Introducing Messages: Two-Way Communication
Subject now includes a built-in messaging inbox that allows teachers and administrators to communicate directly with students inside the platform. This feature provides an easy way to send individual or bulk messages to students, with every exchange automatically logged and tied to student enrollments, no more managing compliance through email or external tools.
Messages supports three conversation types: a private 1:1 with one student, a Broadcast that sends one message to many students, and a Group where up to 20 students talk together with you.
How It Works
A message icon in the platform header shows an unread badge when new messages arrive. Clicking it opens a flyout panel with All and Unread tabs, a search bar, and your full message threads. Threads are marked as read when you open them.
Sending a Message
Single Message
To send a message to one student:
Open the messaging flyout from the header.
Click the Blue + button and select your recipient.
Enter a subject (we call this "About" to keep it simple).
Optionally, tie the message to a specific course which links it to that student's enrollment for compliance tracking.
Write your message and send.
You can also require the student to respond before they can continue in the platform by enabling the full-screen response option.
Messaging Many Students: Broadcast
Use a Broadcast to tell many students the same thing at once, such as a homework reminder, a schedule change, or an exam prep notice. This is also how you message an entire section without selecting each student.
Open Messages and click the + button. Once two or more recipients are selected, a Broadcast / Group toggle appears at the top right of the title row. Choose Broadcast.
Give your broadcast a title. This names it in your message list and for students.
Add recipients in the To field. Start typing a section name, course name, or student name and pick from the results:
A section adds every student in that section.
A course adds every student in your sections of that course.
A student adds just that student.
You can mix sections, courses, and individual students in one send. You can also use the recipients table below the To field to search, filter by course or section, and tick or untick individual students. The checked students in the table are exactly who will receive the message.
Choose whether to Allow replies. With replies off, students receive the message but can't reply. With replies on, any student who replies gets a private 1:1 conversation with you, listed under the broadcast in your inbox.
Write your message, choose whether to require a full-screen response, and send.
Good to know:
A broadcast can reach up to 1,000 students.
If a student is covered by more than one selection (for example, two sections you picked), they still receive the message only once. The recipient count always shows the number of unique students.
Students never see who else received the broadcast, and they never see each other's replies.
Only students actively enrolled in your current-term sections appear as recipients.
Once sent, a broadcast can't be changed. The message, the recipient list, and the reply setting are all fixed. A student who joins your section after you send won't receive it. To follow up, send a new broadcast or message them directly.
Your inbox shows one row for the broadcast, plus one row underneath for each student who replies. If you send to 224 students and 16 reply, you'll see 1 broadcast row and 16 reply rows.
Click View all recipients on a broadcast to see everyone who received it and each student's reply status. Filter to No reply to see exactly which students to follow up with.
Group Messages
Use a Group when you want a small set of students to talk together, such as a project team or small-group tutoring.
Open Messages and click the + button, then select your students and set the toggle at the top right to Group.
Give the group a name in the Message Title field. This is how it appears in every member's message list.
Add up to 20 students. You're always a member of the group and don't count toward the limit. You can choose a section to narrow the list, then pick students. If you search for a section that has 20 or fewer students, you can add all of them at once; larger sections can't be added in one step.
Write your message and send.
Everyone in a group reads and writes in the same thread, sees everyone else's messages, and can see the member list. If you add students from more than one section, you'll see a notice that all members will see each other's names and messages. Groups always allow replies.
Broadcast vs. Group
Broadcast | Group | |
Best for | Telling many students one thing | Letting a small set of students talk together |
Who sees replies | Only you | Every member |
Students see each other | No | Yes |
Size | Up to 1,000 students | Up to 20 students |
Typical use | Homework reminder, schedule change, exam prep notice | Project group, small-group tutoring |
You choose Broadcast or Group before sending, and the choice can't be changed afterward.
Searching and Filtering Your Inbox
Teachers and admins can search across message subjects, recipients, and body text. You can also filter by:
Participant
Date range
Course
Two-way compliant: filters for threads that meet the 3-message exchange requirement
Student Experience
Students receive an in-app notification and unread badge when they have a new message. They can open the thread and reply directly in the platform. Students can also search their own messages.
If your school has student-initiated messaging enabled, students can also start a new message to their section-attached teachers or administrators.
If you choose to require a response from a student, they will see a full screen popup with the sent message and will be required to respond before they can continue with their Subject work. If they are logging in, they'll have to respond before they can move on, and if they currently working in Subject the full screen blocker will stop them where they are and require the student to answer before continuing.
Two-Way Communication Compliance
Many states and districts require a documented two-way communication exchange between teachers and students during certain compliance windows. Subject defines a compliant exchange as a minimum of 3 messages on the same enrollment: teacher → student → teacher. The platform tracks this automatically without any manual logging required.
District administrators can access a two-way communication report with a date-range export. The export includes sender name, student identity, enrollment ID, timestamps, message and response content, and completion status per enrollment.
Teachers and admins only see their own threads. District administrators can access the full two-way communications report.
School Configuration
Messaging is configured at the school level by administrators. Schools can choose to:
Turn messaging on or off for their school
Allow or restrict students from initiating new messages (students can always reply when messaging is on)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I message my whole section at once?
Start a Broadcast and type the section name in the To field. Selecting the section adds every student in it, so you don't need to click each student.
Is this a real-time chat app?
No. Messaging works like email threading. There are no typing indicators or real-time notifications in this version.
Can a Teaching Assistant send messages on behalf of a teacher?
No. Each message is sent from the logged-in account. Assigned teachers must send their own messages so the audit trail accurately reflects their identity.
Do students in a broadcast see each other's messages?
No. Each student receives their own private copy, and any reply goes into a private conversation between that student and you. Students never see the recipient list or each other's replies.
A student is in two sections I selected. Do they get the broadcast twice?
No. Every student receives the message exactly once, no matter how many of your selections include them.
Can I edit a broadcast or turn on replies after sending?
No. The message, recipients, and reply setting are fixed once sent. Send a new broadcast with the changes you need.
Why can't I message my whole class as a Group?
Groups are capped at 20 students so members can hold a real conversation. To reach a whole section or course, use a Broadcast.
Can one student reply satisfy compliance for multiple enrollments?
This depends on your district's requirements, but typically each enrollment requires its own 3-message exchange.
Can teachers message other teachers or administrators?
Not at this time. Messaging, including Broadcasts and Groups, is between educators and their enrolled students.
Are file attachments supported?
Not in this release. Messages support text only.
Need Help?
If you have questions about Messages, contact us through the Live Chat widget or email us at [email protected].