There are multiple ways to communicate with students within Canvas. Please consider using any or all of the following tools. Links to Canvas guides are included in the tabs below.
The Conversations Inbox is a tool within Canvas that allows for messaging with students in your classes. You can send private or group messages and it is recommended that instructors use this tool instead of Webster email in order to keep communication within the class structure.
The link for People in your course navigation will provide access to the entire list of students enrolled in your class. Please note: The names of students will not appear until the Friday before the official start of the term.
From the People display, you can then see a student's ID, link to their profile and grades and see their activity level in the course.
If students go to this page, they won't see anyone else's grades or IDs but they may click on names, including yours, to see more about the other people in the course. If you want to provide this information, do the following:
In the Profile tab (back in Global Settings > Account) , write a short biography that describes who you are. You can also upload a picture (click on the circle or pencil icon) of yourself or something that represents you or Webster University. Adding these items helps to initiate the feeling of community with students so that they know at the start that you are a qualified individual (i.e. a real person) who will be part of their learning success.
The Chat tool can be used for real-time conversation with students in your course. Any user in the course can participate in a chat conversation and view all chat content.
A user must be actively viewing the chat tool to appear in the chat list. You may consider posting chat hours in the course calendar to let students know when you are available.