0.1.6 Communicating in Canvas Overview

There are three types of communication that can occur in an online course: one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many. Canvas offers a number of communication tools for all three contexts to help students achieve learning outcomes.

Effective communication, in a variety of ways, is vital to creating a strong learning community that supports students' application of knowledge and practices. As an instructor, these tools help you manage the ways your students interact, share information, and build that community.

At the end of this section, you should be able to do the following: 

• Create your communication plan with students. Provide:
  • How to best contact you (Inbox or email?) 
  • The turn-around time for all communication: Inbox/email responses, assignment/quiz/test feedback  
• In one of your Canvas courses, in the Syllabus and/or Front Page, include your communication plan to students.
• Create an Announcement to share course news with students
• Create a Discussion to share course news with students
• Communicate via Conversations, also known as the Canvas Inbox