TABLE OF CONTENTS
- 1. Overview
- 2. Default settings
- 3. Managing Existing Announcements
- 4. Managing Comments
- 5. Working with Comment Notifications
- 6. Deleting Announcements
- 7. Allowing All Participants to Post or Disable Comments on all announcements by default.
- 8. Posting in Multiple Courses
NOTE: This feature will launch first in Germany and is scheduled to roll out globally at the start of August.
1. Overview
The Announcements feature in itslearning helps course participants stay updated with important course-related information. Teachers (users with the Manage general administration permission) can create announcements by default. All course participants can view announcements, which also appear on the Updates page.
Primary functions of announcements:
- Sharing important course information
- Distributing resources and embedded content
- Enabling collaboration through comments
2. Default settings
2.1 Creating Announcements
Announcements are created from the top of the course overview page using a rich-text editor (RTE) that supports:
- Headings, bold, italic, and underline formatting
- Bullet and numbered lists (including nested)
- Hyperlinks (inserted manually or detected automatically)
- Embedded media
- Keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard Shortcuts: The editor supports common keyboard shortcuts for formatting:
- Ctrl+B (Cmd+B on Mac) for bold text
- Ctrl+I (Cmd+I on Mac) for italic text
- Ctrl+U (Cmd+U on Mac) for underline text
Technical Specifications:
- Permissions required in teacher profile: "Manage general administration" to create announcements by default
- Image formats supported: JPG, PNG, GIF
- Auto-embedding: YouTube, Vimeo, and other common media links
- Comment length: Maximum 2000 characters.
If you exceed this, a warning will show under the text box: 
- Announcement visibility: Visible to all course participants and in the Updates feed for favorited courses
2.2 Attaching Resources and Images
When creating an announcement, you can choose to attach either course resources or images:
- Resources: Use the Resource button to select existing resources or activities in the course.
- Images: Upload a new image using the Image button. Images are resized automatically for optimal display.
Important Notes:
- You can attach resources or images to an announcement, but not both
- Attachments can be removed before posting by clicking the 'x' on the thumbnail
- Supported image formats: JPG, PNG, GIF
2.3 Advanced Creation Options
When creating a new announcement, additional options are available through the Options dropdown menu next to the "Post" button. Note that this only affects the current announcement:
Disable Comments:
- Click the Options dropdown next to the Post button
- Select "Disable comments"
- This prevents participants from commenting on the announcement
Schedule Announcement:
- Click the Options dropdown next to the Post button
- Select "Schedule announcement"
- Set the desired publication date and post the announcement
- You can filter announcements using the Current, Scheduled, and Expired tabs at the top of the page
Add in Multiple Courses: Teachers can publish a single announcement to multiple courses:
- Create a new announcement at the top of the course overview
- Click the Options dropdown next to the Post button
- Select "Add in multiple courses"
- Select courses where you have announcement permissions
- Click Select, then complete and post the announcement
Shared Announcements:
- Appear as individual announcements in each course
- Are identical across all courses
- Sync edits across all shared instances
- No course-specific edits possible
- You need permissions in all selected courses
- You can delete from some or all courses, but cannot modify the course list after posting
2.4 Commenting and Notifications
By default, participants can comment on announcements:
- Users can edit or delete their own comments
- Teachers can moderate or delete any comment
- Commenting can be disabled for individual announcements using the Options dropdown (when creating) or menu (⋯) on existing announcements.
- Disabling comments prevents new ones but retains existing comments
Notifications:
- Authors and participants are notified when someone replies
- Notifications for comments can be turned off by each user using the Options menu
- Deletion of a comment by a teacher notifies the original commenter
2.5 Accessibility Features
The Immersive Reader can be used to read announcements aloud:
- Access via the (⋯) menu > Listen
- Opens in full-screen with text-to-speech, highlighting, spacing and font customization
- Especially helpful for young learners or users who prefer auditory support
3. Managing Existing Announcements
All announcement management options are accessible through the three dots (⋯) menu in the upper right-hand corner of each announcement.
3.1 Editing Announcements
To modify an existing announcement:
- Click the (⋯) menu on the announcement
- Select "Edit"
- Make your changes in the editor
- Press "Update"
3.2 Scheduled Announcements:
An announcement can be scheduled after creation if you forgot to do so when you created it:
- Click the (⋯) menu
- Select "Schedule announcement"
- Set date and press "Ok"
3.3 Pinning Important Announcements
Teachers can pin one announcement to keep it visible at the top of the course overview:
- Click the Options (⋯) menu on the announcement
- Select "Pin announcement"
A pin symbol wil be seen next to the (⋯) menu on the announcement.
Important Notes:
- Only one announcement can be pinned at a time
- If you try to pin another, you'll be prompted to unpin the current one first
- Pinned announcements are shown at the top of the course overview but not in the general Updates feed
4. Managing Comments
By default, participants can comment on announcements:
- Users can edit or delete their own comments
- Teachers can manage all comments
- Commenting can be enabled or disabled per announcement
To disable comments on an existing announcement:
- Click the Options (⋯) menu on the announcement
- Select "Disable comments"
The comment field will disappear for all participants, including the teacher.
Note: Disabling comments does not remove existing ones; it only prevents new comments.
5. Working with Comment Notifications
- Authors and participants who comment are notified of replies in the bell icon
- To mute notifications, click the Options (⋯) menu and select "Mute comment notifications"
- If a comment is deleted by a teacher, the original commenter is notified
6. Deleting Announcements
To remove an announcement:
- Click the (⋯) menu
- Select "Delete"
- Confirm the deletion
Important: Deleted announcements cannot be recovered.
7. Allowing All Participants to Post or Disable Comments on all announcements by default.
Teachers can allow all course participants to post announcements:
- Click the settings (cog) icon next to the 'Announcement' heading
The first option allows you to turn off comments all new announcements.
The second option allows everyone to post announcements in the course.
With this setting:
- Students can post and manage their own announcements
- Teachers retain moderation right
8. Posting in Multiple Courses
Teachers can publish a single announcement to multiple courses:
- Navigate to any course where you have permission
- Create a new announcement at the top of the course overview
- Click the Options dropdown next to the Post button
- Select Add in multiple courses
- Select courses where you have announcement permissions
- Click Select, then complete and post the announcement
Shared announcements:
- Appear as individual announcements in each course
- Are identical across all courses
- Sync edits across all shared instances
Notes:
- No course-specific edits
- You need permissions in all selected courses
- You can delete from some or all courses, but cannot modify the course list after posting