...
| Chat Tool | Summary | Usage | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Chat | A tool built into our G Suite for Education platform. May be accessed via https://chat.google.com/ or with a Windows PC application or Mobile (iOS/Android) App to chat in a room, group, or one-on-one. | Communication between users with Google accounts. This can be through direct messages, group messages, or rooms. | Since anyone can create a room within UWF Google Chat, ITS has documented a process for registering a Managed Room in Google Chat. |
*Must be employee to access page | A chat tool that allows users to chat in a group or one-on-one. Slack may be accessed via a web browser at https://slack.com/ or with a standalone application. Pro: Slack provides a communication tool which is entirely divorced from Google thus providing an alternate channel of communication. Protects us from a business/technical failure of Google. | Students are not allowed to join existing UWF Slack workspace. Although new workspaces can be created, all users must be invited manually, so not optimal for use by faculty with their courses. UWF only uses the Free version which is not integrated (not SSO) with our authentication (This serves a security purpose because it allows communication via an 'outside method' to an employee who's account may have been compromised), and it can only display the 10K most recent messages. This means that 10K messages would be all that's available for a public records request. Since anyone can create a Free Slack workspace, ITS has documented those that we have been made aware of along with who is responsible for management. Standardization guidelines can be found there as well. However we know that there may be many more "un-registered" workspaces being used by UWF employees/students. Owners of the "un-registered" workspaces are responsible for that workspaces's management (ITS cannot access and would not even know about it). | |
| Canvas Course Chat | Each Canvas course has a chat tool available to allow instructors and students to communicate with their entire class. This tool must be enabled by the instructor in the course settings for it to appear in the navigation bar. | Available by default in eLearning course. An efficient way to chat all your students as there is no need to add them individually. | No one-on-one chat option. Chats are visible to everyone in the course. |
| Google Hangouts Meet | A tool built into our G Suite for Education platform. May be accessed via https://meet.google.com/ to chat in a group or one-on-one. Google Hangouts Meet is a video chat tool, but can be used as text only by disabling audio and video if preferred. | Communication between users with Google accounts. | A meeting must be scheduled and users invited each time before chatting can take place. Not well suited for on-going chat. Defaults to video meeting. |
| Webex Teams | A chat tool that works in conjunction with Webex Meetings. Allows users to chat in a group, one-on-one, or to quickly launch a Meetings video conference. Access Webex Teams at https://teams.webex.com/ or with a standalone application. | On-going communication with UWF employees and students. | May be overly complicated for simple chat usage. |
...