Message Icon in Profile

[marshall_herbst]

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

This idea is meant to re-open a previous idea that had been archived. (Direct message a person without having to go to the Inbox )

It would be very useful for Teachers, Students, and TAs to message people from their profile directly within Canvas, without having to navigate through the inbox function. We have had several faculty suggest this feature and our eLearning team is behind it!

Thanks for your consideration, everyone!

  Comments from Instructure

For more information, please read through the Canvas Production Release Notes (2017-01-28) 

[buddyhall]

It's weird that admins have this capability now, but the people who actually need to talk to students frequently do not.

[Renee_Carney]

As you noted above,   which was submitted in a different voting period and received 40 votes.  It may contain valuable discussion and insight as this discussion moves through the voting process.

We also encourage you to check out this article that can help you maximize the exposure and support of your Feature Idea: How do I create a new feature idea?

Your idea will open for voting in October.

[julie_magadan]

Instructors used to have this ability.  In September, 2013 our institution reported to Instructure the message bubble for instructors disappeared (while still being available to administrators).  In July, 2014 the ticket was updated with: "Our product development team has decided not to address this issue as a bug. We value your input and appreciate you reporting your experience to us. Please know that we will continue investigating ways of improving our users experience, if this issue is having a high impact on your institution or you would like more information on this descision, please contact your Customer Success Manager. Keep learning!"

In the new student interactions report, accessible from people, I think instructors can send students a message.

Julie

[jordan]

This idea has moved to the next stage and will be open for voting among the Canvas Community, from Wed. October 7, 2015 - Wed. January 6, 2015.

Check out this doc for additional details about how the voting process works!

[RobDitto]

I believe Deactivated user​'s comments here underscore student-friendly reasons for building this feature.

[irishb]

Thank you for sharing this info,  @julie_magadan ​  - it's too bad Instructure decided not to address this issue as a bug given that the text, "Ways to contact," on a user's bio page is visible to faculty and students. Bug or not, that's broken.

[ProfessorBeyrer]

This feature ought to be available anywhere a person's name is listed or a link to their profile appears. Tonight I read a message from a participant in my "how to teach with Canvas" course who asked me for a "contact me" link she could put on her course homepage so that a student could email her easily. I first started to reply that it would be better to add a link to send her a message via the Conversations too but then I realized it isn't possible.

[Renee_Carney]

Thank You for taking the time and energy to submit and discuss your idea. Your feedback helps our product teams prioritize feature development so we can build a product you will love. Unfortunately, this idea has been archived because it did not meet the 100-vote threshold within the 3-month voting period. Learn more at: How does the voting process work for feature ideas?

Can archived ideas still become a feature?  Potentially. Archived ideas can be resubmitted by Community members. As people’s needs change, previously submitted ideas may gain additional traction. All feature ideas are evaluated as a whole and may influence product direction.

Panda-Cat: A mythical creature that we dreamed up to catch your attention, make you laugh, and encourage you to stay invested in Feature Ideas process of making Canvas better!

[Renee_Carney]

  Idea is currently in development

Please take a look at Canvas Studio: Student Insight Drawer

This project addresses this idea not specifically in their profile, but throughout Canvas as a whole!!!!!

[ProfessorBeyrer]

Thank you for the link,  @Renee_Carney ​. Taking the time to tell those (few) of us interested in this idea about a related idea is one of the thoughtful ways the Instructure employees look out for the community of users. The new development does meet part of the interest I expressed in my plan as it gives instructors an easier way to message students. Once that's in place I may resubmit an idea to make easier for students to message each other.