[Notifications] Discussion Notification: Activity that involves you

[cfair005]

Similar to how Facebook notifies you when someone replies to your specific post, I would like this feature in Canvas.

In nearly all of my classes, we are required to make postings and answer student replies. However, there is not a notification feature that indicates when a student has commented on your specific post. We only receive general notifications that a student in your class has commented or posted something. On Facebook, this is called: "Activity that involves you" : You'll always get notifications about activity that involves you, like when someone tags you in a photo or comments on your post.

Essentially, I want to know when someone has replied to my specific post so I can address them back.

Currently, the notification options for Discussions are far to general (attached below)

[ccrofts]

Yes!! This feature would increase the value of Discussions in Canvas immeasurably. It would also be an equity-minded feature, as it would draw upon existing background knowledge/skills with social media that many students already have. Please, please add! 

[eh2]

At our school we also want this feature. It would be great to have.

[sallycharris]

Please add this feature quickly! Students need to know when someone replies directly to their post so they can get immediate feedback and so they can participate in the discussion. For small classes, the notifications for all posts is fine, but for classes with more than 25 to 30 students, the number of email notifications a student would receive is asking too much, especially if they are getting notified every time someone posts in more than one or two classes. 

[I_Fox]

As a student, there are often assignments given by instructors to first make a post in a discussion responding to a piece of text, some premise, etc. that also later require students to reply to other students' posts. I would like a feature that would allow me to be notified, either by email, push notification, or both, when someone replies to a post I've made in a discussion as I don't want to get a notification every time someone makes any post on the discussion but don't want to have to check back periodically to check if anyone has responded to my post. I believe this feature would encourage active discussion between students as I imagine most make the required posts and never go back to read any responses made to their post unless prompted to.

[sallycharris]

Notification when a person replies directly to your post is an essential element of a discussion board in online classes. Students need to know when their teacher has replied directly to them, and they need to know when their peers are engaging them in conversation. 

Please, please add an option to “notify when someone replies directly to your post.”

[KellyCasciotta]

Similar to social media platforms, class interaction is centered around posts and replies. As it stands right now, there is no way to know when someone responds to my post. I have to either read through the entire list of all comments, or I have to go in and search for my post or comment, and look to see if anyone replied.

This update would invigorate class dialogue as we would be notified right away of active threads that we are already a part of. 

the subscribe feature does not sufficiently serve this need as it only sends updates of ANY post on that thread rather than SPECIFIC posts we are actively engaged in. 

thank you for your ongoing support in improving Canvas for all of us! 

[MichaelDufresne]

Visualize the ubiquitous on-campus bulletin boards covered with layers of fliers and ads and other potentially useful stuff that few actually stop to examine for relevant nuggets. The Canvas discussions become similar masses of content. Problems:

• Poorly performing professors just "staple up" posts to "Everyone" instead of engaging individuals with personally useful content, effectively checking the box for number of posts per week as monitored by dashboard managers.
• Good professors' personalized feedback is wasted if students don't return to view replies to their own posts.
• Many students merely check the box by making the required number of posts in a week and never benefit from received replies. If I make a very important reply to a student, I always email them as well to be sure they see it, which wastes time.

Suggestion: Add an option (as provided in THIS community discussion!) to "Email me when someone replies." Better yet, make this an always on/opt-out feature for all discussions, just as the notifications for assignment grading and comments are opt-out.

Another suggestion: Enable following and notification of posts by a partner, professor or selected classmates or following of a section of a discussion thread rather than the useless notification of all new posts to all discussions. The only time the notification of all new posts works is in very small class and discussion groups.

[rachel_page]

I would like to get notified for subsequent posts in discussions.  Currently Canvas will only notify me for one comment in a discussion.  I want students to interact with each other and I would like to be notified when they do.  Is this possible?

[quiddity]

Agreed. Notifications for replies would be very useful.

[quiddity]

...ironically enough I can get email notifications when someone replies to comments here . . . .