Although they might look similar, Announcements differ from messages sent from the Inbox (or "Conversations"):
- Announcements are limited to users with a Teacher role in a single Canvas course site. They are automatically sent to every member of a Canvas course site, and posted in the Announcements section for future review.
- Any user on a Canvas site can send a Conversation message from their Inbox, regardless of their role. These messages can be sent to an entire course, a course section, a student/sub-group, or an individual. These messages will only be sent to the recipients, and are not posted (publicly or otherwise) on the Canvas site.
As a general rule, we recommend using Announcements to share time-sensitive, urgent information that does not necessarily require a response (e.g. a class cancellation, or a new Assignment posting), but should be received by every student/member of the Canvas course site. Conversation messages, however, can be used for lengthier, sustained exchanges between instructors and their students (e.g. questions about a class discussion, or something that should only be shared individually). Messages sent from either of these options are delivered to the recipients U-M email account.
For a description of further difference between these features, including a comparison to MCommunity/Google Course Groups, refer to our Canvas at Michigan document.