In this article you will learn

  • What account types Torus supports

  • The distinction between account types

  • Registering or requesting an account


Types of TORUS Accounts

There are five types of accounts a user can have on Torus: Student, Independent, Instructor, Author, and Admin. The first four are of the most importance to users outside of the OLI Organization.


Student Accounts

A student account is created by being on an instructor’s roster for a course being delivered through a learning management system (LMS). Typically, these accounts are for students in a college or university, and the class is managed by the instructor. Students who are using Canvas, Moodle, or Blackboard for class should log-in through their institution’s LMS.



Independent Accounts

Torus is an open platform, meaning that anyone can take any of the open and free courses, even if they do not belong to a formal institution. All that is needed is an email address and a password. This account is known as the “Independent” account, and allows users to create their own sections of courses from open and free course packages. 



Instructor Accounts

Instructor accounts are currently reserved for professors, teachers, and other instructors who are delivering their courses through an LMS linked to Torus. At this time, instructor accounts cannot be created through Torus. They are accessed through LMS only.



Authoring Accounts

Authoring accounts on Torus log in separately from Students and Educators. An authoring account grants access to Torus’s project-building environment. Anyone is able to register an authoring account with an email address and a password. Authors with LMS access will be able to publish their projects to LMS courses. Authors without a linked LMS will be limited to direct delivery only.



Admin Accounts

Administrative accounts are reserved for internal OLI Torus developers. They are not available to public users. Administrators manage and develop Torus from behind-the-scenes. Admin accounts do not refer to being “administrators” of a course or a project.