Creating Discussion Forums

Threads

A thread is a learner’s post in a discussion topic. Students can create a discussion thread or reply to a thread started by a classmate. A thread is part of a topic and a topic belongs to a forum.

Reply

If a user responds to another user’s post, it is a reply. A reply is a part of the original poster’s thread.

Example of how discussion topics are displayed within a forum:

Forums

The discussion forum is a category: it organizes all related discussion topics. All discussion topics must be in a forum. Instructors must have a forum before they can create a topic. The number of forums created is up to you; some people use one forum to hold all discussion topics, others prefer to have multiple forums to hold discussion topics.

To Create a Forum

1. Log into Brightspace with your MyCarletonOne credentials.
2. On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
   • Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
   • Select the Course Selector Grid  and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
3. In the navbar, select Tools.
   
4. In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
5. Under the Discussions List tab, select the New button.
   
6. In the drop-down menu, select New Forum.
7. Enter a title for your new forum.
8. Enter a description for your new forum (optional).
9. In the Options section, customize your forum using one or more of the following check boxes:

10. 10. • • Allow anonymous posts– Enables users to post anonymously; Names will not be displayed.
            NOTE: Anonymous posts cannot be evaluated.
          • A moderator must approve individual posts before they display in the forum– To ensure 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– To ensure user participation.
          • Display forum descriptions in topics– To provide instructors the option to display a discussion forum description within a discussion topic description.

            NOTE: For additional information on managing discussion forums, see the Managing Discussion Forums page.

        • Visible with access restricted before start / after end: Students can see that the Forum exists but cannot see any of the Topics in it. Only the Forum title, Start/End Dates, and restrictions will be visible to the students.
        • Visible with submission restricted before start / after end: I.e., read only. Students can enter the Forum’s Topics to view the description and attached rubrics and to read threads and replies. But they cannot post new threads or replies in the Topics.
        • Hidden before start / after end: Students will not be able to see that the Forum (or any Topic in it) exists, and it will not appear in the Calendar.Under the Restrictions tab, you have the option to set Start and End Dates to limit when students can access the Forum and customize the extent of their access outside of those times:

10. Select Save and Close.

You have now created a Discussion forum and need to add at least one topic in order for students to be able to post.

To Copy a Forum

Copying a forum in your course can help save time when you have multiple discussion forums in your course with the same settings.

1. Log into Brightspace with your MyCarletonOne credentials.
2. On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
   • Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
   • Select the Course Selector Grid  and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
3. In the navbar, select Tools.
   
4. In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
5. Under the Discussions List tab, select the More Actions button.
   
6. In the drop-down menu, select Copy.
7. Select Copy a Forum.
8. Under Forum to Copy, select forum to copy.
9. Under New Forum Title, enter a title for the new forum.
10. By default, topics and pinned threads within the forum will be copied. If you would not like either of these options, you can de-select it.
11. Select Copy.

You have now copied a forum.

Topics

A Topic holds all of the discussion posts and threads on a given subject and it must be part of a forum. This is where the discussions are read and responded to.

To Create a Topic

1. Log into Brightspace with your MyCarletonOne credentials. 
2. On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways: 
   • Select the course tile under the My Courses widget. 
   • Select the Course Selector Grid and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar. 
3. In the navbar, select Tools.
   
4. In the drop-down menu, select Discussions. 
5. Under the Discussions List tab, select the New button. 
6. In the drop-down menu, select New Topic. This will take you to the New Topic page. 
7. On the New Topic page, enter the following New Topic details: 
   1. Enter your topic’s title in the Topic Title field. 
   2. Select the Change Forum button to either create a new forum for your topic or to add your topic to an existing forum. 
      1. To create a forum, select the Create a forum checkbox and enter your forum’s title in the Forum Title field. 
      2. To add your topic to an existing forum, select the Choose an existing forum checkbox and select your desired forum from the pulldown menu. 
   3. In the Grade Out Of field, enter the desired point value for grading your topic. 
   4. Select the In Grade Book pulldown menu and select how you would like this topic’s grade to appear in the Grade Book. 
   5. Enter a description of your topic into the Description text box. 
8. Finish setting up your topic by setting your preferences in the three setting tiles located in the sidebar on the righthand side of the page. 
   • Use the Availability Dates & Conditions tile to set the topic’s Start Date and End Date, release conditions, or restrictions for who will see your topic. 
   • Use the Post & Completion tile to set restrictions around student participation, such as hiding learner’s names and setting an approval requirement for each post. 
   • Use the Evaluation & Feedback tile to set the learning objectives for the topic, attach the topic to a Rubric, or to allow learners to rate/evaluate posts. 
9. Select Save and Close. You have now created a topic under a discussion forum. 

To Copy a Topic

Copying a topic in your course can help save time when you have multiple discussion topics in your course with the same settings.

1. Log into Brightspace with your MyCarletonOne credentials.
2. On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
   1. Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
   2. Select the Course Selector Grid  and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
3. In the navbar, select Tools.
4. In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
   
5. Under the Discussions List tab, select the More Actions button.
   
6. In the drop-down menu, select Copy.
7. Select Copy a Topic.
8. Under Forum to Copy, select the forum where the topic lives.
9. Under Topic to Copy, select a topic to copy.
10. Under New Topic Title, enter a title for the new topic.
11. Under Copy Destination, select the forum where you want the new topic to be added.
12. By default, pinned threads within the topic will be copied. If you would not like to copy pinned threads, de-select this option.
13. Select Copy.

You have now successfully copied a discussion topic.

Threads

A thread is a learner’s post in a discussion topic. Students can create a discussion thread or reply to a thread started by a classmate. A thread is part of a topic and a topic belongs to a forum.

To Create a Thread

1. Log into Brightspace with your MyCarletonOne credentials.
2. On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
   • Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
   • Select the Course Selector Grid  and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
3. In the navbar, select Tools.
   
4. In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
5. Select the topic where you want to create a thread.
6. Select Start a New Thread.
7. Enter a subject.
8. Enter your post.
9. Set any of the following posting options:
   • To keep the thread at the top of the list, select the Pin Thread checkbox.
   • To post anonymously, select Post as Anonymous.
   • To receive updates on the thread using your selected notification method, select Subscribe to this thread.
   • To attach a file, in the Attachments area, select Browse to locate the file that you want to attach.
   • To attach an audio recording, in the Attachments area, select Record Audio > Record. To make adjustments to your microphone selection and volume, select Flash Settings. To listen to your recording, select Play. To erase your recording, select Clear. If you have prerecorded 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, select Record Video > Allow > Record. When you finish recording, select Stop. To erase your recording, select Clear. To add the recording, select Add. If you have pre-recorded video and are using a supported browser, you can drag video files onto the attachments upload target.
   • To post your thread to more than one topic, select Post to other topics. Select Add Topics. Select the topics that you want your thread to appear in. To post in every topic simultaneously, select the Select All check box and then select Add Topics.
10. Select Post. If the topic is moderated, your post will not appear until a moderator approves it.

To Reply to a Thread

1. Log into Brightspace with your MyCarletonOne credentials.
2. On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
   • Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
   • Select the Course Selector Grid  and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
3. In the navbar, select Tools.
   
4. In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
5. Locate the thread you want to reply to.
6. Do either of the following:
   • To reply to the main thread post, select Reply to Thread.
   • To reply to a particular post inside the thread, select Reply.
7. Enter your reply in the HTML Editor. To include the original post’s text in your reply, select the Add original post text
8. Set any of the following options:
   • To post anonymously, select Post as Anonymous.
   • To receive updates on the thread using your selected notification method, select Subscribe to this thread.
   • To attach a file, in the Attachments area, select Browse to locate the file you want to attach.
   • To attach an audio recording, in the Attachments area, select Record Audio > Record. To make adjustments to your microphone selection and volume, select Flash Settings. To listen to your recording, select Play. To erase your recording, select 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, select Record Video > Allow > Record. When you finish recording, select Stop. Select 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.
9. Select Post.

You have now replied to a thread within a topic.

Group Discussions

Enabling a Group Topic Type

Enabling a group topic type allows you to create a single discussion topic that separates students, based on group enrollment, into smaller sub-sections of discussions (i.e. a student will only be able to post for a select number of peers to see and they will only be able to see posts from these peers). This is the best option for graded discussions.

1. Log into Brightspace with your MyCarletonOne credentials.
2. On the Brightspace homepage, locate your course in one of the following ways:
   • Select the course tile under the My Courses widget.
   • Select the Course Selector Grid  and select the course from the drop-down menu. If you are enrolled in more than 20 courses, you can search for the course name using the search bar.
3. In the navbar, select Tools.
   
4. In the drop-down menu, select Discussions.
5. Select the down arrow (chevron) next to the Discussion’s title.
6. Select Edit Topic from the drop-down menu.
7. Select the Availability Dates & Conditions tab on the right-hand side.
   
8. Under Group and Section Restrictions, select Manage Restrictions.
   
9. Select Restrict topic and separate the threads.
10. In the drop-down menu, select a group category.
    
11. Select Add.
12. Select Save and Close.

Setting Group Restrictions

You will find the group restriction option under the “Restrictions” tab of a discussion.

The group restrictions option is not required when using the Group Topic Type option. It is best to only enable the Topic Type option and to leave the group restrictions option untouched.

If you have a unique use case for enabling the Group and Section Restrictions options, it is recommended to reach out to TLS for support to ensure the settings you have enabled are going to work properly for your desired outcome.