Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.deandesk.com/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
School-level feature — managed within your school portal at
yourschool.deandesk.com.Who can post announcements
| Context | Who can post |
|---|---|
| Course | The course instructor, course assistants, or an admin |
| Program | The program instructor or an admin |
Post a course announcement
Open your course
Navigate to the course from your dashboard. If you are the instructor, it appears on your instructor dashboard. Admins can find any course under Courses in the sidebar.
Click New Announcement
Click the New Announcement button (or tap the floating action button on mobile).
Write your announcement
Enter a Title (up to 100 characters) and your announcement Content. Be clear and concise — students see the title and a short preview in their notification feed.
Pin if needed
Toggle Pin to top if this announcement should stay at the top of the list. Pinned announcements always appear above unpinned ones regardless of date.
What students receive
When an announcement is posted, every enrolled student receives:- Email — delivered to their registered email address (or their parent’s email if the student is a child account)
- Push notification — sent to their mobile device if they have the DeanDesk app installed
- In-app notification — appears in their notification feed on the web and mobile app
For child accounts that cannot receive email directly, DeanDesk automatically redirects the email to the student’s parent with a
[For ChildName] prefix in the subject line.Pinned announcements
Pin important announcements so they stay at the top of the list and don’t get buried by newer posts.- Toggle Pin to top when creating or editing an announcement.
- Pinned announcements display a pin indicator so students can distinguish them from regular posts.
- You can unpin an announcement at any time by editing it.
Responding to announcements
Students and teachers can respond to announcements, creating a discussion thread below the original post.- Responses support threaded replies — you can reply directly to another person’s response.
- All course members are notified when a new response or reply is posted (except the person who wrote it).
- Responses can include file attachments.
Editing and deleting announcements
- Edit: The announcement author or an admin can update the title and content of an existing announcement.
- Delete: Deleting an announcement permanently removes it along with all of its responses.
Attachments
Announcements support file attachments. Attached files appear in the announcement detail view and can be downloaded by any student in the course.Best practices
- Keep it relevant. Announcements go to every enrolled student in the course. If a message only applies to one student, send them a direct message instead.
- Use pinning sparingly. If too many announcements are pinned, the feature loses its usefulness. Reserve pinning for truly important items like exam schedules or policy changes.
- Write clear titles. Students see the title in their notification feed and email subject line. A good title tells them whether the announcement needs their attention.
- Check responses. Students may ask follow-up questions in the response thread. Check back after posting to answer questions.