Encourage your learners to share thoughts on course material with peers by setting up forums and topics for learners to ask questions, discuss course content and assignments, and work together in assigned groups and sections. You must create a discussion forum first, which will contain associated discussion topics. Discussion forums organize course discussions topics into categories such as weekly discussions, open discussions, and group discussions.
You can start the creation of a discussion forum or topic using the following options:
Choose one of the workflows below according to your organization’s setup.
Video: The New Discussions Creation Experience
Video: How to create a discussion forum
Create a discussion forum in the New Content Experience (Lessons) with the new Discussions creation experience
You can create a discussion forum in the New Content Experience (Lessons) using the new Discussions creation experience. The new Discussions experience adopts creation elements from Assignments and Quizzes, making it familiar and easier to create great course content.
To create a discussion forum using the new Discussions creation experience
- Navigate to Content.
- Click Create New.
Figure: The Create New button for Discussions.
- On the What would you like to create? page, click Discussion.
Figure: The Discussion option on the What would you like to create? page.
- A forum is automatically created using your new topic name. You can complete the discussion creation process to create a topic associated with that forum. If desired, you can change the forum associated with your discussion topic.
To change the forum
- From the New Topic page, click Change Forum.
Figure: The Change Forum option on the New Topic page.
- From the Change forum dialog, do one of the following:
Figure: The Create a forum option of the Change forum dialog.
- Select Create a Forum and enter a Forum Title.
- Select Choose an existing forum.
- Click Apply Changes.
Your new discussion topic forum is changed
You can create a discussion forum in the New Content Experience (Lessons).
To create a Discussion forum from the New Content Experience (Lessons)
- From your course homepage navbar, navigate to Content.
- Click Create New.
Figure: The Create New button for Discussions.
- On the What would you like to create? page, click Discussion.
Figure: The Discussion option on the What would you like to create? page.
- From the New Topic page, click Change Forum.
Figure: The Change Forum option on the New Topic page.
- From the Change forum dialog, select Create a forum.
Figure: The Create a forum option of the Change forum dialog.
- Enter a Forum Title and click Apply Changes.
You have created a new forum in the New Content Experience (Lessons). The New Topic page updates to associate with that forum.
You can create a discussion forum in the Classic Content Experience.
To create a Discussion forum in the Classic Content Experience
- From your course homepage navbar, navigate to Content.
- Click Upload/Create.
- Click New Discussion.
Figure: The New Discussion option on the Upload/Create drop-down menu.
- On the New Topic page, click New Forum.
Figure: The New Forum option on the New Topic page.
- From the Create Discussion Forum page, fill in the following:
Figure: The Create Discussion Forum dialog in the Classic Content Experience.- In the Create Discussion Forum field, enter a forum title.
- In the editor, any forum details you want to include.
- Click Create.
A new forum is created using the Classic Content Experience. You can now create a topic associated with that forum.
You can also create a discussion forum in the Discussions tool.
To create a discussion forum from the Discussions tool
- From your course navbar, navigate to Discussions.
- Click New Forum .
Figure: The New Forum option of the new drop-down menu on the Discussions page.
- From the Properties tab of the New Forum page, customize the following:
- Provide a Title for your new discussion forum (1).
- Use Brightspace Editor to add a Description (2).
- Click to select additional forum options, including allowing anonymous posts, participation requirements, and displaying the forum description in topics (3).
Figure: The Properties tab of New Forum Details.- Allow anonymous posts: Enables users to post anonymously.
- A moderator must approve individual posts before they display in the forum: Ensures that posts are approved by a moderator before they display in the forum.
- Users must start a thread before they can read and reply to other threads in each topic: Ensures user participation by making thread creation mandatory.
- Display forum descriptions in topics: Provides instructors the option to display a discussion forum description within a discussion topic description.
- Click the Restrictions tab and do one or more of the following:
- Under Availability, define the date range when the discussion will be available to users. (1). Availability options specify when learners can access (or view) a forum based on a specific date set by you. For example, you can set a date to make a discussion forum available to learners after the end date for finishing a course module.
- Locking Options specify if learners can post or reply to a forum based on a specific date set by you. For example, you can set a date to lock a discussion forum after making it available, giving learners time to read and understand the discussion forum, but not post replies. You can also set a date to unlock the forum several days later, allowing learners to post their well thought out replies.
- Visible with access restricted before start/end. The forum is visible to learners before or after the start or end date, but they cannot access it.
- Visible with submission restricted before start/end. The forum is visible to learners before or after the start or end date and they can access it, but they cannot post new threads or replies. This effectively makes a discussion read-only.
- Hidden before start/end. The forum is hidden from learners until the start or end date. Calendar events for Availability Start and Availability End are hidden until the start or end date. Notifications are also not sent until the start or end date.
- Add automated conditions for access using Release Conditions. (2)
- Apply restrictions to groups or sections. (3)
Figure: The Restrictions tab with Availability, Release Conditions, and Group and Section Restrictions.
- Click Save and Close to create the forum; or Save and Add Topic to create a discussion topic within your new forum.
Figure: Save options for your discussion forum.
You have created a Discussion Forum using the Discussions tool.
Create a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons) using the new Discussion creation experience
You can create a discussion forum in the New Content Experience (Lessons) using the new Discussions creation experience. The new Discussions experience adopts creation elements from Assignments and Quizzes, making it familiar and easier to create great course content.
To create a discussion topic with the new Discussions creation experience
- Navigate to Content.
- Click Create New.
Figure: The Create New button for Discussions.
- On the What would you like to create? page, click Discussion.
Figure: The Discussion option on the What would you like to create? page.
- On the New Topic page, do the following:
- Enter a Topic Title.
- Click Change Forum to change the forum where your topic will go, if necessary.
- To add your topic to your grade book, enter a value in the Grade Out Of field.
- Enter a Description for your topic using Brightspace Editor.
Figure: The Topic Title, Grade Out Of, and Description fields.
- In the Availability Dates & Conditions menu, enter the following:
- Enter a Start Date and End Date.
- Adjust the Before end and After end restrictions based on your preferences by clicking each option.
- Click Add Release Condition to create a new release condition or add an existing one.
- Under Group and Section Restrictions, you can set different restrictions if you have Groups or Sections set up in your course.
Figure: The Availability Dates & Conditions menu.
- In the Post & Completion menu ,select from the following options:
- Default participation
- Allow learners to hide their name from other learners
- Learners must start a thread before they can view or reply to other threads
- Posts must be approved before they display in the topic
Figure: The Post & Completion menu.
- In the Evaluation & Feedback menu, do the following:
- Click Add Rubric to attach a rubric to your discussion topic.
- Click Manage Learning Objectives to associate learning objectives to your discussion topic.
- Select the Allow evaluation of individual posts checkbox if you want to assign scores to posts. Then, select your Calculation Method. You can also choose to Include unevaluated posts in the topic score calculation as zero.
- Select Allow learning to rate posts if you want your learners to score others' posts. Then, select a rating type.
Figure: The Evaluation & Feedback menu.
- Toggle the Visibility ON or OFF.
- Click Save and Close.
Figure: The Visibility toggle and the Save and Save and Close options.
Create a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons) using the Classic Discussions experience
You can also create a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons).
To create a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons)
- From your course homepage navbar, navigate to Content.
- Click Create New.
Figure: The Create New button for Discussions.
- On the What would you like to create? page, click Discussion.
Figure: The Discussion option on the What would you like to create? page.
- On the New Topic page, do the following:
Figure: The New Topic page for Discussionsin the New Content Experience (Lessons).- Enter a Topic Title.
- Click Change Forum to change the forum where your topic will go, if necessary.
- Choose your grading scheme in Grade Out Of.
- Enter a Description for your topic using Brightspace Editor.
- Click the Availability Dates & Conditions drop-down menu and do any of the following:
- Enter a Start Date, if desired.
- Enter an End Date, if desired.
- Click Add Release Condition to include release conditions for your topic. For example, a learner must finish a module before being able to access your discussion topic.
- Toggle the topic Visibility to Hidden or Visible.
- Click Save and Close.
You have created a new discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons).
Create a discussion topic in the Classic Content Experience
You can create a discussion topic in the Classic Content Experience.
To create a discussion topic in the Classic Content experience
- From your course homepage navbar, navigate to Content.
- Click Upload/Create.
- Click New Discussion.
Figure: The New Discussion option on the Upload/Create drop-down menu.
- On the Create a Discussion page, do the following:
Figure: The Create a Discussion page in the Classic Content experience.- Enter a title in the Enter a Title field.
- Select the Hide from Users if you want to hide the topic from learners.
- Under Instructions, enter your discussion topic information.
- Click Save.
You have created a new discussion topic in the Classic Content Experience.
Create a discussion topic using the Discussions tool with the new Discussions creation experience
You can create a discussion forum in the New Content Experience (Lessons) using the new Discussions creation experience. The new Discussions experience adopts creation elements from Assignments and Quizzes, making it familiar and easier to create great course content.
To create a discussion topic using the Discussions tool with the new Discussions creation experience
- Navigate to Discussions.
- From the New drop-down menu, click New Topic .
Figure: The New Topic option of the New drop-down menu on the Discussions page.
- On the New Topic page, do the following:
- Enter a Topic Title.
- Click Change Forum to change the forum where your topic will go, if necessary.
- To add your topic to your grade book, enter a value in the Grade Out Of field.
- Enter a Description for your topic using Brightspace Editor.
Figure: The Topic Title, Grade Out Of, and Description fields.
- In the Availability Dates & Conditions menu, enter the following:
- Enter a Start Date and End Date.
- Adjust the Before end and After end restrictions based on your preferences by clicking each option.
- Click Add Release Condition to create a new release condition or add an existing one.
- Under Group and Section Restrictions, you can set different restrictions if you have Groups or Sections set up in your course.
Figure: The Availability Dates & Conditions menu.
- In the Post & Completion menu, select the checkboxes for any of the following options to apply them to your discussion topic:
- Default participation
- Allow learners to hide their name from other learners
- Learners must start a thread before they can view or reply to other threads
- Posts must be approved before they display in the topic
Figure: The Post & Completion menu.
- In the Evaluation & Feedback menu, do the following:
- Click Add Rubric to attach a rubric to your discussion topic.
- Click Manage Learning Objectives to associate learning objectives to your discussion topic.
- Select the Allow evaluation of individual posts checkbox if you want to assign scores to posts. Then, select your Calculation Method. You can also choose to Include unevaluated posts in the topic score calculation as zero.
- Select Allow learning to rate posts if you want your learners to score others' posts. Then, select a rating type.
Figure: The Evaluation & Feedback menu.
- Toggle the Visibility ON or OFF.
- Click Save and Close.
Figure: The Visibility toggle and the Save and Save and Close options.
Create a discussion topic using the Discussions tool with the Classic Discussions experience
You can create a discussion topic using the Discussions tool.
To create a discussion topic using the Discussions tool
- From your course navbar, navigate to Discussions.
- Click New Topic .
Figure: The New Topic option of the new drop-down menu on the Discussions page.
- From the New Topic page, do one or more of the following:
Figure: The Properties tab of the New Topic page.- Propertiestab: Choose the topic Forum, enter a Title and Description, select posting Options, and allow ratings.
Note: You must assign a discussion topic to a discussion forum. - Restrictions: Choose the Start Date and End Date, Release Conditions, and Group and Section Restrictions.
- Assessment: Select a Grade Item, edit the Score Out Of, add a Rubric, and allow assessments of posts.
- Objectives: Click Associate Learning Objectives to add a learning objective to your topic.
- Click Save and Close.
You have created a new topic using the Discussions tool.
Edit a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons) using the new Discussions creation experience
You can edit a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons) using the new Discussions creation experience. The new Discussions experience adopts creation elements from Assignments and Quizzes, making it familiar and easier to create great course content.
To edit a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons) using the new Discussions creation experience
- Navigate to Content.
- Locate the module where your discussion topic is posted and click the topic.
- Click the Options (...) menu > Edit.
Figure: The Options menu for a discussion showing the Edit option.
- On your discussion topic's page, edit the Title, Forum, Grade Out Of, and Description fields as desired.
Figure: The Title, Forum, Grade Out Of, and Description fields.
- In the Availability Dates & Conditions menu, edit the Start Date and End Date, Release Conditions, and Group and Section Restrictions.
Figure: The Availability Dates & Conditions menu.
- In the Post & Completion menu, edit participation and display options for posts.
Figure: The Post & Completion menu.
- In the Evaluation & Feedback menu, attach a rubric, add learning objectives, and change evaluation settings for posts.
Figure: The Evaluation & Feedback menu.
- Toggle the Visibility ON or OFF.
- Click Save and Close.
Figure: The Visibility toggle and the Save and Save and Close options.
Edit a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons)
You can edit a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons).
To edit a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons)
- Navigate to Content.
- Locate the module where your discussion topic is posted and click the topic.
- Click the Options (...) menu > Edit.
Figure: The Options menu for a discussion showing the Edit option.
- On your discussion topic's page, click the drop-down menu beside the title (arrow icon) and select Edit Topic.
- Do one or more of the following:
- Properties: Edit the topic Forum, Title, Description, posting Options, and allow ratings.
- Restrictions: Edit the Start Date and End Date, Release Conditions, and Group and Section Restrictions.
- Assessment: Select a Grade Item, edit the Score Out Of, add a Rubric, and allow assessments of posts.
- Objectives: Click Associate Learning Objectives to add a learning objective to your topic.
Figure: The Edit Topic Details page and tabs.
- Click Save and Close.
You have edited a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons).
Edit a discussion topic in the Classic Content Experience
You can edit a discussion topic in the Classic Content Experience.
To edit a discussion topic in the Classic Content experience
- Navigate to Content.
- Locate the module where your discussion topic is posted and click the topic. The topic opens for editing.
Figure: A discussion topic open for editing.
- Do one or more of the following:
- Click the Title field to edit the title.
- Click the Instructions field to edit any instructions.
- In the Activity Details tab, click the properties you want to edit and click Update.
- In the Learning Objectives tab, click Add Learning Objectives to add learning objectives for your topic.
- Click Update to save.
You have edited a discussion topic in the Classic Content Experience.
Edit a discussion topic using the Discussions tool with the new Discussions creation experience
You can edit a discussion topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons) using the new Discussions creation experience. The new Discussions experience adopts creation elements from Assignments and Quizzes, making it familiar and easier to create great course content.
To edit a discussion topic using the Discussions tool with the new Discussions creation experience
- From your course homepage, navigate to Discussions.
- Find your discussion topic and click the drop-down menu (arrow icon) beside the topic title and select Edit Topic.
Figure: The Edit Topic option for a discussion topic.
- On your discussion topic's page, edit the Title, Forum, Grade Out Of, and Description fields as desired.
Figure: The Title, Forum, Grade Out Of, and Description fields.
- In the Availability Dates & Conditions menu, edit the Start Date and End Date, Release Conditions, and Group and Section Restrictions.
Figure: The Availability Dates & Conditions menu.
- In the Post & Completion menu, edit participation and display options for posts.
Figure: The Post & Completion menu.
- In the Evaluation & Feedback menu, attach a rubric, add learning objectives, and change evaluation settings for posts.
Figure: The Evaluation & Feedback menu.
- Toggle the Visibility ON or OFF.
- Click Save and Close.
Figure: The Visibility toggle and the Save and Save and Close options.
Edit a discussion topic using the Discussions tool
You can also edit a discussion topic using the Discussions tool.
To edit a discussion topic in Discussions
- From your course homepage, navigate to Discussions.
- Find your discussion topic and click the drop-down menu (arrow icon) beside the topic title and select Edit Topic.
- From the Edit Topic Details page, do one or more of the following:
Figure: The Edit Topic Details page.- Properties: Edit the topic Forum, Title, Description, posting Options, and allow ratings.
- Restrictions: Edit the Start Date and End Date, Release Conditions, and Group and Section Restrictions.
- Assessment: Select a Grade Item, edit the Score Out Of, add a Rubric, and allow assessments of posts.
- Objectives: Click Associate Learning Objectives to add a learning objective to your topic.
- Click Save and Close.
You have edited a discussion topic using the Discussions tool.
Video: Create a discussion topic
Set assessment properties (optional) from the Discussions tool
The Assessment tab enables you to set assessment properties for your discussion topic by linking to grade items or rubrics.
Create a graded discussion topic with a linked grade item
You can link a grade item to your discussion topic to change it to a graded topic.
To create a graded discussion topic
- From the New Topic or the Edit Topic page, click the Assessment tab.
- Do one of the following to associate the discussion with a grade item that counts towards the final grade calculation:
- Choose an existing grade item from the list.
- Click New Grade Item to create and associate a new grade item with the discussion topic.
- Apply a point value in the Score Out Of field.
Note: The Score Out Of field does not need the same value as the associated grade item. Brightspace automatically calculates the Score Out Of value compared to the associated grade item value to include the appropriate score in Grade Book.
Figure: The Grade Item section of the Assessment tab.
Create a graded discussion topic with an associated rubric
Options to enable you to associate the discussion topic with a rubric are located below the grade item information on the Assessment tab.
To create a graded discussion topic with an associated rubric
- Do one of the following:
- Select Add Rubric to apply an existing rubric to the discussion topic.
- Choose Create Rubric in New Window to create and associate a new rubric.
- Click Allow assessment of individual evaluations, if appropriate, and set the calculation method.
Figure: The Rubrics section of the Assessments tab.
Note: You can also associate a learning objective with the discussion forum using the Objective tab.
You can add existing discussion topics to a lesson or module from Content.
Add an existing discussion from the New Content Experience (Lessons)
You can add an existing discussion forum of topic in the New Content Experience (Lessons).
To add an existing discussion forum or topic
- From your course navbar, click Content.
- Select the Unit that you would like to add a discussion topic to and click Add Existing.
Figure: The Add Existing button from the New Content Experience (Lessons).
- From the What would you like to add? page, click Discussion.
- From the Insert a Discussion dialog, click to select the forum and topic you want to add.
Figure: The Insert a Discussion dialog of the New Content Experience (Lessons).
Your discussion topic is added to the selected unit.
Add an existing discussion from the Classic Content Experience
You can also add an existing discussion to a module from the Classic Content Experience.
To add a discussion to a content module
- On your course-level homepage, navigate to Content.
- Select the module where you want to add the discussion.
- Click Existing Activities > Discussions.
Figure: The Discussions option on the Existing Activities drop-down menu.
- Click the discussion forum that contains the discussion topic you want to add to the module.
- Select the discussion topic.
Figure: The Add Activity window listing discussion topics.
The discussion topics appear in the module. For example:
Figure: An example discussion topic in a course module.
Delete discussion forums, topics, threads, or posts in the Discussions tool
You can also delete discussion forums, topics, threads, or posts.
Important: When you delete a post, any replies to that post are also deleted.
To delete a forum, topic, thread, or post from Discussions tool
- On the navbar, click Discussions.
- On the Discussions List page, click the context menu of the forum, topic, thread or post you want to delete and click Delete, Delete Thread, or Delete Post.
- To confirm the deletion, click Yes.
Restore deleted discussions
In order to restore deleted forums and topic, you must have the Delete and Restore Forums and Topics permission enabled. If the forum you restore contains one or more topics, you will be given the option to also restore the forum's associated topics.
In order to restore deleted threads and posts, you must have the See Deleted Posts permission and Display deleted posts option on the Settings page enabled. If the post you restore is a reply to another post, and the other post was also deleted, both posts are restored.
- On the navbar, click Discussions.
- Do one of the following:
- To restore a deleted forum or topic, on the Discussions List page, from the More Actions button, click Restore.Click Restore beside the forum or topic you want to restore.
- To restore a deleted thread or post, click the Restore <Thread/Post> link in the thread or post you want to restore.
Subscribe to discussion forums or topics using the Discussions tool
You can subscribe to a discussion forum from the Discussions tool.
To subscribe to a discussion
- On the navbar, click Discussions.
- Do either of the following:
- On the Discussions List page, from the context menu of the forum or topic you want to receive notifications of new posts for, click Subscribe.
Figure: The Subscribe option of a discussion topic.
- On the View Topics page, beside the thread you want to receive notifications for, click Subscribe.
- In the Customize Notifications pop-up window, select your Notification Method. If you do not have an email address set up in your user profile to receive notifications, in the Customize Notifications pop-up window, click the Add an email address in a new window link. Click the Enable email notifications link, then set your email preferences in the Email Settings pop-up window. Click Save.
- Click Subscribe.
You have subscribed to a discussion topic using the Discussions tool.
Video: Overview of subscription options
Reply to a discussion thread
Reply to discussion threads to engage with your learners, encourage discussion, and support their learning.
To reply to discussion threads
- Navigate to Discussions.
- Locate the thread you want to reply to and click on it.
- Do either of the following:
- To reply to the main thread post, click Reply to Thread.
- To reply to a particular post inside the thread, or click Reply.
Figure: The Reply to Thread and Reply options in Discussions.
- Enter your reply in the Brightspace Editor. To include the original post’s text in your reply, click the Add original post text link. (If this option is already enabled by your course administrator, this message will not display.)
Figure: A reply to a post using Brightspace Editor.
- Set any of the following options:
- To post anonymously, select Post as Anonymous if it is enabled for the thread.
- To receive updates on the thread using your selected notification method, select Subscribe to this thread.
- To attach a file, in the Attachments area, click Browse to locate the file you want to attach.
- To attach an audio recording, in the Attachments area, click Record Audio > Record. To make adjustments to your microphone selection and volume, click Flash Settings. To listen to your recording, click Play. To erase your recording, click Clear. If you have pre-recorded audio and are using a supported browser, you can drag audio files onto the attachments upload target.
- To attach a video recording, in the Attachments area, click Record Video > Allow > Record. When you finish recording, click Stop. Click Clear to erase your recording or Add to add the recording. If you have pre-recorded video and are using a supported browser, you can drag video files onto the attachments upload target.
Figure: The Attachments section showing the Upload, Record, and Choose Existing options.
- Click Post.
Post to a group discussion topic
Post to group discussions so that learners can discuss topics in independent groups and journal.
To post to a group discussion topic
- Navigate to Discussions.
- On the Discussions List page, select a group discussion topic.
- Click Start a New Thread.
Figure: The Start a New Thread option in Discussions.
- From the Post Thread to drop-down list, select All Groups, or a specific group.
- Provide a subject and enter your post in the Brightspace editor.
- Set any of the following options:
- To receive updates on the thread using your selected notification method, select Subscribe to this thread.
- To attach a file, in the Attachments area, click Add attachments, click Upload,and locate the file you want to attach.
- To attach an audio recording, in the Attachments area, click Record Audio > Record. To adjust your microphone selection and volume, click Flash Settings. To listen to your recording, click Play. To erase your recording, click Clear. If you have pre-recorded audio and are using a supported browser, you can drag audio files onto the attachments upload target.
- To add your post to other topics, click Post to other topics, and then Add Topics. Select the desired topics and click Add Topics.
Figure: The Attachments section showing the Upload, Record, and Choose Existing options.
- Click Post.
Note: If you select the option to post to all groups, the Discussions tool creates a copy of the thread for each group to access and reply to.