Discussions allow for students as well as instructors to actively engage with one another.​

Step by Step Instructions

Create a discussion directly on the Course Content page 

1. Select the + icon in the middle of the page and select create. 
2. From the menu that appears, select Discussion.

Create the Discussion Board from the Discussions Page. 

1. Select the Discussions icon on the navigation bar to open the course discussions page. 
2. Select the plus sign in the upper-right corner to open the menu.
3. Select the gear icon to open the Discussion Settings panel.

 New Discussion Page 

• Once you have selected your method for creating the discussion board, you will need to craft the post. 
• Type a meaningful title to help students find the right discussion. If you don't add a title, "New Discussion" and the date appear as the title for you and your students. 
• Include guidelines and expectations. You can use the options in the editor to format text, attach files, and embed multimedia. 
• Show or hide the discussion. New discussions are hidden by default. Students can't see a discussion until you choose to show it. You can create all your content ahead of time and choose what you want students to see based on your schedule. You can also set availability conditions based on date, time, and performance on other items in the course gradebook. 
• ​Select discussion options. Select the Discussion Settings icon to open a panel with options for your discussion: 
  • ​​​Display on the Course Content page to include the discussion on the Course Content page. 
  • Assign to groups. You can assign students to discussion groups so fewer people are involved. You can also assign a specific topic to each group. You can grade group discussions.
  • Grade the discussion. To motivate students to post insightful contributions, you can make the discussion count for a grade. When you choose to grade a discussion, more options appear such as the due date and maximum points. The maximum points apply to one or more posts made by a student. When you enable grading for a discussion, a column is created automatically in the gradebook. 
  • Post first. Some students may rely too much on the thoughts of others when they draft responses. Hidden responses and replies can help students cultivate their own ideas on your initial discussion topic. Select Post first to hide discussion activity from students until they respond to the discussion. When you want to use both post first and groups, select Post first before you assign groups.