Announcements: Who’s Reading Them?

Clear and timely communication is essential in online teaching, and the Announcement feature in Canvas is an effective tool for sharing updates, deadlines, and valuable information with your students. The Online Course Teaching Checklist, provided at the start of each term in the Pre‑Course Information email, recommends creating an introductory announcement and posting weekly updates. Tracking whether students read announcements is challenging because of Canvas’s notification system and the varied ways students access it, but the additional effort will pay off because students who engage with announcements tend to stay on track and perform better.

There is no single way to ensure students engage with the announcements in your course. Outlined below are four effective methods for instructors to promote and monitor student engagement with Canvas Announcements, along with the advantages and potential disadvantages of each strategy:

Display Announcements on the Course Home Page

1. Go to your course in Canvas.
2. Click Settings in the course navigation menu.
3. In the Course Details tab, scroll to Show recent announcements on Course home page.
4. Select the number of announcements to display (1–15). Online Learning recommends displaying three or fewer announcements.
5. Click Update Course Details to save (bottom of the page).

Advantages	Disadvantages
Ensures important updates are immediately visible to students, increasing their chances of being noticed. Helps keep course communication organized and accessible.	Some students may skip the home page, especially on mobile devices. Displaying too many announcements can clutter the home page and distract from other content.

Note: Beginning in August 2025 Term / Fall Semester / Fall Trimester, all online courses will display the three most recent announcements automatically on the course homepage.

Remind Students to Set Up Email Notifications for Announcements

1. Ask students to log in to Canvas and click their profile picture or name to access account settings.
2. Select Notifications from the menu.
3. In the Course Activities section, find the Announcements row.
4. Click the icon in the Email column next to “Announcements” to set their notification preference to either Notify Immediately or Daily Summary.
5. Canvas saves changes automatically, ensuring students receive announcements via email based on their chosen frequency.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Delivers announcements directly to students’ inboxes, increasing timely reading. Allows students to customize notification frequency to suit their preferences.	Emails may be overlooked in a crowded inbox. Some students may disable notifications or choose less frequent updates.

Encourage Engagement Through Announcement Replies or Likes

1. Enable announcement commenting or likes when creating an announcement.
2. When creating an announcement, scroll to Options.
3. For comments, select Allow Participants to Comment.
4. For likes, select Allow liking.
5. Changes will be saved when you Publish the announcement.
6. Include a prompt or question in your announcements to encourage responses.
7. Monitor replies or likes as signs of engagement and opportunities for discussion.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Enables interaction and feedback. Shows which students are engaging with course updates.	May be read by many individuals, but some may opt not to engage, potentially under‑representing engagement data. Announcements aren’t designed for extended discussions; replies may be limited.

Use Canvas New Analytics for Engagement Insights

1. Access New Analytics in your Canvas course (Course Navigation).
2. Review Weekly Online Activity to see the number of students and page views for a specific resource.
3. To easily identify specific announcements, add emojis 📚💻🎥 or other identifying features to the title.
4. Remember, students may read announcements via email, so analytics provide only an estimate.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Provides a broad overview of student engagement trends to help identify students who may be falling behind. Supports proactive intervention and personalized communication.	Does not track announcement‑specific views, limiting accuracy. Students reading announcements via email or mobile won’t appear engaged in analytics.

Conclusion

Canvas does not provide a perfect way to track exactly who reads announcements. However, you can improve student engagement by combining the strategies suggested here and choosing what will work best for you.