[Inbox] Can Click on Student Name / Course from Canvas Inbox (or email notification)

In Canvas inbox we should be able to click on a student's name (the sender) and be navigated directly to the info on that student (gradebook, etc.). This should also go for the course (course page). The number of clicks we have to do to go from the inbox, to the course, back to the student, back to who knows where to find the assignment being asked about is problematic to say the least.

7 Comments
Stef_retired
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni
Status changed to: Open
 
PaulP80
Community Novice

I really enjoy Canvas and would like to make a suggestion to improve the efficiency of the email system. Whenever I get an email from a student, it often pertains to an assignment or grade. It would be wonderful if the student's name inside the email could be linked to their grades, so I could quickly get there. This would be a wonderful addition that I'm sure all instructors would welcome.

deval_popat
Community Explorer

Canvas email client (inbox) student profile picture should link to their grade book profile page, this will ease to check how students are doing in the course while replying to their query.

Screen Shot 2021-08-27 at 7.28.39 PM.png

Stef_retired
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni

In the meantime, we note that the Canvas Inbox is unified across all enrollments. The Inbox encompasses all of a student's enrollments for every teacher, and so would not accommodate a direct link to the student's context card for a specific course enrollment. In order to see the context card, instructors can send their messages from the People tab of the course in which both the teacher and student are enrolled:  How do I view a context card for a student in a co...  

KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: New
 
KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: Added to Theme
 
jorgen_ivarsson
Community Explorer
Problem statement:

Teachers who manage multiple courses simultaneously often struggle to identify which course a student is associated with when they contact the teacher via messages. Currently, while teachers can click on the email and check Canvas Messages to see which course the student is enrolled in, navigating to the student's profile or the relevant course is not straightforward. For instance, if a student wants to take a break from their studies and the teacher or administrator needs to determine which courses the student is enrolled in, this information is not easy to access. Simplifying the navigation from the message to the student’s profile directly could improve this process.

Proposed solution:

Make the student's name (and possible profilepicture/icon) in the message into a clickable link, that takes the teacher directly to the student's profile page in Canvas.

User role(s):

admin,instructor,student,ta