Message Window

[CharlesElliott2]

Is there a way as a Canvas Admin I can create a Message Window for Users to see when they go to Canvas? For example, I would like to create a monthly tech tip for students and discovered that they don't really check emails but they are going into Canvas to access courses and work.

[chriscas · Accepted solution]

Hi @CharlesElliott2,

There are a few ways you could potentially accomplish something like this...

• Global announcements from your root Canvas account.
• Custom CSS/JavaScript which you'd attach to your Canvas theme.
• Potentially with the Impact product from Instructure (at an additional cost).

Aside from the tech-side details of implementing something like this, you may want to have some more conversations about the overall strategy.  My institution has looked at this a few times in recent years, and what we're learning is that users (students as well as faculty/staff) are just overwhelmed with information and don't have enough time in the day to process everything they receive.  So, it's not really the way messages are being sent that is the issue, it's the volume and also the inability for the user to customize the content they receive that's the issue.  Moving some messages to Canvas may create a temporary increase in the amount of people reading those, but there is a long-term risk of students starting to ignore Canvas messages like they currently do email, and that could have a negative effect on their academics...  I don't have a solution for this, but I wanted to being up this larger issue here for anyone reading the thread to consider.

Hope the info helps!

-Chris

[dbrace]

Hi @CharlesElliott2,

As suggested by @chriscas, this is a larger conversation then just using Canvas. I would encourage you to meet with the stakeholders at your institution that normally share any type of news or announcement and put together a strategy for how frequently news (including announcements/tips that are not-critical) is shared and where it is shared.

-Doug