Notifications: Recommendations for Students

Canvas includes a set of default notification preferences you can receive for your courses. Notifications are sent to your Tufts email address and any additional Canvas Contact Methods you add to your account. However, you can change the default settings and set your own notification preferences.

These preferences only apply to you; they are not used to control how course updates are sent to other users. Each individual student and instructor can decide what notifications they want to receive and how frequently to receive them.

To edit your notifications preferences, click on the Account link at the top of the navigation menu in Canvas and select Notifications.

Notification icons and what they mean

Notify immediately: Receive notifications immediately. (“Immediate” notifications are still delayed by about an hour. This prevents users from getting multiple notifications if, for example, an instructor writes an announcement and immediately edits it to fix a typo.)

Daily summary: Receive all notifications in a daily email.

Weekly summary: Receive all notifications in a weekly email.

Notifications off: Do not receive notifications for that item.

Note: These notification preferences will apply to all your courses. To set notifications for an individual course, see How do I manage notifications for a single course as a student?

Recommended Notification Settings

Canvas gives all users the same default notification preferences. We recommend that students set the following items to Notify Me Right Away to ensure that they don’t miss important course communications:

Notification typeWhat triggers a notification
Recommended setting

Course Activities

AnnouncementsA new announcement is posted in one of your courses

Notify me right away

Submission CommentAn instructor comments on your assignment submission

Notify me right away

Conversations (Inbox)

Added to ConversationYou are added to a conversation

Notify me right away

Conversation MessageYou have a new message in your Canvas inbox

Notify me right away

Conversations Created by MeYou send a message to another Canvas user or users

Notify me right away

Scheduling

Appointment CancellationsAn appointment on your calendar is cancelled

Notify me right away

Appointment AvailabilityNew appointment timeslots are available for signup

Notify me right away

This content is adapted from the Canvas @ Yale documentation.