The Discussion Board forums may appear anywhere in the course but are also all centrally located in the Discussion Board tool.
Accessing a Forum
To access a forum and read messages:
Step 1: Click on the Control Panel link and click on Discussion Board. The Discussion Boards page will be displayed. Please note: All Discussion Boards are shown here, including any group discussion boards.
Step 2: Choose a Discussion Board.
Step 3: The page that you are viewing at this point will show you a list of Discussion Forums. Click on the name of the forum you wish to enter.
At this point you will see a list of Parent Threads . This will not show any of the replies.
Step 4: Click on the thread you wish to read. The original thread message will appear, along with an outline of the replies to the original message. To view any of the replies, click on a reply subject.
Collecting Messages
To view and read more than one message at a time, you need to “collect” the messages, and they will all appear on one screen. To do this:
Step 1: Enter forum.
Step 2: Check the boxes next to the threads or messages you wish to read.
Step 3: Click the Collect link at the top of the screen.
Step 4: On the screen on which the selected threads and messages appear, you can print all the collected messages by clicking on the Print link at the top of the page.
Replying to a Thread
To reply to a thread:
Step 1: Click on the subject of the thread you wish to reply to. This will open up the thread's original message.
Step 2: Click on the Reply button found to the right of the message.
Step 3: Type in a message and click Submit. The post will appear underneath the original post.
A search function appears at the top of the page throughout the Discussion Board. The search includes a keyword field, date restrictions, and options for where to search. The search function starts at the current level and options exist to work up.
For example, in a thread, the default search option only searches that thread but options exist to search the entire forum or all forums in the course, including any forums that appear in the user's groups.
The Forum Manager can change the status of a thread to one of the following:
• Published : A published thread is available to users.
• Locked : Users may read the thread but not make any additions or modifications. Locking a thread allows Grades to be assigned without users updating or changing posts.
• Unlocked : Unlocking a thread allows users to modify and add to the thread.
• Hidden : Hidden threads do not display unless the user chooses. Hidden threads may not be modified. Hiding threads removes outdated threads and makes relevant content easier to find.
• Unavailable : Unavailable threads are only visible to forum managers. Even then, forum managers must choose to view these threads. Making threads unavailable means that users can no longer view the thread.
To change the status of a thread:
Step 1: Open a forum in the Discussion Board.
Step 2: Select threads using the checkboxes or the select all unselect all options.
Step 3: Choose a new status for the selected threads using the Change Status to: drop-down list.
Step 4: Click Go .