What's the best embeddable chat tool for online teaching?

July 15, 2020 9:45 PM

As well as transitioning a lot of classes to online delivery for the first time, the institution I teach at is also in the middle of transitioning to Canvas as our new LMS (fun!). This seems like a good thing in a lot of ways, but Canvas' in-built discussion and chat tools are clunky. I'd like to work around them and embed something better, but what?

This Ask from 8 years ago was the closest I got to an answer digging through the archives, but I assume the world has moved on since then.

I'd like to be able to have new threads for each weeks' classes, a simple interface, and a modicum of data security. Or even if there's just a way to fool Google Chat into embedding in a Canvas page (the school has G Suite) that'd be a big help.

Many thanks in advance!

posted by threecheesetrees to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

Best answer: I doubt it's possible to embed Google Chat, they're halfway through killing it and replacing it with their 5th chat application. A few Canvas classes I'm in are using Yellowdig, which is more Facebooky then it is chatty but seems okay. I don't know much about the data security.
posted by JZig at 10:57 PM on July 15, 2020 [1 favorite]

Some AI Customer Support software has chatbot apps that can be embedded on almost any web page. Intercom is one I know; there must be other similar programs at various price points.
posted by TDIpod at 12:30 AM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

There's a great Facebook group for learning designers called 'Design for how people learn' - I bet they've encountered this issue before.
posted by teststrip at 3:52 AM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

Have you asked your Instructional Technology team for alternatives?

They may have a suggestion already -- but if not, only when more faculty let them know that it's unsatisfactory will they have a reason (# of requests/Help Desk tickets) to go find one.

(Just two cents from the other side of the Data Center doors. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 5:52 AM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) Tools are tools that can be inserted into course sites. They are called "External Tools" in Canvas. Institutions will do some vetting (mostly around FERPA and Accessibility) and then include them in a list of tools that can be used locally. Go to Course > Settings > Apps tab to see which are currently available for your context. To see the complete list of tools that could be made available go to EduApps and if you find one that meets your needs request it be vetted and whitelisted by your IT dept.
posted by garbanzilla at 6:05 AM on July 16, 2020 [2 favorites]

Seconding what garbanzilla says, if you're in the US, please make sure any tool is vetted by your institution so it isn't leaking student data contrary to FERPA & any state privacy laws.
posted by mcgsa at 7:10 AM on July 16, 2020 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Hi all. Yeah I've consulted with our eLearning people but they're short on ideas, hence why I'm tapping the hivemind. Thanks for the suggestions so far, Yellowdig looks promising, and on a bit of rummaging through EduApps maybe Pronto as well.
posted by threecheesetrees at 8:29 AM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

I often just set up a shared Google Doc and call it a “discussion board.” Students use different font colors and add their names to their contributions.
posted by quixotictic at 9:02 AM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

As someone who often has to end up supporting these sorts of decisions I'm going to ask you to not to try and create a work around. Moving to a new LMS is a massive undertaking, and the 'short on ideas' might really just be 'short on time' - your eLearning people don't have the resources to actualize your request.

If you have a work around, and a different instructor has another work around and now there is chaos. And the students are just going to be stuck using all these different tools. On their phones. And at the end of the semester the instructions will sit around and complain about the mess. Students didn't see any of my messages! IT never got back to me about switching everything to Haskell!

I have looked closely at Canvas. Accessibility for our staff is not where it needs to be. BUT. Clunky? It doesn't work quite the way you want? They chose it because it is free.
posted by zenon at 7:02 AM on July 17, 2020

Best answer: My institution uses Canvas and they just added enterprise Slack over the summer, which can integrate with Canvas. But this is all managed by IT and is behind our authentication system. I haven't actually seen this in action yet, so I'm not sure how well it works embedded in Canvas vs. just using the native Slack app, and of course YMMV in terms of support from your institution.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 12:43 PM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]