Use chat for 1:1 communication

In this article: How to send private messages to individual students inside your course using Chat. All Plans

Chat is Ruzuku's private messaging feature. It lets you have a one-on-one conversation with any student enrolled in your course. Only you and that student can see the messages — no other students have access.

This makes Chat different from Discussions, where posts are visible to everyone. Think of Chat as a private sidebar conversation, and Discussions as the group conversation.

When to use Chat

Chat works well for:

Private feedback on a student's work or progress
Individual support when a student is stuck and needs help specific to their situation
Sensitive topics that aren't appropriate for a group discussion
Quick check-ins with students who haven't been active

For announcements or messages you want all students to see, use Messages (course-wide emails) or Discussions instead.

Access Chat

Open your course and go to the student view.
Find the student you want to message through the People section of your course.
Click on the student's name to open their profile.
Look for the Chat option to start a private conversation.

Send a message

Open a Chat conversation with a student.
Type your message in the text field.
Press Send (or hit Enter) to deliver it.

The student receives a notification that they have a new Chat message. You can send multiple messages in a conversation, and the full history stays available for both of you to reference later.

Tip: Keep Chat messages focused and actionable. If you find yourself writing a long explanation that would benefit other students too, consider posting it as a Discussion instead — that way everyone learns from it.

Chat vs. Discussions vs. Messages

Tool	Visibility	Best for
Chat	Private — only you and one student	Individual feedback, personal support, sensitive topics
Discussions	Public — all enrolled students	Group conversation, community building, peer learning
Messages	Sent to all students via email	Announcements, scheduled reminders, course-wide updates

Frequently Asked Questions

Do students get notified when I send a Chat message?

Yes. Students receive a notification when you send them a Chat message, so they know to check the conversation.

Can I chat with multiple students at once?

Chat is one-on-one. You can have separate conversations with different students, but each conversation is between you and a single student. To reach all students at once, use Manage Course → Messages to send a course-wide email.

Can other students see my Chat conversations?

No. Chat conversations are completely private. Only you and the student you're chatting with can see the messages.