Send a Message to Students from the Gradebook

You can use the Gradebook to send messages to your students. This guide describes how to message students using the “Message Students Who” option.

You can also message students individually from the Gradebook by using the student context card.

Message recipients are filtered based on specific assignment categories:

Have submitted—students who have submitted the assignment, even if they have a grade or not.
Have not yet submitted—students who haven't submitted the assignment, even if they have been manually awarded a grade.
Have not been graded—students whose assignments have not yet been graded (submitted or unsubmitted).
Scored less than [point value]—students who earned a grade on their assignment less than X number of points.
Scored more than [point value]—students who earned a grade on their assignment more than X number of points.
Reassigned—students who have submitted an assignment and you have reassigned it to them.

Although one message most likely will be sent to multiple students at the same time, each student will receive an individual message.

Notes:

You can also message students through the total column.
Canvas will not send an email to their SHU email address but rather a message to their Canvas inbox. If a student has adjusted their settings in Canvas to receive email notifications, they may also receive an email.

Hover the cursor over the assignment or assignment group column header and click the Options icon.

In the Compose Message window, you can select a category of students to message [1], manage the recipients by role or individually [2], enter a message title [3], and compose a message [4].

Choose a category of students to message in the For students who drop-down menu. By default, the Have not yet submitted message category is selected [1]. To message students who have submitted, click on the drop-down menu [2] and select Have submitted [3], then click one of the following radio buttons:

To message a different category of students, click the For students who... drop-down menu [1]. Then select one of the other available categories for assignments [2]:

Have not yet submitted: Students who haven't submitted the assignment, even if they have been manually awarded a grade. You have the option to skip excused students.
Have not been graded: Students whose assignments have not yet been graded (submitted or unsubmitted).
Scored more than [point value]: Students who earned a grade on their assignment more than a cutoff value.
Scored less than [point value]: Students who earned a grade on their assignment less than a cutoff value.
Reassigned: Students who have submitted an assignment and you have reassigned it to them.

To message students based on an assignment group or the Total column, select one of the following categories:

Total grade higher than [percent value]: Students whose total grade is more than a cutoff value.
Total grade lower than [percent value]: Students whose total grade is more than a cutoff value.

Note: Available categories options vary based on the assignment type or group.

If you are messaging students who scored more than or less than a value or whose total score is higher than or lower than a value [1], enter a number of points in the Cutoff Value field [2].

Note: The cutoff value is based on values in the open gradebook, and those values may be different than the values students see in their Grades.

To select or deselect users with a given role, click the checkboxes in the Send Message To field [1].

To view, add, or remove specific users, click the Show all recipients link [2].

When you show all recipients, you can manage individual recipients included in a message. To remove a user, click the Remove icon [1]. To add a user, click the Add icon [2].

10. By default, the subject is a message based on your selections. To edit the subject, enter a different subject in the Subject field [1].

Type a message to the students in the Message field [2].
To attach a file to the message, click the Attach button [3].
To create a media recording or upload a media file, click the Media icon [4].
To send the message, click the Send button [5].

Notes:

Although one message most likely will be sent to multiple students at the same time, each student receives an individual message.
You can also message students by Gradebook assignments.