Course Messages

Course messages provide a quick and easy way to connect with your co-learners and course members using the Blackboard app.

You can send and receive rich text messages, share media, and receive push notifications with course messages. Your message activity remains inside your course environment and makes it easier to tag or add recipients. You can access course messages on the Blackboard app from the course messages page.

The mobile app aligns to the course settings for Messages. If Messages are "off" for the course, the Messages option is not displayed in the mobile app. This applies to both courses and organizations. When Messages are "on", the messages options for students are enforced on the app.

On this page, users can learn about course messages in the Original experience:

Creating a course message
Viewing and replying
Understanding push notifications
Adding rich text and media to your messages
Marking unread, printing, or deleting a message
Creating course messages in Blackboard Learn Mobile app Original Courses (video, students only)

This page also contains information about course messages for the Ultra experience. Learn about:

Creating a course message
Viewing and replying
Understanding push notifications
Adding text and media to your messages
Deleting a message
Creating course messages in Blackboard Learn Mobile app Ultra Courses (video, students only)

Course messages work for both Original and Ultra courses.

Create a course message

Create a message on the go using the Blackboard app.

Select your course.
Select the Messages bar under the Course Material section.
Select New Message. Add recipients and type the message subject.
Write your message.
Select the paper plane button on the bottom right corner of the message to send the message.

You can select individual members or all course members as recipients of your message. Simply start to type the name of the recipient in the Recipient text box or type "all course members." You can also add a subject, add CC and BCC to your messages.

Based on institutional and course needs, system administrators can turn off the Messages function for individual courses. When an administrator turns Messages off, the app displays Messages off.

Messages landing page with ‘Messages off’ indicator for the applicable course(s)

View and reply

If you allow notifications on your mobile device, you get a push notification every time you receive a message from your course members, instructor, or fellow instructors, depending on your role.

Select the push notification to view the message or view the message from Courses > Messages > Inbox.

From the inbox, select the message you want to reply to.
Select Reply or Reply all according to your need.
Write your reply from the editor. You can also add media to your reply from the text editor.
Once you are ready to send, select the paper plane button on the bottom right corner of the screen.

Your reply is added as a thread in the Original Course View environment much like an e-mail. You can also choose to create custom folders and save your course messages.

Push notification

Every time you receive a new message from your course members, instructor, or fellow instructors, depending on your role, you can receive a push notification. These notifications act as an instant communication channel among course members. You can opt to turn the push notification feature on course messages on or off.

From the Settings menu, select Push Notifications.
Use the toggle to turn push notifications ON/OFF according to your preference.

Add rich text and media to your messages

When you write a new message or reply to one, you can share media formats such as GIFs, PDFs, and images.

From the inbox screen, select the paper clip button to add images from your device.
You can also select the camera button to use the camera on your device to take a picture and send it to the recipient.

Original course view courses support a rich text editor.

Mark unread, Print, or Delete a message

When you receive a message in your course messages inbox, you can delete it, mark it unread, or print it as needed.

Navigate to your course messages inbox.
Select the message you want to delete/print or mark unread.
Navigate to the menu on the right top corner of the screen.
Select an action from the options available.

Watch a video about Course Messages in Blackboard Learn Mobile app Original Courses (students only)

Video: Course Messages in Blackboard Learn Mobile app Original Courses shows how to use course messages.

Course Messages in Blackboard Learn Mobile app Original Courses

Ultra: Create a course message

Draft a message on the go using the Blackboard app.

Select your course.
Select the Messages bar under the Course Material section.
Select New Message. Add recipients and type the message subject.
Write your message.
Select the paper plane button on the bottom right corner to send the message.
You can select individual members or All course members as recipients of your message.
Simply start to type the name of the recipient in the recipient text box or type "all course members."

Based on institutional and course needs, system administrators can turn off the Messages function for individual courses. When an administrator turns Messages off, the app displays Messages off.

Ultra: View and reply

If you allow notifications on your mobile device, you get a push notification every time you receive a message from your course instructor or from your other course members.

Select the push notification to view the message or view the message from Courses > Messages > Inbox.

From the inbox, select the message you want to reply to.
Select Reply.
Use the textbox to write your reply.
You can also add media to your reply from the text editor.
Once you are ready to hit send, select the paper plane button on the bottom right corner of the screen. Ultra treats your reply as a conversation like any modern-day messaging app.

Ultra: Push notification

Every time you receive a new message from your instructor or other course members, you can receive a push notification. These notifications act as an instant communication channel among course members. You can opt to turn the push notification feature on course messages On or Off.

From the Settings menu, select Push Notifications.
Use the toggle to turn push notifications ON/OFF according to your preference.

Ultra: Add rich text and media to your messages

When you write a new message or reply to one, you can share media formats such as GIFs, PDFs, and images.

From the inbox screen, select the paper clip button to add images from your device.
You can also select the camera button to use the camera on your device to take a picture and send it to the recipient.

Ultra course view courses support Blackboard Ultra editor.