Canvas - Contacting Students: Announcements, Inbox, Emails, & Why Not Getting Emails

Announcements How to Video

Canvas Announcements How to Video (no audio)

Notes on Announcements:

  • Everyone enrolled in a course sees the announcement in Canvas.​
  • Each person’s own notification settings determine whether they also get an email or push when you make an Announcement.​
  • IMPORTANT! Announcements emails are only sent if the course is "Published" at the time of posting. ​
    • They will still see the announcement on the "Announcements" page, once the course is published, but no email will be sent.
  • Canvas's Video on Announcements: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Canvas-Video-Shorts/Video-What-are-Announcements/ta-p/650869
    • (Video link above may not show Conversations Created By Me, but set that to the green bell too.
  • NOTE: Below 100 recipients, everyone can see every other recipient's name *UNLESS* you check "Send an individual message to each recipient."

Post a Course Announcement (Written Instuctions) The announcements left nav link is hidden if no announcement has been done yet.

  1. In the left Canvas course section navigation, click "Announcements."
  2. Click "+ Announcement."
  3. Add your subject and content.
  4. (Optional) Check the box "Delay posting" if you want to schedule it.
  5. Click "Save" (or "Save & Publish").

Note: Students already have had to accept course invitation to get these notices.

Send to Inbox

  • Inbox in Canvas is basically a lite email app within Canvas​
  • Can send messages to individual/select/group/entire class​
  • Always accessible​

Note: Students already have had to accept course invitation to get these notices.

To use the Inbox to reach students before the start of a quarter, you still need to PUBLISH the course for sure, but you should not need to change any other settings in the course.

  1. You may need to refresh, and/or refresh after a few minutes, but you should be able to send to the students.
  2. Make sure you select the course in Inbox.
  3. Make sure the To field also has the course selected.
  4. If you have issues:
    1. Did the email show up in your own email?
    2. Did you check spam/junk and deleted items?
    3. Also, did you Publish the course in Canvas before sending the message from the Inbox?
    4. Also, check again that your Account in upper left in Canvas the Notifications page so there's a green bell next to "Conversations Created By Me"

An instructor should be able to email students early (before official quarter for a course) via Announcements in Canvas if they do the following:

  1. Go to the Canvas section's Settings > Course Details > Participation
  2. Changing the Participation setting Term drop-down to Course
    1. Set the start date to today
    2. Unchecking the checkbox related to restricting students from viewing the course before the start date.
    3. Changing an Unpublished course to Published
  3. Also, make sure you:
    1. Click Account in upper left > Notifications.
    2. Scroll down and make sure a green bell appears for:
      1. Announcement Created By You
      2. Conversations Created By Me
    3. If no green bell, click whatever icon is there, and select the green bell.
      1. Resend your announcement. It can take 10 minutes or so to go out, sometimes longer.
    4. You might want to send a new announcement in Canvas rather than edit an old one.
      1. After publishing the course and making it available, wait a bit before testing. Canvas guidance recommends allowing some time after publishing or after the course becomes available before scheduling/sending announcements
  4. If you have issues:
    1. Did the email show up in your own email?
    2. Did you check spam/junk and deleted items?
    3. Did you Publish the course in Canvas before sending the message from the Inbox?
    4. Did you review you did the other instructions above?
    5. Check again that your Account in upper left in Canvas the Notifications page so there's a green bell next to "Announcements Created By Me"

Emailing / Communicating with Students from Canvas:

  • It appears that students need to visit https://drexel.instructure.com and accept the course invitation before they get emails.
  • They will see a notification in Canvas once they long in for the first time.
  • You could email all your students from Announcements in Bb Learn to tell your students to go to the above URL and login to Canvas and click the link there to accept the Course Invitation, and include any course invites they see after login on the above URL.
  • Once students login and accept the course invite, any of the methods below will reach them:
  • Announcement in a Canvas course
  • Inbox in left navigation

Send via Canvas Inbox (Conversations)

  1. Click Inbox in the left navigation.
  2. Click pencil-on-paper (or Compose a new message) icon (pencil/paper).
  3. Select course from the Course drop-down.
  4. Check Send an individual message to each recipient.
    1. This bcc's all students, but you will have individual threads in the Inbox in Canvas. For 100+ recipients, Canvas auto-checks the “individual message” box and won’t let you uncheck it.
  5. In the To field, click the Address Book icon, choose All in [course].
  6. Add your subject and message, then click Send.

Students will receive it in their Canvas Inbox, and, if they have notifications turned on, also by email/text. Notifications are turned on by default.

If Teacher Does Not Get Email for Announcement

Video on If Teacher Does Not Get Email Receipt (NO AUDIO)

If you have issues:

  • Did the email show up in your own email?
    Did you check spam/junk and deleted items?
    Also, did you Publish the course in Canvas before sending the message from the Inbox?
    Also, check again that your Account in upper left in Canvas the Notifications page so there's a green bell next to "Conversations Created By Me"