Communications

General Tips (Announcement)

Include audio or video clips featuring you or your teaching team when appropriate. Multimedia can make announcements more engaging and bolster the sense of instructor presence in the course.

Use announcements consistently with students to establish and maintain an online presence, especially in fully online courses. If you plan to use announcements as weekly check-ins, share them at the same time each week. This consistency helps students learn when to expect announcements and pay attention.

Help keep students on track by linking directly to any assignments or materials mentioned in the announcements.

Canvas Announcement

Broadcast information in Canvas to the whole class or to specific sections using general announcements.

What are the benefits? (Annoucement – Canvas Announcement)

• Since Canvas courses are automatically created each term, you can log in and immediately start filling your space with content-rich modules.
• You can organize the modules by weeks, days, topics, or whatever makes the most sense for your context.
•  Each module can contain text, multimedia, and files, as well as discussions, assignments, quizzes, and other interactive learning activities. This content can be dragged and dropped in the desired spot in your module sequence.
•  You can hide modules until a specified date or set up prerequisites that students need to complete before accessing the next module.

Canvas Inbox Messages

Message information in Canvas to the whole class, specific sections, or individual students using an email-like format.

What are the benefits? (Annoucement – Canvas Inbox Message)

•  The Canvas Inbox is useful when you want a two-way communication channel for reaching all or part of your course’s students. They can reply to it just like an email.
•  You can use the Canvas Inbox for private or individualized communication that is more targeted than a general announcement.
•  By default, you and your students will also receive email notifications of new messages at the email address associated with Canvas (although some may opt out).

Microsoft Team Posts

Send announcements using a public channel (i.e., a space for group conversation) in a Microsoft Teams course team.

What are the benefits?  (Announcement – Teams Posts)

• Posts shared in a public channel will be presented as a group chat in your course, which may better encourage follow-up questions or comments.
• All course teams in Microsoft Teams have a default “General” public channel that works well for announcements, since everyone must join this channel.
• If students install the Microsoft Team application, they can receive immediate notifications of new messages from the app.

UBC Blogs Posts

Share information in a date-based way outside of Canvas, using a post on a course website.

What are the benefits?  (Announcement – UBC Blogs)

• You can invite interactivity by letting students comment on the posts or share posts of their own.
•  Students can receive automatic email notifications of new posts, once you add students to your UBC Blogs site.
•  Since UBC Blogs can be shared publicly, you can use posts to communicate broadly, including with guests, partners, or students not at UBC or not enrolled in your course.

General Tips  (Individualized Messages)

• Student’s personal email addresses at UBC are considered private information, which is why using one of these alternatives is recommended.
• Reaching out to students in a personalized way can give them motivation and reassurance, while strengthening their learning.

Canvas Inbox Messages

Send information in Canvas to individual students using an email-like format.

What are the benefits?  (Individualized Messages – Canvas Inbox Messages)

• The Canvas Inbox is useful when you want a two-way communication channel for reaching your course’s students. They can reply to it just like an email.
•  By default, you and your students will also receive email notifications of new messages at the email address associated with Canvas (although some may opt out).

Microsoft Team Posts

Chat with students in a private channel (i.e., a space for closed conversation) in a Microsoft Teams course team.

What are the benefits?  (Individualized Messages – Teams Posts)

• Posts shared in a private channel will only be presented to the student(s) from the course whom you invite to join the channel.
• Chatting with students gives them immediacy without the intensity that can come from using video and/or audio formats to synchronously connect.
• Conversations using private channels will persist indefinitely, whereas conversations using the direct “Chat” area in Microsoft Teams will be removed after 90 days.