How do I email students based on certain criteria in Canvas?

Canvas offers a powerful feature called Message Students Who that allows faculty to communicate with students who fulfill certain criteria.

Quick Links: | Prerequisites | Instructions | Troubleshooting |

Canvas provides various ways for instructors to communicate with students about their course progress, missing assignments, and other key academic activities. The "Message Students Who…" feature allows instructors to efficiently send messages to students who meet specific criteria, such as having late assignments or falling within a certain grade range. This guide covers how to use the "Message Students Who…" feature through New Analytics and the Gradebook in Canvas.

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, ensure that you have:

• Instructor access to the Canvas course.
• Familiarity with basic Canvas navigation, including accessing New Analytics and the Gradebook.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Message Students Who Using New Analytics

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

1. Access New Analytics:

   • From your Course Menu, select New Analytics.
   • Alternatively, access New Analytics from the Canvas Home page sidebar.

2. Message Students at the Course Level:

   • In New Analytics, click on the envelope icon in the upper right corner.
   • A new window will open displaying options for Score Range, Missing Assignments, and Late Submissions.
   • Select the criteria you want to message students about:
     1. Score Range: Choose a range of scores to message students who fall within that range.
     2. Missing: Select to message students with missing assignments.
     3. Late: Select to message students who have submitted assignments late.
   • The window will display the number of students who meet the selected criteria. You can review the list of students and remove any names if necessary before sending the message.

Message Individual Students from the Gradebook

To message individual students directly from the Gradebook, do the following:

1. Access the Gradebook:

   • From the Course Menu, select Gradebook.

2. Select a Student:

   • Locate the student you wish to message from the class roster.
   • Click the envelope icon next to the student's name.

3. Compose and Send the Message:

   • A message window will pop up. Type your message and select Send.

Message Students from an Individual Assignment in New Analytics

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

1. Access the Assignment in New Analytics:

   • Click on the blue dot next to an assignment, discussion, or quiz in New Analytics.

2. Select Criteria to Message Students:

   • Click on a bar in the graph to message students with specific scores on the assignment.
   • Click the number link below Missing to message students who have not submitted the assignment.
   • Click the number link below Late to message students who submitted the assignment late.

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 New Analytics: From the first time that you access New Analytics, it can take up to 48 hours for data to populate. If it has been more than 48 hours since you first opened New Analytics in this course, contact the Technology & Learning Program.

Still need help? If you run into problems or still need help, reach out to the Technology & Learning Program.