PrintSetting Up Communication Tools in Canvas
In Canvas, there are three main ways that instructors can interact with students and that students can communicate with other students. They are outlined below.
| Communication Type | Communications in Canvas |
|---|---|
| Announcements | Public messages from the instructor are found in the Announcements area of Canvas. |
| Discussion Forums | The discussions in Canvas are threaded conversations. |
| Private e-mail for correspondences between instructors and students or student to student. You can reply from an external program. Some instructors may stipulate that you only use Canvas mail for correspondence (as opposed to your regular PSU e-mail). This helps ensure everything is contained within the class. |
Canvas makes it easy to stay engaged in your courses. Canvas supports several types of communication, as described below.
In addition, you have a Penn State e-mail account (<Access Account ID>@psu.edu) that you will need to monitor for any official communications that come from your adviser, the University, or from the Penn State World Campus. Get in the habit of checking your email a few times a week. Vital information about your accounts, etc. will be communicated to you using your Penn State email account. It's important, so make checking your email a weekly priority.
I will assume that you have your Canvas accounts set up so that you receive notifications when there is activity in the class.
To set your notifications, click on the "Account" circle that should have your photo in it. Then, click on "Notifications". Set the Announcements, Grading, Submission Comment, and Conversation Message to "Notify me right away." Please note that in addition to pushing the notification to your e-mail immediately, you can also elect to push it to a mobile device. If you have any questions about setting up these notifications, please let us know!
