What are the differences between an announcement and an Inbox conversation?

 

  Announcements Inbox Conversations
Recipient Options
  • All course participants
  • Specific Sections 
  • All course participants
  • Specific sections
  • Specific groups
  • Individuals
  • Role based
Message Location Within Canvas course Within Canvas
Notifications Notify immediately Notify immediately
Can the whole class see the message?  Yes, possible. Yes, possible.
Can be deleted?   Yes (can't retract notification)  No, only from your view 
 Rich Content Editor  Yes No 
Can students respond?  Yes/No - instructor can restrict students from responding Yes 
 Multiple Attachments  No, but can embed multiple downloadable files  Yes
Draft mode Yes - delay posting (can edit up until the post date and time) No 


To create an announcement, follow the steps in Canvas's How do I make an Announcement in a course?

To send a message to your students, see How do I send a message in Conversations?