How do I message a teacher in Canvas?

If you ever need to talk to your teacher, or ask them a question, you can send them a message in Canvas.  There are two ways to message your teacher in canvas: through the "Help" menu, or through your "Inbox."

Message a teacher through the "Help" menu

Message a teacher through the Canvas "Inbox"

Reply to a Message

Message a teacher through the "Help" menu

One way to ask your a teacher a question in Canvas is through the "Help" menu.  Follow these steps to send your teacher a message:

1. First, select "Help" in the sidebar on the left in Canvas.
2. Then, select "Ask Your Instructor a Question."
   
3. Select the course you wish to message the teacher for by clicking the name of the course you see, and clicking on the course you want in the drop-down box under "Which Course is this question about"
   
4. type in your question under "Message" and click "Send Message."

With your message sent, you can check your teacher's response in your Canvas "Inbox."

Message a teacher through the Canvas "Inbox"

You can also message your teacher through your "Inbox" in Canvas.  This option allows you to send your message to multiple people, and include attachments in your message.

1. First, select "Inbox" in the sidebar on the left in Canvas.
   
2. In your inbox, click the "Compose a new message" button near the top of the screen
   
3. In the "Compose Message" window, under "Course" select "Favorite Courses" then select the course for the teacher you want to message.
   
4. In the "To:" field, click the contacts button on the right.  Then, select teachers.
   
5. Under "Teachers" click the name of the teacher you want to message.  You can also add additional people to send your message to here.
   
6. Fill in the subject line and enter your message for your teacher.  You can also attach a file or include a media recording by clicking the buttons on the bottom left of the message window.
   
7. Once you have finished your message, click "Send"
   

With your message sent, you can check back in your Canvas inbox to view your teacher's response, or reply back.  By default, you should receive an email notification when your teacher replies.  See the following article to make sure you have inbox notifications turned on:

How do I manage Canvas notifications sent to my Gmail inbox?

Reply to a Message

To reply to a message you have received, open the message, and click the arrow button in the upper right corner of the message window:

A message window will then open where you can compose and send your reply.

If you have any questions about using your Canvas inbox, check out the following article to get in touch with tech support:

How do I get technical support?