perspective.
While impersonating an Admin, a banner will appear at the top of the page indicating the First and Last Name of the Admin being impersonated. This is also where you can select Stop Impersonating to return to your Users Administration page on the Admin Interface:
Required Permissions to Impersonate an Admin
Only System Administrators can impersonate an Admin. This is a hidden permission, so it’s not visible or editable in the Edit Roles menu.
Tracking Impersonations
There is a record of impersonations in each User's View History modal. This record is found in the View History modal of the User who has been impersonated. The record includes the Date, Time, and First and Last Name of the Admin who impersonated the User. The View History Modal will note the name of the System Admin who performed the recorded action while impersonating.
Follow these steps to track User Impersonations:
Step 1: Navigate to Users from the Users tab on the left.
Step 2: Select the User that you would like to report on, and then select Edit User on the Action menu.
Step 3: In the Edit User menu, select View History on the right. This action will launch the User History module.
User History of the Admin:
User History of the System Admin:
