Lesson 4: Using Canvas to Communicate

Module 4 Information

This module will explore the ways in which you can use Canvas to communicate with your students. Through Canvas, you can send students messages, course notifications, and course announcements. You and your students are notified through your Xavier email when communications are sent through Canvas.

After completing this module, you will be able to:

  1. Use communication methods available within Canvas
  2. Configure Canvas notification settings

 

Watch: An Overview of Using the Canvas Inbox to Communicate (Length: 4:13)

This short video will show you how to communicate with your students using the Inbox area of Canvas.

Click here for the video Links to an external site. (external link)

 

Setting Notifications

Notifications in Canvas can be used to alert students enrolled in your courses of when you have made updates or changes to the course, assignment or event dates, or course content.

You can choose to not receive Notifications, or receive them right away, as a daily summary, or as a weekly summary. Once you’ve set your Notifications, they apply to all of your courses. You cannot choose settings by course.

When you receive an email Notification in your Xavier email, you can reply directly through that email, and the response will appear in the receiver’s Canvas Conversations.

 

Watch: How to set Notification Preferences (Length: 5:09)

This short video will overview Notification preferences and how to set your own preferences in Canvas.

Click here for the video Links to an external site. (external link)

 

How-to: How do I configure Notification settings?

The steps below will detail how to set your Notification Preferences. You can also view these steps through the Canvas Support website page on Notifications.

  1. Navigate to http://canvas.xavier.edu Links to an external site.. This link will open a new window for you to use while referencing these instructions.
  2. Click the Account link [1], then click Notifications [2].
    not 1.png

    Each notification is set to a default preference. To change a notification for a contact method, locate the notification and click the icon for your preferred delivery type.

    not 2.png

    To receive a notification right away, click the check mark icon [1]. These notifications are delayed by one hour in case an instructor makes additional changes, which prevents you from being spammed by multiple notifications in a short amount of time.

    To receive a daily notification, click the clock icon [2].

    To receive a weekly notification, click the calendar icon [3]. The date and time of your weekly notifications are posted at the bottom of the notifications page.

    If you do not want to receive a notification, click the remove icon [4].

    Note: Each set notification preference will automatically apply to all of your courses. They cannot be set individually.

 

Creating and Sending Announcements

The Announcements feature in Canvas allows you to communicate with your students about course activities and to post current or interesting course-related materials.

You can use announcements for several beneficial purposes:

  • Send Reminders to students
  • Direct students to external, relevant content
  • Leave an audio or video message to students
  • Celebrate successes or events
  • Feed RSS feeds (using blog sites such as Blogger, Wordpress, etc.)

Once you create an Announcement, Canvas notifies students based on their notification preferences.

 

Watch: Announcements Overview (Length: 2:55)

This short video will overview Announcements and how to use them in your courses.

Click here for the video Links to an external site. (external link)

 

How-to: How do I create and send announcements in Canvas?

The steps below will detail how to make course announcements. You can also view these steps through the Canvas Support website page on Announcements.

  1. Navigate to http://canvas.xavier.edu Links to an external site.. This link will open a new window for you to use while referencing these instructions.
  2. Click Announcements in the Course Navigation in the course you would like to make an Announcement.
    ann 1.png

  3. Click the Add Announcement button.
    ann 2.png

  4. Type a title for the announcement in the topic title field [1] and add the content in the Rich Content Editor [2].
    ann 3.png

    In the Announcement Options, you can delay the posting of your announcement [3], require students to reply to a post before seeing other replies[4], enable an announcement podcast feed [5], and allow students to like announcement replies [6].

  5. Click Save.
    ann 4.png

 

Emailing Students - Canvas Conversations

Canvas uses Conversations as its messaging tool instead of email to communicate with a course, a group, an individual student or group of students. You can communicate with other people in your courses at any time.

Conversations can be used in several ways:

  • Send messages to someone in a course or group
  • Send messages to an entire class (as the instructor or as students)
  • Reply to messages
  • Filter conversations
  • View and reply to assignment submission comments

 

How-to: How do I access Conversations through Canvas?

The steps below will detail how to access Conversations in Canvas. You can also view these steps through the Canvas Support website page on Conversations.

  1. Navigate to http://canvas.xavier.edu Links to an external site.. This link will open a new window for you to use while referencing these instructions.

  2. At the bottom of your Global Navigation menu, you will find your Inbox. Any new messages are noted with a blue circle.
    conv 1.png

  3. Click Inbox to be taken to your Conversations panel.
    conv 2.png

Within the Conversations panel you will find your list of Conversations on the right. You can also sort your Conversations by class and Inbox filter.

conv 3.png

The Conversation Inbox is organized chronologically from newest to oldest with the newest Conversations appearing on top [1] and the older Conversations at the bottom.

You can manually mark a conversation as read or unread by hovering over the conversation and toggling the circle to the left of the conversation [2]. To star a conversation, hover over the conversation and toggle the star to the left of the conversation [3].

 

Web Links: Canvas Conversation Tutorials

To learn more about using communicating in Canvas using Conversations, review these Canvas tutorial links: