Sending Messages in Blackboard

About Course Messages  

Course messages are different from email. Messages work like a conversation thread inside your course. 

• You can see the number of unread messages in a red circle next to the “Messages” tab.
• All messages for the course appear on the Messages page. 
• Messages are organized as conversations. 
• If a conversation already exists between the same users, the new message will be added to that conversation. 
• If no conversation exists, Blackboard will create a new one. 

How to Send a Message 

1. Go to your course in Blackboard. 
2. Select the Messages tab from the top navigation menu. 
3. On the Messages page, select New Message. 
4. Choose the recipient(s) for your message. 
5. Select Allow replies to the message if you want students to reply in the same message thread. 
   • Replies can only be sent from inside the course using the Messages tab. 
6. Select Send an email copy to the recipients if you want recipients to receive a copy of the message by email.
   Note:bIf you send an email copy, recipients will receive the message in their email inbox. However, they cannot reply by email, even if “Allow replies to the message” is selected. To respond, they must go to the Messages area in the course. 

Set Up Email Notifications for New Messages 

You can choose to receive an email notification when you receive a new course message. 

Important: 

Notification settings are not set per course. If enabled, you will receive notifications for messages from all your Blackboard courses.

Steps to Enable Message Notifications

1. Log in to Blackboard. 
2. From the left green navigation panel, select your name to open your profile.  
   
    
   
   
3. Select Email Notification Settings. 
   
   
   
   
4. Find the New Messages option and make sure the checkbox is selected.
5. Choose Email me right away if you want to receive the notification immediately.
   Note: You will still need to go to the course Messages area to reply to the message.