In Brightspace, you can instant message users to communicate.  These are the instructions on how to do this.



  1. At the top of the page, select the envelope icon in the top right of the screen

Select the envelope icon

  1. A drop-down menu will appear. Select Instant Messages

Select Instant Messages

  1. A pop-up window will appear. Next, search your inbox, friends, or classlist at the top of the pop-up window for the specified user that you would like to contact.

    • To locate another user not in your Instant Message inbox, select Friends or Classlist

Select Friends or Classlist

  • If a user is online within the MyFIRE platform, the user will show a green dot and the word “online” under their name.

  • If a user is offline within the MyFIRE platform, the user will show a gray dot and the word “offline” under the user name.

  • When searching by through the friends tab, select the desired user(s) to instant message by selecting the box to the left of the user’s name if the friend has been already added to your account.

Select the user

  • To add a friend to your account, select the Add Friends button at the top right corner of the pop-up window

Select Add Friends

  • A drop-down menu will appear. Select to add friend by their username or to search for the user.

    • If you need to get in contact with ODL for the Chat Helpline, type in digital.learning

Enter a username

  • Search User - The pop-up window page will change to show a search field. Enter the desired user’s name, and select the magnifying glass.

  • Select the desired user(s) by checking the box to the left of the user’s name

  • Next, select Add as Friend button under the search bar.

Add as Friend button

  1. When searching users through the Classlist tab, select the drop-down menu to choose the specific course the designated user is enrolled in.

Select the dropdown

  1. Select the desired user(s) to instant message by selecting the box to the left of the users’ name.  Once the user is selected, select Message.

Select Message 

  1. The pop-up window will refresh. Type your message in the message text box.  Next, select Send.

Message text box

  1. The other user will receive the message in their Message Alerts icon at the top off their page. The icon will show an orange dot to the other user notifying that there is a new message for review. 

Message alerts icon