Communicating with Students Using Announcements and Inbox
Watch: Check out this quick video that overviews the Announcements and Conversations (Inbox) tools in CarmenCanvas.
Announcements in CarmenCanvas
Using Announcements in CarmenCanvas can be a great way to communicate course news, updates, or general information to students. Announcements are highly visible within your course, making them a great tool for relaying information! Helpful tips include:
- Create Announcement templates that you can edit and then use each semester. Use the “delay posting” option to schedule an announcement for when you’d like students to receive specific updates.
- Encourage students to set up their notification preferences. (Setting up Notification Preferences). Including a statement about notifications in your welcome module can set you up for success!
- Students can comment on and “like” announcements, if enabled.
Conversations (Inbox) in CarmenCanvas
Conversations (Inbox) is a messaging tool within CarmenCanvas that is similar to email. A best practice for this tool is when an instructor would like to communicate with specific individual(s) within the course. Helpful tips include:
- Your course must be published before you are able to use the Conversations Inbox feature for that course.
- Assuming students have not changed their default settings, a message sent using Conversations will send an email directly to the student’s email inbox as well as show up in the student’s inbox within Canvas.
- All emails will be sent from notifications@instructure.com. If students state they are not receiving emails within their school email, they may check that the above email address is listed as an approved address.
Additional Resources
The Office of Distance Education and eLearning (ODEE) has resources and tutorials on the various communication tools within CarmenCanvas.