Title: Exploring Communication Tools
Course: Dev_TOPKIT_SAMPLE_COURSE_Bauer_S_67 > Section: Week 0 - Getting Started

<Note: This section will need to be replaced/updated if you are not a Canvas user.>

We would like to briefly introduce you to the communication tools available in <Replace - Your LMS> since you will discuss communicating in the online environment during the first <Replace - Course Title> module.

This system offers several tools which facilitate communication. Most of these tools allow multiple ways to communicate, such as text, audio and video. The basic communication tools are briefly described below. You will be given the opportunity to use these tools, along with more advanced tools, from the student perspective throughout <Replace - Course Title> and decide if you want to use them as you build your course. More information about these communication tools can be found by searching for them in the <Replace - Your LMS> Help Guide.

Conversations Inbox

Course mail is referred to as Conversations in <Replace - Your LMS>. To access your Conversations, click Inbox. From the Inbox, you can do the following:

- Create Messages
- Send Private Messages to Individuals
- Archive and Delete Conversations
- Filter Conversations
- Start Conversations with Student Groups
- Add Attachments and Media Content

Watch this short video to learn more about Conversations.

Conversations are Global

Your Conversations Inbox is global, meaning it contains conversations from all your courses. Conversations are not tied to a specific course and stay private. You may send messages to an individual or a group. Since your conversations are global, you may want to filter your conversations.

Calendar

The Calendar is also a global tool and lists events from all of your online courses. The calendar is a great tool for communicating important dates to your students. The Calendar tool will list items such as homework assignment due dates and quiz dates. Since the calendar is a global tool, you may want to filter your calendar to show events for a specific course. You can use it to:

- Show when assignments are due
(Note: assignments created using the Assignments tool are automatically added)
- List important dates or events

Be mindful of the information you are placing on the calendar.  Remember that since it is global, students will be getting information from all of their online classes and there is the potential for it to become cluttered.  For this reason, we recommend that it only be used as a "very important event due" communications tool.

Watch these two short videos to learn more about the Calendar Tool and What to use the calendar for.

Announcements

Unlike Conversations and Calendar, Announcements are course specific, and it is a great tool for communicating important information to the entire class. You can use an announcement to do the following:

- Welcome students to the class
- Remind students of an important date, upcoming quiz or test, or assignment that is due
- Let students know of date changes or cancelled face-to-face class sessions
- Communicate and address any technical or homework problems

Watch this short video to learn more about Announcements.

Discussions

Discussions are also course specific and can be a great tool for communicating in your class. They are designed to allow interactive communication between two or more people within a course. You can use them as part of assignments (e.g., Module 1 Discussions) or as a place for general communications (e.g., class introductions, technical help questions, student lounge).  We will explain more about using Discussions as part of a future assignment.

Watch this short video to learn more about Discussions.

Chat

The chat tool enables communication in real time text communication with your students. With Chat, you can:

- Conduct virtual office hours
- Conduct group discussion
- Conduct study sessions
- Set up one-on-one consultation with a student

TOPKit Sample Course was prepared by the University of Central Florida (UCF). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.