Blackboard has two features that can be confusing to you as the instructor and to your students. Both come available in your course shell and may be seen by your students. But what are the differences between the messages and email feature in Blackboard.
Messages and Email both allow you to communicate with your students and for your students to communicate with you. The differences are that Messages stay within the course and Email utilizes your KCTCS email address. As an instructor, you need to decide how you plan to communicate with your students, by using one or the other, or both, and then communicate that directly to the students. And if you plan to only use one or the other, turn the availability of the one you do not plan to use off. If you plan to use both, don't forget to check both for student communication with you.
Often times, I have seen that students use the Messages feature because it is there, but instructors do not necessarily realize that students have used Messages instead of Email. I hear from students "I sent my instructor an email and I haven't heard back". I often ask how they sent the email, because sometimes they are confused. But instructors do not necessarily make it easy because they mislabel Messages as email in the course by having a menu options that says Send Email (but it actually goes to Messages). So be cautious how you use Messages and/or Email.
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