Announcements
The Announcements Tool enables you to quickly and easily communicate course updates, changes, and other information to all students in your course. Every announcement that is posted in your course will trigger a notification to the students via text, email, or push notifications through the Pulse App. Course announcements are also available to students on the main Brightspace Homepage so they can see all of their course updates at a glance.
Create an Announcement
Create an Announcement
In your course, select the down arrow next to Announcements
Click New Announcement from the menu
Enter a title for the announcement
Type your message into the Content area
Note: you can add images, videos, and more along with your text, however, these will not display in the email or text notification that students receive. They will need to go to Brightspace to view the media posted in the announcement.
If you would like to schedule the announcement to post later, you can adjust the Start Date. If you wish to post the announcement right away, do not adjust the Start Date settings.
If you also wish to have the announcement become unavailable to learners after a set period, you may add an End Date.
Optional: You can add an attachment if you would like to shorten the length of the announcement. Students can then view the announcement in Brightspace and click on the attachment to view and download it.
Optional: You can add additional requirements in order for a student to have the announcement become available to them. We recommend going to the Release Conditions page to learn more.
Click Publish when done, and the announcement will be posted
You can also use the Save as Draft button if you would like to work on the announcement later
Edit an Announcement
In your course, go to the announcement you wish to edit
Select the down arrow next to the title and click Edit
Make the necessary adjustments
Optional: Check the checkbox next to Major Edit if you wish to send another notification to your students. This is helpful if you wish to draw their attention to the updated announcement.
Click Update when done
Delete, Dismiss, and Restore Announcements
Delete an Announcement
In your course, find the announcement you wish to delete
Click on the down arrow next to the announcement and select Delete
Select Yes in the confirmation window
Dismiss an Announcement
In your course, go to the announcement you wish to dismiss
Select the "X" in the top right, or click the down arrow and select Dismiss from Widget
From there, the announcement will only be available in the Announcements Tool. Please note that dismissing an announcement only works for your account. You will need to delete or add an End Date to an announcement if you wish to make it unavailable to students
Restore an Announcement
In your course, click on the Announcements widget title to go to the Announcements Tool
Alternatively, you can select the down arrow and click Go to Announcements Tool
For dismissed announcements:
Select the down arrow next to the announcement
Click on Restore
For deleted announcements:
Click More Actions at the top of the page
Select Restore
Click on the checkbox next to the announcement
Select the Restore button at the top
Please note that restored announcements will not trigger a new notification and will be placed back where they were in the Announcement Tool.
Replacement Strings
Replacement Strings, sometimes referred to as Display Configuration Variables are configuration variable names enclosed in curly braces { } that are automatically replaced by the corresponding configuration variable values. These can be helpful to add some personalization to your course without having to manually create different versions of an email, note, or text. These strings can be used throughout your course in various tools such as Announcements, Content, Intelligent Agents, etc. See below for instructions and what Replacement Strings you can use.
Note that with using replacement strings, the string should disappear and display the corrisponding information tied to the string. For example, if you type an announcement and use "Hello {FirstName} {LastName}, ...", it should display as "Hello (student's name), ..." for the user. Since it uses the current user's information, you can use this in various tools and the student will only see their name as if you personalized the content for them.
Tip: Did you know that you can adjust the text displayed on your Course Homepage's banner? Simply hover over the banner, select the 3 dots (banner settings), then click Customize Banner Text. From there, you can adjust this to be a custom message that can say "Welcome to Math {FirstName}!" and it will display this message including the user's name when they access your course!
FAQs
Can students see an announcement that I dismissed?
If you dismissed an announcement, it will only be hidden for your account. Other users will still be able to see the announcement unless you add an End Date to it.
Why do I see my information after using a Replacement String?
Brightspace uses the current user's information to fill the Replacement String. If you impersonate a student from the Classlist, you should be able to see that the Replacement String now shows their information.
When should I use an Announcement versus using an Intelligent Agent or other tool?
Course Announcements will automatically trigger a notification to students as well as display on both the Brightspace Homepage and the course homepage for students. It is best to use this tool to communicate important course updates or information such as:
Class being late or canceled
Making it to a new week and informing students of the next topic
Being out sick or on vacation and informing students of a temporary instructor
Informing students of a possible issue with an activity and letting them know when it is fixed
What is the difference between the Announcements Tool and the Activity Feed?
While they do have some similar features, the Activity Feed is more of a social tool while the Announcements Tool is more for communicating important updates. Depending on your preferences and how you want to use your course, you may find that one tool suits you more than the other. Check out our Activity Feed page to learn more about the tool.