Communication and Instant Messages

Contents

How do I contact my instructor?

Refer to the course syllabus as many instructors will indicate a preferred method of communication. This is likely included in the first part of the Content area. The course site homepage may also have an instructor profile with a contact method.

How do I interact with my instructor and other learners?

Inquire with your instructor as to their preferred method of communication. You can interact with other students and staff through MS Teams, your Brock email, or Instant Messages. Your instructor may also create space for Discussions in Brightspace.

Can I send a message or email within Brightspace? 

Communication methods within Brightspace are extremely limited for students. The Chat tool is disabled at Brock and students cannot access the Brightspace mailing system due to privacy concerns.

Instant Messages can be used to contact instructors and classmates but most other alternatives are superior.

Where can I find the Instant Messages tool?

The Instant Messages tool gives students a means to communicate with one another beyond the confines of a course site.

Instant Messages can be accessed by selecting the envelope icon (Message alerts) along the top of any Brightspace page, next to the Select a course… button. The option to go to Instant Messages will appear in the drop-down menu. This is also where Instant Message notifications will appear.

Open

Click Instant Messages to go to new window. The default view is of the Inbox, where conversations with peers can be seen. Messages can be set as read and unread, deleted, and sorted by different views.

Open

How do I message classmates and instructors?

Discussion activity will be one of the only places a student can find and directly message classmates. This is useful if Discussion activity has initiated groupwork.

Selecting a classmate’s profile image will bring up the Send Instant Message option.

That button will open a pop-up window with the recipient’s name and a small area for text.

How do I add a friend?

Adding another Brock user as a Friend will allow you to contact them outside of a Classlist.

1. Navigate to the Friends tab at the top of the Instant Messages window

2. Select Add Friends → Add By Username

There is another option in the Add Friends drop-down menu called Search Users, this tool is disabled for privacy reasons.

3. Enter the Brock ID of the person you wish to add as a Friend and select Add

Upon doing so, the person will be added to your friend list.

Only one user has to add the other as a friend. Upon receiving a message from the sender, the recipient can add them to their friends list directly within the conversation.

How do I begin an Instant Messages conversation?

Once you have successfully added a friend, there are a few ways to begin a conversation.

The Friends Tab

Selecting a friend in the Friends tab will open up a conversation with them, where users can message each other back and forth.

The Classlist Tab

If someone has a long list of friends and only wants to reach out to someone in a particular course they share, they can select the Classlist tab and sort their friends by courses they share.

Upon selecting Classlist, users are given the ability to sort through the courses they are enrolled in and see if any of their friends share one.