One-on-one direct messages between students and instructors, scoped to each course. Private, fast, and privacy-first by design.
Canvas's inbox was built for email. Holon IM is built for conversation — fast, private, and familiar.
Every message is private between two people. Students message their instructor. Classmates message each other. No group rooms, no broadcasts.
Conversations listed on the left, chat on the right. Message previews, unread counts, and instant switching between threads — just like Messenger.
Unread count on each conversation in the sidebar, plus the browser tab title updates to show total unread messages — even when Canvas is in the background.
Messages appear instantly via WebSocket — no refresh needed. Typing indicators show when the other person is composing a reply.
Students must actively enable messaging before anything is logged. Opting out instantly deletes all their messages. Instructors are always reachable.
All messages automatically purge after 24 hours. Nothing accumulates on your server. A clean, defensible data retention policy built in by design.
Holon IM never stores messages beyond 24 hours and requires explicit student opt-in before any data is logged. Students can disable messaging and delete all their messages at any time from the settings panel. Only the two participants in a conversation can ever see its contents.
Start a free 5-day trial — no credit card needed.
Add Holon IM as a course navigation LTI tool. It appears in every course automatically.
First time a student opens Holon IM, they see the privacy screen and choose to enable messaging. Nothing is logged until they do.
Click any name in the people list to open a private conversation. Messages deliver instantly.
Private, fast, and privacy-first. Install Holon IM in Canvas today.
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