Inbox Overview

The Inbox tool in Canvas displays all messages sent and received within Canvas. View messages by course to see messages from a specific group of students.

Note: Communications via the Inbox are not the same as email.  These messages are internal Canvas messages from user-to-user.  However, in most cases, the messages will be relayed to the users via a notification to their email address.  The Canvas Inbox acts as a storage repository for messages.

Canvas How-To: Collaborations

Collaborations provide students a shared workspace for a group project or whole class assignment. Using Office 365, create a collaboration where students can work simultaneously on a shared word processing document, spreadsheet, or slideshow.

This page reviews how to allow specific students to access a course after the term ends in order to finish an incomplete.  It also explains how to properly "close" a Canvas course and what restrictions that introduces.

It is not recommended that instructors keep courses "open" merely to have access to the materials to use in future courses.  Doing so keeps the course open for all the students, which they may not want to see.  Instead, instructors should create a 'sandbox' shell in their account with no enrollments and store the course materials there.