The Chat tool is a real-time, text-based collaboration tool. You can use the Chat tool to brainstorm ideas, hold a question and answer period, have a debate or discussion, or organize a remote study group. As opposed to other collaboration tools, such as Discussions, Chat conversations occur in real-time.
There are two types of chats:
- Personal chats: Personal chats are private and visible only to users who you have added to the chat’s participants list. Personal chats are ideal for keeping in touch with friends and colleagues or for clubs and other groups whose members do not share a single org unit. Anyone with the proper permissions can create personal chat rooms.
- General (course) chats: General chats are public chats visible to everyone enrolled in the org unit where they are created. Instructors can create general chat rooms to incorporate chat discussions into the teaching of a course since they are automatically open to all users enrolled in the course.
Create a general chat
General chats exist within specific org units, and you can only access general chats from within the org unit in which they are created.
All users in the org unit have access to the general chat. You can create multiple chats for the same org unit, such as "Midterm Review" and "Final Review." It is a good idea to enter a description to help other users identify the chat, since they might have access to other chats with similar names.
To create a general chat
- Navigate to the Chat tool.
- On the Chat List page, click New Chat.
Figure: The New Chat option on the Chat List page.
- Enter a title.
- Click General Chat.
Figure: The General chat type on the New Chat creation page.
- Enter a description for the chat.
- Click Create.
You have created a general chat.
Create a personal chat
You can create personal chats to talk with peers or other friends at your organization. You can create personal chats from any org unit, and you can access them within any other org unit.
Personal chat rooms can only be accessed by users who have been added to the personal chat’s Participant List. When users are added, the chat room displays under Personal Chats in their list of chats.
- Navigate to the Chat tool.
- On the Chat List page, click New Chat.
Figure: The New Chat option on the Chat List page.
- Enter a title.
- Click Personal Chat.
Figure: The Personal chat type on the New Chat creation page.
- Enter a description of the chat. Give your chat a unique, descriptive name and provide a description for it using the Description field to help users distinguish the chat from other chats they are enrolled in.
- Click Create.
You have created a personal chat.
Change your chat settings
Change you chat settings so that your messages display in your desired view.
To change your chat settings
- Navigate to the Chat tool.
- Do one of the following:
- On the Chat List page, click Settings.
- Inside a chat, click Settings.
Figure: The Chat Settings page.
- In the Alias field, enter a new alias. Depending on your permissions, you can change your alias, or chat name, if you want to appear as a different name, such as a nickname, to other chat participants.
- Select the check boxes for Bold or Italics.
- Set an Alias Color.
- If you want to change the message order, select New to Old or Old to New. If you want to see new messages only, select New Messages. This requires you to manually refresh the screen, to see new messages and remove all old ones. You can change back to see all messages, which restores all messages for that session, even if they were not visible while New Messages was selected.
- You can change your sound settings so you can hear a sound when someone enters the chat, leaves the chat, or when there is an incoming message. Select a sound from the following drop-down lists:
- Incoming Message Sound
- Person Enters Chat Sound
- Person Leaves Chat Sound
- Click Save.
You have changed your chat settings.
Manage chat history
The chat’s archive stores each chat session, where you can view it at a later time.
The system archives a chat session once all chat members leave the room or after more than 20 minutes of inactivity. Chats appear in the Chat Sessions list.
To manage your chat history
- Navigate to the Chat tool.
- On the Chat List page, from the Actions menu beside the chat you want to view, click View Sessions.
Figure: The Actions menu for a chat showing the View Sessions.
- In the Start Date column, click the link.
- When you are done reviewing the session, click Done.
You have managed your chat history.
Add or remove users from a chat
Use the Chat tool to add or remove users from an existing chat. This can include learners or other course instructors.
To add or remove users from a chat
- Navigate to the Chat tool.
- On the Chat List page, from the Actions menu of the personal chat you want to modify, click View Members.
- Do one of the following:
- To add a member to the chat, click Add Members. To add users from different course offerings click Select Different Course. Select the check box beside the name of users you want to add. Click Add > Done.
- To add a personal contact, click Add Personal Contact. Select the check box beside the name of users you want to add. Click Add > Done.
- To delete a member of the chat, on the Chat Members page, select the check box beside the users you want to remove. Click Delete > Done.