Messages and emails
Answer messages from students and parents, write to a student or parent first, and choose which automatic emails Courses sends.
Students and parents can write to their teachers from the website, and teachers answer in the admin. Courses also sends automatic emails, such as class reminders and "work graded", so nobody has to send them by hand.
Teachers see the conversations with their own students and their parents. Administrators and coordinators see every conversation.
Answer a message
Click the To do tab, then Messages. A red number shows unread messages.
Waiting for a reply (1) lists the conversations where the student or parent wrote last.
Click Reply (2).
The Messages list Read the conversation, type your Message (1) and click Send reply (2).
They get an email with your answer and a link to reply on the website. Mark as unread keeps it in your list for later. All shows every conversation; search by name or subject.
Write first
Go to People → Students and open the student.
Under Messages, click Send a message (1).
A student's page, with Send a message Choose who it's To: the student or one of their parents.
Type a Subject (optional) and the Message, and click Send.
Young learners (under 18, or ticked Young learner) can't get or send messages. Write to their parent instead.
What students and parents see
On the website, Messages shows their conversations with each teacher. They type in Your reply and tap Send, or start a new one with Write to a teacher.
Students can't message each other. To turn messages off, untick Students can write to their teachers (1) or Parents can write to their children's teachers (2) in Settings → Messages with teachers. Teachers can always write first.
Automatic emails
Courses sends these emails itself, through your website's email (the same as Store receipts). Go to Settings → Emails to turn each one on or off under Send it, and to choose whether Parents get a copy.
| Sent | |
|---|---|
| Enrollment confirmed | When you add a student with an account to a class |
| Class reminder, a day before / an hour before | Before each session |
| Class time or link changed / Class canceled | When you change or cancel a coming session |
| Homework due tomorrow | A day before, if it isn't handed in |
| Work graded and returned | When you return homework or grade typed answers |
| New quiz open | When a graded quiz opens (off by default) |
| At-risk alert | Once a day, to teachers and the school |
| Weekly summary for parents | Each week, on the day you choose |
| New message, Absence request, Report card ready, Certificate issued, A seat opened | When those happen |
Welcome, sign-in and password emails are always sent.