Why do I get direct messages in Slack from people who are not in the workspace I am currently looking at?

Direct messages, and their notifications, are grid-wide. Direct messages are not tied to a particular workspace. If you are looking at Course A, a student could message you from Course B and you will receive the notification while you are in Course A.

This is by design but can cause confusion if you are receiving a lot of direct messages. Our advice is to encourage students to ask questions within designated channels where possible, such as a Q&A channel, rather than direct messaging.