Chat Tool

Access to the Chat tool will end as part of the January 2024 (20.24.01) release.

If you use chats in Content, the content topics will remain, but the chats will be no longer available. Instructors will need to reconfigure courses with chat-based content topics.

The Chat tool is a real-time, text-based collaboration tool. 

There are two types of Chats you can create

  • General Chat is a public chat visible to all users

  • Personal Chat that is only visible to users invited to your chat

While students do not have the appropriate permissions to create General Chats, they are able to create their own Personal Chats. Unless you are invited by the student, you will not be able to view these Personal Chats.

If you have customized your course navbar, the chat tool may not be visible after enabling it. Please contact learnhelp@uwaterloo.ca if you require further assistance

Enabling Access to the Chat Tool

By default, the Chat tool is turned off. To activate this tool:

  1. Click on Course Admin from the course navbar.

  2. Click Tools.

  3. Enable Chat by toggling the Status checkbox to the right of the tool. A blue checkmark will appear indicating that the tool has been turned on. This page will save automatically.

    Chat tool status toggled off as displayed by a grey O.
  4. Refresh the page and click on Connect from the course navbar. Chat should now appear in the Connect menu.

Creating a General Chat

General chats exist within specific courses and are only accessible from the course in which they are created. All users in the course have access to the general chat. You can create multiple chats for the same course.

The Chat type cannot be changed after the Chat has been saved.

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click the New Chat button.

  4. Enter a Title and a Description (optional) for the chat.

  5. For type, select General Chat.

    New Chat page
  6. Click Create.

Editing a General Chat Room

You can edit the title and description of general chats that you have already created.

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click the down arrow beside the chat you want to modify and select Edit.

  4. Make your desired changes to the Title and/or Description.

  5. Click Save.

Deleting a General Chat Room

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click the down arrow beside the chat you want to modify and select Delete.

  4. Click Delete to confirm the deletion.

Alternatively

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Check the box to the left of the chat you want to delete and click the Delete at the top of the Chat List

  4. Click Delete in the confirmation message.

Creating a Personal Chat

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.

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click the New Chat button.

  4. Enter a Title and a Description for the chat. Giving your chat a unique, descriptive name and providing a description help users distinguish the chat from other chats that they are part of.

  5. For type, select Personal Chat.

  6. Click Create.

  7. To add users to a personal chat see below.

Adding Members to a Personal Chat

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click on the down arrow beside the personal chat you just created. Click View Members to add users to the chat.

  4. Click Add Members if you want to add users from your course. If you want to add a personal contact, click Add Personal Contact.

  5. Select the check box beside the name(s) of the user(s) you want to add.

  6. Click Add.

Removing users from a Personal Chat

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click on the down arrow beside the personal chat you just created. Click View Members to add users to the chat.

  4. On the Chat Members page, select the check box beside the users you want to remove.

  5. Click the Delete icon at the top or bottom of the list.

  6. Click Delete to confirm the deletion.

  7. Click Done

Editing a Personal Chat

You can edit the title and description of the chats you create.

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click the down arrow beside the chat you want to modify and select Edit.

  4. Make your desired changes to the Title and/or Description.

  5. Click Save.

Deleting a Personal Chat

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click the down arrow beside the chat you want to modify and select Delete.

  4. Click Delete to confirm the deletion.

Participating in a Chat Session

Add a Chat Message

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click the Chat Title of the chat you would like to join.

  4. Type a message in the text box at the bottom of the chat room, and click Send.

See who else is chatting

The Participants pane displays a list of users currently signed into a chat room.

Chat Settings

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click Settings in one of two locations:

    • On the Chat List page, click Settings in the top-right corner.

    • Inside a chat, click Settings along the top of the chat window.

  • If you want to change the message order, under Message Order select New to Old or Old to New.

  • If you want to see new messages only, under Only Show select New Messages. This requires you to manually refresh the screen, to see new messages and remove all old ones.

  • You can also adjust your sound settings. For example, use the Incoming Message Sound menu to select which alert (if any) you would like to hear when you are receiving a new message in Chat.

Chat Archives

Each chat session is stored in the chat’s archives, 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. See Accessing

Accessing a Chat Session

This allows you to see a record of everything that has been said in a Chat to that point.

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click the down arrow beside the chat you want to modify and select View Session.

  4. Click the link in the Start Date column.

  5. When you are done reviewing the session, click Done.

Deleting a chat session

  1. Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  2. Select Chat from the menu.

  3. Click the down arrow beside the chat you want to modify and select View Session.

  4. Select the checkboxes for the sessions you want to delete.

  5. Click the Delete icon.

Printing a chat session

  • Click on Connect from the course navbar.

  • Select Chat from the menu.

  • Click Print in one of two locations:

    • Within an archived Chat Session, click Print in the top right-hand corner.

    • Inside a chat, click Print along the top of the chat window.

  • Print using your browser’s print functionality.

  • Click Close when you are done.