Using course messages

Messages are private and secure text-based communication that occurs within courses among course members. They are a good way for students to connect with each other without sharing personal email information. Students can easily find another student in the class by name and then send them a message to connect.

Instructors can contact students, and students can contact instructors and classmates using the Messages tool. Although similar to email, users must be logged in to a write and respond to course messages and messages activity remains inside Blackboard.

Click Send an email copy to recipients if you want the student to be notified of the message via their Douglas College email.

• When a Blackboard user receives an email alert to a message, you will be able to preview the message in the email. However, you will not be able to view attachments or media.

• To respond to the message, the recipient must use the Messages tool in Blackboard.

Sending group messages via Messages or Groups: Students will see who else received the message and replies will be sent to all members of the thread.

Sending messages via the Gradebook or Discussions: Messages goes out as an individual message to each of the recipients selected. Students DO NOT see who else received the message.

New Message space

1. Add Recipients if this field hasn’t been pre-populated.

2. Select Send an email copy to recipients so students can receive a email with a preview of the message. To respond to the message, the recipient must login to Blackboard and reply.

3. Deselect Allow replies to this message if you are using the message as a one-way communication.

4. In the message box, you may add attachments, images, web links, media, etc. in your message.

5. Click Send.

Sending Messages via the Messages tool

1. Click Messages in the top horizontal navigation bar/menu.

In the Messages space, you can access message threads that have been sent/received in that course in descending chronological order. Messages sent via the Gradebook, Groups, Discussions, etc. can be found in this space. Click on a thread to view all the messages.

2. Select the New Message icon on the upper right.

3. Click on the Recipients field for a drop-down menu of participants in the course. Type the name of the person or group to find them. You can also choose All course members, All instructors, or All students. Repeat to add more individuals or groups.

If you include the following information in the recipients area, this is how the messaging tool responds:

Selecting “All course members” creates a group message. Recipients see that the message went to all course members. Replying to the message sends it back to ‘all course members’

Selecting “[Student 1][Student 2]” creates a group message. Recipients see the names of all other recipients. Replying to the message sends it back to all recipients listed

Note: If the message is sent to more than 3 people, it will show up as “[name 1]; [name 2]; and 1 other participant” even if there are many other participants, click on the message to see the full list.

Sending Messages via Groups

If you have set up a group or group set through the top navigation bar, you can send a message to a specific group.

1. Navigate to Groups from the top navigation bar.

2. Open the group set by clicking on the down arrow to the right.

3. Locate the group and click on the envelope icon to the right.

4. Write you message in the message text box and click Send. A history of the message and replies can be accessed via Messages at the top navigation.

Recipients see the names of all other recipients. When recipients reply to the message, all recipients will see the message (essentially a “reply all”).

Sending Messages via the Gradebook

Individual students can be messaged from student view

1. Navigate to Gradebook > Students and then click on the student’s name.

2. On the top right, click on Send Message.

Individual students or multiple students can be messaged from Submissions

1. Open the assessment you are grading.

2. Navigate to the Submissions area.

3. Select one or more students to message.

4. Select Send Message.

5. A new message window appears with the students name as the recipient.

Sending Messages via a gradable Discussion

1. Open the discussion and click on the Student Activity tab.

2. Click on the envelope icon next to the list of students who have not participated yet.

Turning off Messages in your course

When turned off, Messages will be sent via email only. Students will not be able to respond to the email and there is no record of the email in the course. However, if there are custom or manually assigned groups in your course, students can message group members. If there are self-enroll groups, group messages are not available.

Note that even when Messages are turned off, students can still click on the envelope icon next to the instructor’s name. This envelope cannot be removed. To respond to messages received this way, you would need to turn messages back on. Communicate to your students to only send emails if that’s your preferred communication.

1. Within your Ultra course, click Course Settings (upper right corner of screen).

2. On the Course Settings page, Messages are turned on by default (green checkmark).

3. To turn off Messages, just click the slider as shown above.

Blackboard Help Resources

https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Ultra/Interact/Messages

https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Ultra/Interact/Email