Canvas offers two main methods to communicate with students:
- Announcements: Whole-class (or whole-section) mass communication.
- Inbox: Messaging to one, multiple, or all students in a class.
Other means of communicating with students include Discussions, Nectir, and Chat.
Note: Announcement/Inbox notifications will not be sent if the course is not published. Be sure to publish the course prior to sending the communication if you want students to receive a notification.
1. In the Canvas course site, click Announcements in the left-side Course Navigation Menu
2. Click +Announcements in the top right corner
3. Enter in your Announcement Title and Content. You may wish to use the rich text editor to add images or links.
4. By default, Announcement are sent to all sections within the course. To send to a specific section, select the section(s) from the Post to drop-down menu.
5. If desired, upload an attachment and select any additional options. Then, click Save.
- Once you click Save, the announcement will be available immediately (unless you enter in an Available from date).
- By default, announcement notifications are sent to students' UCSB email addresses and are available on the Canvas course Announcements page.
- Announcement notifications are not sent retroactively to students who add the course after it has been sent (though they will be able to see the announcement on the Canvas course Announcements page).
More information about how to send an Announcement can be found here: How do I add an announcement in a course?
1. From the Global Navigation Menu, click Inbox.
2. Click the Compose icon.
3. Add the user(s) you wish to send the message to:
- Select the course from the Dropdown
- You can search for the user in the "To: field or use the Course Roster button to select the user.
- The Course Roster also allows you to send it to all Teachers in the course, all TAs in the course, or all Students in the course.
4. Enter in your Subject and Message. Select the box for "Send an individual message to each recipient" if you wish to send the message BCC (and do not want each user to see who else was included in the message). Additionally, you may wish to add files or media content. When ready, click Send.
- By default, inbox notifications are sent to students' UCSB email addresses and are available on Canvas via the student's Inbox.
More information about how to send communication from the Inbox can be found here: How do I send a message to a user in a course in the Inbox as a student?
Instructors may also communicate with students using Discussions, Nectir, and Chat.
- Discussions: Discussions allow students to communicate with the instructor and with one another through threaded topics. More information about how to use and create Discussions in your course can be found here: What are Discussions?
- Nectir: Nectir is a backchannel chat room that can added to your course and can be used in and out of class. Student can start discussion threads and initiate direct messages. More information about how to add Nectir can be found here: Nectir in Canvas
- Chat: Canvas' Chat feature creates a chat room that is available to all students and users in the course. All members can send chat messages and access the chat history. More information about how to use Chat in your course can be found here: What is Chat?