Chat

Chat

Overview

A chat room allows users to exchange messages and collaborate in real-time.

There are three ways to use chat on the platform:
  1. Interact with other users in a course or class chat room.
  2. Interact with other users in a group chat room.
  3. Chat directly with other users that are online.

Course or class chat

Info
Info
The business platform defaults to the term courses, and the academia platform defaults to the term classes. The terms courses and classes are interchangeable in this article and customizable on your platform. 
If enabled, Chat will display in the secondary navigation bar of a course or class. To chat:
  1. Access a course or class.
  2. Click Chat in the secondary navigation bar.
  3. Click on a chat room.
    1. Each chat room displays their name, number of occupants, and number of messages. 
Info
Please note that not all courses have the chat feature enabled. Instructors, teachers and administrators can enable chat for individual courses/classes

Course, Chat with two chat room tiles displayed

After clicking a chat room, the chat will appear.
  1. A sound is played whenever a new message arrives or if another user enters or leaves the room.
  2. To turn off the sound select the option Mute.
  3. To open the chat room in a new window click  Expand icon
  4. To leave the chat room, close the window.
Cropped view of the chat pop-up window showing a discussion, users, and message input field

Group chat

If enabled, Chat will display in the secondary navigation bar of a group. To chat:
  1. Access a group.
  2. Click Chat in the secondary navigation bar.
  3. Click on a chat room.
    1. Each chat room displays their name, number of occupants, and number of messages. 
Info
Please note that not all groups have the chat feature enabled. Group administrators can enable chat for individual courses/classes. 
Group, Chat with one chat room tile displayed

Chat directly with a user

If a user is online, you can start a chat with them directly without first going to a specific chat room.
  1. Click the user's profile.
  2. Click Chat.
    1. The user will get a visual and audio alert on their current page that allows them to either accept or ignore the chat request. 
    2. If you have a personal chat with another user, the chat messages will be saved and display when you chat with them again. 
A user's profile page with the Chat button highlighted

You can also chat directly with a user from with a course or group chat room.
  1. Hover over a user's name.
  2. Click Chat in the pop-up.
Course, Learners page highlighting the Chat link that becomes visible when hovering over a learner's name

Transcripts

To see a transcript of the chat room conversation, click theTranscript iconicon on its tile.

Course, Chat overview page with the transcript icon highlighted on a chat tile

Retention

Chat messages are automatically purged after one month.

Installing the Chat app

If chat is not currently available on your platform, administrators can install if from the app center:
  1. Click Admin from the main navigation menu.
  2. Click App center.
  3. Install Chat from the Collaboration section.
    1. Blogs can also be uninstalled from the App center by selecting Uninstall.
Admin, App center page showing the Chat app highlighted

Enabling course and class chat

Instructors, teachers and administrators can enable chat for courses and classes:

  1. Access the course or class.
  2. Click Admin from the course/class navigation menu.
  3. Click Features.
  4. Select Chat.

Course, Admin, Features page with the Chat feature highlighted and the Chat link shown in the course navigation

To add a chat room:
  1. Click Add.

Course, Chat overview page with the Add button highlighted

The course/class chat page lists all of the chat rooms associated with the course. Each chat room tile displays:

  1.  The chat room name.
  2. The number of occupants.
  3. The number of messages in the chat room. 

Course, Chat overview page with the number of occupants, number of messages, and transcript icon highlighted on a chat tile

To configure a chat room:

  1. Click the Settings cog icon icon on the chat room tile.

Course, Chat overview page with the cog settings icon highlighted on one of the chat tiles

A dialog box displays that allows you to edit the chat room.

  1. Update the Name of the chat room.
  2. Click Change Picture to update the image on the chat room tile.
  3. Click Save.

Course, Chat overview page with the chat's name field highlighted in the settings dropdown

You can also delete a chat room. 

  1. Select the chat room.
  2. Click Delete.

Course, Chat overview page with one of the chats selected and the Delete button highlighted

Enabling group chat

Group administrators can enable chat for the group.

  1. Access the group.
  2. Click Admin from the group navigation menu.
  3. Click Features from the pop-out menu.
  4. Select Chat.
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