Did you know there is a chat feature in Canvas? Here are some ideas on how you can use it:

Quickly share links

Have you ever needed to share a long link to a roomful of students but forgot to put the link in Canvas? Or what if a student wants to share a link to a resource they found? Use the Canvas chat during class to share links and get everyone on the same page more quickly.

Extend in-class discussion

If you have a large class, it might be difficult to have an in-class discussion when only a few students have time to share. Open up the conversation to more students by allowing students to share their thoughts via chat. Students who hesitate to respond verbally might open up more when allowed to text their response on their laptop or phone.

Use for out-of-classroom activities

Do you ever send your students out of the classroom for breakout activities? Use the chat to communicate with students outside the classroom. They can ask you (or their classmates) questions, and you can reel them back in when it’s time to come back.

Open informal office hours for homework help

Sometimes, students need more help. How about online office hours via chat? Students can ask homework-related questions during a specific timeframe and get answers from tutors, TAs, or instructors.

Chat conversation in Canvas

Instructions to enable Chat in your course

If you would like to enable Chat in your course(s), visit your course and click on Settings in the left-hand navigation.

Select the Navigation tab.

Scroll down until you see Chat. Click the 3 dots, then select Enable.

Scroll down and Save.

 

 

Resources:

How do I use Chat as an instructor?

How do I use Chat as a student?