Email Feature

Question

Hello, Canvas.

Question: Does Canvas have any plans to upgrade the email feature soon? The email feature in the iteration of Canvas that I am using at my institution is quite antiquated. It's simply a text-only function that allows for attachments. Is this a feature that my institution needs to add to its Canvas package or has the Canvas email feature not evolved? Or is there something that I need to turn on?

I have included an image of what the image feature looks like in the version of Canvas that I am currently using.

Canvas.Email.png

Chris_Hofer · Accepted Answer

@ItsBilley ...

Thanks for the question.  To begin, Canvas does not have e-mail.  The term "e-mail" often gets used when referring to the Canvas "Inbox", but there are some key differences.  The "Inbox" is a messaging system inside of Canvas.  It's not the same as e-mail.  For example, you can only send message to fellow classmates and instructors who are enrolled in the same courses that you are enrolled in.  And, you can only receive messages via the Canvas "Inbox" from your fellow classmates and instructors who are enrolled in the same courses you are enrolled in.  You cannot send messages to friends and family members, for example, via the Canvas "Inbox".  This is because they aren't enrolled in your courses.  By the same token, your friends and family cannot send you e-mail messages which you could then read within the Canvas "Inbox".  In summary, the "Inbox" within Canvas is a communication tool for communicating with fellow classmates and instructors.

That being said, you can go to your "Account" >> "Notifications" screen within Canvas, and you can configure your notification settings so that you receive a copy of messages to your e-mail address.  And, you can also set up an additional e-mail address (for example, a personal e-mail address in addition to a school e-mail address) to get notified at that address as well.

* How do I manage notifications for a single course as a student?
* How do I manage notifications for a single course as an instructor?
* How do I manage my Canvas notification settings as a student?
* How do I manage my Canvas notification settings as an instructor?
* How do I add an additional email address as a contact method in Canvas as a student?
* How do I add an additional email address as a contact method in Canvas as an instructor?

Now, to get to your question... this is a pretty popular request.  There's already an existing idea that's been created in the Community.  You can find it at:

* Add rich-content editor to Conversations in board Canvas Ideas
* Improve the inbox functionality to provide for more meaningful communication

This first link is a link to the original idea submitted back in 2015.  The second link is a link to the overall Theme.  You'll see that the Theme has a status of "Identified".  You can read more about this status at: How do Ideas and Themes work in the Instructure Co... - Instructure Community - 2980 (canvaslms.com).  Then, if/when this becomes open for voting (which happens two times a year), you can then participate in those discussions.

I hope these links will be helpful to you!