Emailing Students Based on Criteria in Canvas

Quick Links: | Prerequisites | Instructions | Troubleshooting |

Canvas provides several tools for instructors to message students based on course progress, missing work, or assignment status. The Message Students Who... feature allows instructors to send targeted messages to students who meet specific conditions, such as having late or missing assignments or falling within a certain grade range. This guide explains how to use the feature from Course Analytics, the Gradebook, and individual assignments in Course Analytics.

This article does not cover messaging through the Canvas Inbox, Announcements, or Pronto. For more information on those features, refer to the related articles.

Prerequisites

Before using the Message Students Who… feature, you must:

• Have Teacher access to the Canvas course
• Be familiar with accessing Course Analytics and the Gradebook in Canvas

Step-by-Step Instructions

There are several ways to message students using the Message Students Who... feature in Canvas. Each method provides a different level of targeting:

• Use Course Analytics to message students based on overall performance, missing work, or late submissions.

• Use the Gradebook to message individual students.

• Use Assignment Analytics to message students about a specific assignment.

Message Students Who Using Course Analytics

To message students who meet certain criteria using Course Analytics, do the following:

1. From the course menu, select Course Analytics.

   • Alternatively, select Course Analytics from the course Home sidebar.

2. In the upper right corner, select the Envelope icon.

3. Choose one or more of the following criteria:

   • Score Range: Message students within a specific grade range.

   • Missing: Message students who have not submitted assignments.

   • Late: Message students who submitted assignments after the due date.

4. A count of matched students will display. You can review and remove recipients as needed.

5. Compose your message and select Send.

Message Individual Students from the Gradebook

To message a specific student directly from the Gradebook, do the following:

1. From the course menu, select Gradebook.

2. Locate the student in the Gradebook.

3. Select the Envelope icon next to the student’s name.

4. Compose your message and select Send.

Message Students from an Individual Assignment in Course Analytics

To message students based on a specific assignment, do the following:

1. In Course Analytics, locate the assignment and select the Blue Dot next to the item.

2. Choose how to target students:

   • Select a bar in the graph to message students within a specific score range.

   • Select the Missing count to message students who haven’t submitted.

   • Select the Late count to message students who submitted after the deadline.

3. Compose your message and select Send.

Troubleshooting

• Messages Not Sending: Ensure you are connected to the internet and that Canvas isn't experiencing downtime. Try refreshing the page or logging out and back in if issues persist.
• Unable to Access Course Analytics: From the first time that you access Course Analytics, it can take up to 48 hours for data to populate. If it has been more than 48 hours since you first opened Course Analytics in this course, contact the Technology & Learning Program.