Private Messaging
Private Messaging lets instructors, students, group leaders, and admins send direct messages to each other from within the dashboard. Conversations are organized by course, your inbox shows unread counts in real time, and every new message triggers an email notification to the recipient.
Find private messages at My Dashboard > Private Messages in the sidebar.
Screenshots
Admin view
Instructor view
Student view
Your Inbox
The inbox lists all your conversations, sorted by the most recent activity. For each conversation you can see:
- The other person’s name and photo
- The conversation subject
- Which course the conversation is about
- A short preview of the last message
- When the last message was sent
- A badge showing how many messages you have not read yet
How to Use
Reading a Conversation
- Go to My Dashboard > Private Messages.
- Click any conversation in the inbox.
- The full message thread opens in order, with each person’s photo beside their messages.
- Unread messages are marked as read automatically when you open the thread.
Starting a New Conversation
- Click New Message in the inbox.
- Select a Course — this links your conversation to a course and determines who you can message.
- In the To field, start typing a name or email address and select the person from the suggestions.
- Enter a Subject.
- Write your message and click Send.
Replying to a Conversation
- Open a conversation.
- Write your reply in the box at the bottom of the thread.
- Click Send. The reply is added to the thread and the other person receives an email notification.
Deleting a Conversation
Click the delete icon on any conversation to remove it from your inbox. The conversation stays visible to the other person until they also delete it. Once both sides have deleted the thread, it is permanently removed.
Who You Can Message
Who you can reach depends on your role:
| Your Role | Who You Can Message |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Anyone |
| Instructor | Students enrolled in your courses; co-instructors on the same course |
| Group Leader | All members of your assigned groups; course instructors for group courses |
| Student | Instructors (and co-instructors) of courses you are enrolled in |
Every new conversation must be linked to a course. When you reply to a thread, the course and recipient carry over automatically.
Email Notifications
When someone sends you a message, you receive an email notification that includes:
- The sender’s name
- A short preview of their message
- A direct link back to the conversation in the dashboard
- The name of the course the conversation is about