Blackboard: Discussion Board | Help & Support | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Table of Contents

Overview: Accessing Forums

Forums can appear throughout a Course, in any area where an Instructor chooses. Each group may also have a private Discussion Board with Forums available only to those users that are a part of the group. All Forums that are not a part of a group are accessible from various points in the Course or by going to the Discussion Board tool. The Discussion Board tool centralizes all of the Forums in the Course.

Please keep in mind that when users open the Discussion Board tool they will only see those Forums they can access. Unavailable Forums can only be viewed by Instructors, Administrators, and other user roles with similar permissions. The unavailable status of a Forum is displayed on the Discussion Board page, beneath the name of the Forum.

Add a Forum to a Content Area

Follow these steps to add a Forum within a content area.

1. Open the Control Panel and navigate to the Content Area and folder where the Forum will appear.

1. On the right side of the action bar, select Discussion Board from the Select drop-down list. Click Go.

1. Choose Select a Discussion Board Forum and select a Forum from the list. Click Next. Note that the Discussion Board page option will link to the Discussion Board Page and show all the Forums in the Course. Click create new Forum to build a new Forum. The Forum will not appear in the desired content area after creation. Navigate back to the content area and use the Select a Discussion Board Forum option to place the new Forum in the correct location.

1. Add information about the link on the next page. This determines how the link to the Forum will appear in the content area. Click Submit.

Add a Forum in the Discussion Board Tool

Follow these steps to open the Add Forum page:

1. Open the Control Panel and click on Discussion Board.

1. The Discussion Board page appears.

1. Click Add Forum. The Add Forum page appears.

The table bellow details the fields on the Add Forum page.


Field	Required?	Description
Forum Information
Name	Yes	Enter the name of the Forum.
Description	No	Enter a description of the Forum in the virtual text box.
Forum Availability
Available	No	Make the Forum available or not.
Choose date and time restrictions	No	Use the Display After and/or the Display Until checkboxes to limit Forum availability.
Date and Time fields	No	Use the Month, Day, Year, Hour, Minute, and AM/PM drop-down lists to select a specific date and time.
Calendar Button	No	Click the button to select a date using a calendar GUI.
Forum Settings
Allow anonymous posts	No	Allow anonymous posts on the Forum.
Allow author to remove own posts	No	Allow authors to remove their own posts.
Allow author to modify own published posts	No	Allow author to edit their own published posts.
Allow message tagging	No	Allow tags to be added to messages on the Forum.For faster Discussion Board page loading, do not allow message tagging.
Allow users to reply with quote	No	Allow users to include the text of the original message in any replies to that message. This is enabled by default.
Allow file attachments	No	Allow files to be attached to messages within the Forum.
Allow members to create new threads	No	Allow Forum members to create new threads in the Forum.
Allow members to rate posts	No	Enable Forum members to rate individual posts.
Force moderation of posts	No	Require that all messages are reviewed before they are posted to the Forum.
Subscribe
Do not allow subscriptions	No	No subscriptions for this Forum.
Allow members to subscribe to threads	No	Allow subscription to threads only.
Allow members to subscribe to Forum	No	Allow subscription to the entire Forum.
Grade
No grading in Forum	No	No grading in the Forum.
Grade Forum	No	Enable grading at the Forum level.
Grade threads	No	Enable grading at the thread level.

Adding a New Discussion Topic (Thread) to a Forum

Threads are a series of posts related to a similar topic. When creating a Forum, the Instructor has the option of allowing or not allowing users to start threads. If threads are graded, users cannot start threads. Generally, the purpose of the Forum will dictate whether or not users can start threads. A moderated, graded Forum used to evaluate Student performance will usually be tightly controlled. In this case, it would not be appropriate to allow users to create threads. Other Forums are designed for users to share opinions and thoughts on tangential or unrelated topics. In this case, it is safe to allow users to create threads and spark discussions.

Follow these steps to start a thread.

1. Open a Discussion Board Forum.

2. Click Add Thread in the action bar. The Add Thread page will appear.

3. Enter a Subject and a Message. It is also possible to attach files to the post.

4. Click Save to store a draft of the post or click Submit to create the thread.

Reading and Replying to a Message

1. Once you’ve entered a discussion forum, you will see a list of messages. Click the link for a message’s subject line to read that message.

2. To reply to the message that you are reading, click Reply at the bottom or top right of the message.

3. A Reply to Post window will open. In the first half of the window is the form to enter and submit your reply.

4. Enter a Subject and a Message. It is also possible to attach files to the post. Only one file can be added using the Attachment function below the text box. When using the Visual Text Box Editor, multiple files may be added.

5. Click Save to store a draft of the post or click Submit to create the thread.

6. The post will appear in the thread underneath the original post.

Reading Message Attachments

1. If a message has an attachment, a paper clip will appear next to its subject line in the list of messages. Click the link for that message’s subject line to open the message: clicking the paperclip won’t work!

2. The link to the attachment will display above the body of the message. Click the link to open the file.

3. Depending on the browser used, you could be prompted to Open or Save the file.

Subscribing to Forums or Threads

Forum Managers can choose from the following subscription options for a Forum: no subscriptions, subscriptions at the thread level, or subscriptions at the Forum level. If subscription is enabled, then the Forum manager can choose to have subscription messages contain the message contents, or a link to the message.

Enable Subscriptions

Follow these steps to enable subscriptions:

1. Create a new Forum or click Modify next to an existing Forum. The Add Forum or Modify Forum page appears.

2. Choose from one of the following options:

Allow members to subscribe to threads. Use this option to restrict subscription to specific threads within a Forum.
Allow members to subscribe to Forum. Use this option to allow subscriptions to all threads within a Forum.

3. Choose from one of the following options:

Include message in the email. Use this option to include the message text in the email notification and a link to reply to the message.
Include link to a message. Use this option to include a link to the message in the email notification.

4. Click Submit when finished.

Disable Subscriptions

Once subscriptions are disabled, subscription alerts are suspended and Subscribe/Unsubscribe actions are no longer available. Previous subscription settings are not removed, but email alerts are no longer sent.

Follow these steps to disable subscriptions:

Click Modify next to an existing Forum. The Modify Forum page appears.
Click Do not allow subscriptions.
Click Submit when finished.

Viewing and Organizing Discussion Board Content

Search

A search function appears as a magnifying glass icon at the top of the page throughout the Discussion Board. Click this icon to show or hide the search fields, thus conserving screen space in the Discussion Board.

The search fields include keyword, date and time 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. From the search function, users can search all Forums in the Course, including any Forums that appear in the user’s groups.

Forum View

The Forum view lists the threads in the Forum and includes several options for displaying and managing threads. The Forum can be viewed in one of two contexts: Tree View or List View. This choice remains in effect until the user changes it; it can be changed at any time. These choices are available above the Action Bar.

Tree View

The Tree View presents the thread starter messages and their child messages. The child messages can be expanded and collapsed by using the plus/minus icon next to each message. Unread threads and posts are displayed in bold type; if a thread starter message has unread children, then the thread starter message is displayed in bold if its children are collapsed.

A search function and an action bar that includes the following functions are available at the top of the page:

Function	Purpose
Add Thread	Initiate a new thread.
Remove	Remove the selected posts from the Forum. Deleted posts cannot be restored. Use the unavailable function to completely hide posts from users without actually deleting the threads.
Collect	Gather selected posts onto one page where they can be sorted, filtered, or printed.
Flag	Mark a post for later attention. This is only displayed in the Tree View.
Clear Flag	Remove a flag applied to a post. This is only displayed in the Tree View.
Mark Read	Click to mark selected messages as read.
Mark Unread	Click to mark selected messages as unread.

List View

List View Column	Description
Checkbox	Allows for individual thread selection.
Flag	Displays an indicator for any thread that contains flagged posts.
Subscription	Displays the user’s subscription status for each thread.This is available only if subscriptions are enabled.
Thread	Displays the title of the thread.
Author	Displays the author of the thread.
Date	Displays the date and time the thread was posted.
Status	Displays the status of the thread.
Tags	Displays any tags that have been applied to the thread. This is visible only if tags have been enabled.
Unread Posts	Displays the number of unread posts in the thread. This number is a link leads to a Collections page that contains all unread posts.
Total Posts	Displays the total number of posts in the thread.

Posts within the thread are viewed by clicking on the hyperlinked name of the thread in the Thread column.

Thread View

Clicking on a thread in a Forum brings up the Thread Detail. The thread view is divided into three parts. Post viewing and management functions appear at the top of the page. The middle of the page displays a list of posts, with replies nested underneath the original post. The bottom of the page displays the current post. Unread posts are displayed in bold type.

The following options are available when viewing a thread:


Feature	Description
Action Bar
Collect	Group posts into an organized filterable and sortable set.
Flag	Mark a post for later attention.
Clear Flag	Remove a flag applied to a post.
Grade Thread	Enter a Grade for a user based on their performance in the Thread. This option only appears if the user is a Grader or Manager and the thread is graded.
Mark Read	Click to mark selected messages as read.
Mark Unread	Click to mark selected messages as unread.
Subscribe/Unsubscribe	Click to receive an email alert when a post is updated or a user posts a reply.This only appears if thread subscription is enabled. Click again to stop receiving email alerts
Message List
Arrange View Buttons	Three buttons at the top corner of the message list provide different display options:o Swap Up/Down. This option moves the message list up or down on the Thread Detail page. o Hide/Restore to Minimum. This option hides the message list or displays a minimum number of messages. Maximize/Minimize. This option displays all of the messages in the message list, including their children, or displays a minimum number of messages.
Select Threads	Select each thread using the checkboxes or the select all unselect all options. Selected Threads are included in Action Bar operations.
Previous Thread/Next Thread	Click these options to navigate through the threads in the Forum.
Refresh	Click to refresh the thread.
Selection Drop-Down	Use this drop-down list to select all the messages on this page, unselect all the messages on this page, or switch the previous selection.
Expand/Collapse Messages	Click the plus/minus icon next to each message to expand (plus) or collapse (minus) the parent message and all of its children.
Current Post
Reply	Generate a response to a post.
Quote	Click to insert the text of the current post into a reply to that post.This only appears if this option is enabled for the Forum.
Modify	Change the content of the post.This only appears if this option is enabled in the Forum or the user is a Forum Manager or Moderator.
Set Flag/Clear Flag	Click to flag or un-flag this post. This changes whether or not the user has already flagged this post.
Remove	Remove the post. Removing a post also removes all the replies to that post.
Previous Post/Next Post	Click these options to navigate through the posts in the thread.
Overall Rating	Select a score for the post on a 1 to 5 scale. This only appears if the Rating option has been enabled.
Show Parent Message	Click to display the text of the parent message. This option remains in effect for the user until it is changed.
Hide Parent Message	Click to hide the text of the parent message. This option remains in effect for the user until it is changed.

Action Bar

The functions at the top of the page include a Display option to show threads of different status and a search function. Unread threads and posts are displayed in bold type. There is also an action bar that includes the following functions:

Function	Which View?	Purpose
Add Thread	Both Views	Click to add a thread.
Remove	Both Views	Click to remove any selected threads from the Forum.
Collect	Both Views	Gather selected threads onto one page where posts can be sorted, filtered, or printed.
Flag	Tree View	Mark a post for later attention.
Clear Flag	Tree View	Remove a flag applied to a post.
Mark Read	Both Views	Click to mark selected messages as read.
Mark Unread	Both Views	Click to mark selected messages as unread.
Subscribe/Unsubscribe	Both Views	Click to subscribe or unsubscribe to the thread.
Grade Forum	Both Views	Click to assign a Grade to a particular Forum (Graders or Managers only).This appears only if grading is enabled for this Forum.
Change Status to:	List View	Update the availability status of the selected threads.

Collecting Messages into a Single Window for Viewing, Printing, or Saving to a File

Collections gather posts into a printable, sortable format. Collections are a good way to organize posts for quick reading. The following options are available on the Collections page:


Feature	Description
Action Bar
Print	Click to print selected messages.
Mark Read	Click to mark selected messages as read.
Mark Unread	Click to mark selected messages as unread.
Add Tag	Select specific messages from the list, enter a tag in the field and click Go to add this tag to the messagesThis only appears for Managers and only if tags have been enabled for the Forum.
Filter
Author	Select an author from the drop-down list to display messages created only by that author.
Status	Select a status from the drop-down list to display only messages that have that status.
Read Status	Select a Read Status from the drop-down list to display only messages that correspond to that Read Status.
Tags	Select a tag from the drop-down list to display only messages that have that tag.This only appears if tags have been enabled in the Forum.
Message List
Selection Drop-Down	Use this drop-down list to select all the messages on this page, unselect all the messages on this page, or switch the previous selection.
Sort by	Select one of the following options to sort the messages on this page:o Author’s First Name o Author’s Last Name Date Subject Thread Overall Rating
In … Order	Choose between Ascending and Descending sort order from this drop-down list.
Tags	Displays any tags that are associated with this message.Mangers can add tags by clicking Add, entering the name of the tag, and clicking Go. Remove any tags by clicking the red “X” icon next to the tag.
Reply	Generate a response to a post.
Quote	Click to insert the text of the current post into a reply to that post.This only appears if this option is enabled for the Forum.
Mark as Unread	Click to mark the current message unread.

Tagging Messages

Forum managers can create and apply text labels of their own choosing to messages in a Forum; other Discussion Board users can read, filter, and search messages using the tags, but cannot create new ones. Tags allow arbitrary message grouping independent of thread or thread status.

Follow these steps to create and apply tags:

1. Select specific messages and click Collect. The Collection page appears.

1. Select the messages to tag from the message list using the checkboxes. Select all of the messages by choosing Select All and clicking Go.

1. Enter a new tag name in the Add Tag field.

1. Click Go to apply the new tag.

Tip: For faster Discussion Board page loading, turn tagging off. If Instructors are experiencing long Discussion Board page loads, they may consider enabling tagging on a temporary basis at certain times in the Course, tagging selected messages at that time, and then disabling it during times of anticipated heavy Forum usage. Re-enabling tagging at the end of the term would restore all of the previously entered tag data to view in the pages.

Discussion Board Administration

Discussion Boards can serve several different purposes in a Course. In many cases, the Instructor does not wish to be actively involved in the Discussion Board and would like to pass off some or all of the administration of the Discussion Board to another responsible user. Discussion Board Forums include roles for each user involved in the Forum. These roles define privileges within the Forum. The Forum Roles with administrative roles that can be assigned to users in a Forum are:

Manager
Moderator
Grader

Discussion Board Manager

Managers have full control over the Forum. Managers can change the Forum settings, moderate posts, and assign Grades. The role of Manager should only be assigned to the CourseInstructor or someone with similar responsibilities. Users with a Course role of Instructor or Teaching Assistant are granted this Forum Role by default.

Discussion Board Moderator

Moderators review posts before they are made available to all users in the Course. Moderators may also delete and modify all posts in any Forum, even if the Forum does not use the Moderation Queue. Make sure that Moderators are responsible and understand the criteria for appropriate posts. Users with a Course role of Course Builder are granted this Forum Role by default.

Discussion Board Grader

Graders review Discussion Board posts and enter Grades in the Grade Center. The Grader role has some access to the Grade Center and should only be assigned to users responsible for guiding and evaluating learning such as Instructors and Teaching Assistants. Graders do not have access to the Control Panel as part of their Forum privileges. Users with a Course role of Grader are granted this Forum Role by default.

Defining a User’s Role in a Forum

Follow these steps to assign a user a role in a Forum.

1. Open the Discussion Board.

2. Click Manage for a Forum.

3. The Manage Forum Users page will appear.

4. Select a role for users from the drop-down list. The default value is Participant. Participants can read and post but have no administrative privileges.

5. Click OK. The Forum Roles are now assigned.

Moderating Forums

Discussion Boards give Students the freedom to share their thoughts and opinions on class topics with other users. Occasionally, Students may introduce material to the Discussion Board that is inappropriate for the class discussion. Depending on the maturity and the sensitivity of the Students in the Course, it may be important to review Student posts for inappropriate content before sharing posts with the rest of the class.

Instructors can assign Discussion Board users to act as moderators. Moderators review posts before they are added to a thread and displayed to the class. The Moderator may be the Instructor or other responsible participants.

It is also possible to prevent an individual user from posting at all. Assigning a user the role of Blocked will prevent the user from accessing the Forum. Assigning an individual user the role of Reader will allow the user to view content in the Discussion Board but prevent the user from posting content.

Security Settings

The following settings are available when creating a Discussion Board to ensure that content is appropriate.

Setting	Description
Allow anonymous posts	If this feature is turned off users are identified by their username whenever they post a reply. Making members accountable for the content that they post is a deterrent for users that wish to post inappropriate content.Be careful when disabling this feature as there are instances where learning can benefit from anonymous posts, particularly when discussing sensitive topics If this feature is enabled, the Forum cannot be graded.
Allow authors to remove own posts andAllow author to modify own published posts	Members are deterred from posting inappropriate content if they do not have control of the content once it is posted.
Allow members to create new threads	Preventing members from starting threads helps focus their posts on the topic.
Force moderation of posts	Moderating posts requires that all posts are reviewed by a responsible party before the content is shared with the class.

Moderate a Forum

Set up a moderator on the Manage Forum Users page. Otherwise, the Forum manager must take responsibility for approving posts.

Follow these steps to moderate Forum posts.

Open the Forum.

1. Click Moderate Forum. The Moderate Forum button will only appear in the action bar if you have a Forum Role of Manager or Moderator.

2. The Moderation Queue will appear with a list of posts that are awaiting approval. The posts appear in chronological order. Those at the top have been in the queue for longer than those at the bottom.

3. Click Moderate for a post. The Moderate Post page will appear displaying the message.

4. Select Publish or Return. If returning the post, add a message to the author explaining why the post is being returned and some suggestions for modifying the post so it is appropriate for the discussion.

5. Click Submit. If the post is approved it will now be shown in the Forum. If the post is not approved, it will only appear to the author and the Moderator in the Forum. The post will be marked returned and the Moderator comments when returning the post will appear as a reply.

Prevent a User from Posting

There may be an instance where a user should not be allowed to post at all because of past history of inappropriate posts or if the user has not been participating in discussions throughout the term. Assign a user the Forum Role of Reader if the user is allowed to view the Forum but not add content. Assign a user the Forum Role of Blocked to prevent the user from accessing the Forum.

Discussion Board Statistics

The Performance Dashboard keeps track of user activity throughout the Course, including the Discussion Board. This information can help Instructors quickly identify Students that are outside the normal range of participation. Instructor can use this information to reward achievement and assist Students that are struggling with the material.

Follow these steps to view Discussion Board statistics for a user.

1. Click Performance Dashboard on the Control Panel.

2. The number of Forums where a user has posted appears as a link in the Discussion Board column. Click the link to view details.

3. A page appears that lists the following information:

Total Posts
Date of Last Post
Average Post Length (number of characters)
Minimum Post Length (number of characters)
Maximum Post Length (number of characters)
Average Post Position
Grade (if the post is not yet graded, the Instructor may click a link to the Grade Center to add a Grade)

Grading Discussion Board Participation

In a classroom setting, Students are often expected to participate in class discussions and that participation is part of the equation when assessing performance. Within a classroom, participation performance can be ambiguous. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate the Student who is active but does not advance the discussion from the Student that speaks less frequently but with greater impact.

Student interactions with the Discussion Board are a permanent record of participation. The Instructor has the option to grade Students at the Forum level or at the thread level. In this way the Instructor can accurately compare Student participation to the expectations set forth.

Enable Grading

Grading options are enabled when the Forum is created or by modifying the Forum. Click Modify on the Discussion Board for a Forum to change its settings.

Once Grading has been enabled, a Grade Center Item is created and all the advanced management features that can be applied to the item should be managed from the Grade Center.

The Grade settings appear at the bottom of the Add Forum Page and the Modify Forum page. Select GradeForum and enter a point value to evaluate participants on performance throughout the Forum. SelectGrade Threads to evaluate participants on performance in each thread. When the Grade Threads option is used, a Points Possible option appears each time a thread is started. Keep in mind that users cannot create new threads if Grade Threads is selected for the Forum.

Forum Managers can enable thread grading directly from the thread list (in a Forum where thread grading is enabled). Follow these steps:

1. Click the Enable button in the Grade column for the appropriate thread and the Set Grade: page is displayed.

2. Enter a point value in the Points possible field and click Submit.

Grade User Participation in a Forum

Follow these steps to evaluate performance in a Forum.

1. Open the Discussion Board. A list of Forums appears. For each Forum that may be graded, an icon appears in the Grade column.

2. Click the icon in the Grade column, or click GradeForum in the action bar.

3. A list of users appears. Click Grade for a user.

4. A collection of the user’s posts in the Forum will appear. Evaluate the posts and enter a Grade in the Grade field at the top of the page.

5. Click Submit to add the Grade to the Grade Center.

Note: Only users with a Forum Role of Grader or Manager may enter a Grade for a Forum. a Grader may not view his or her own work.

Grade User Participation in a Thread

Follow these steps to evaluate performance within a thread.

1. Open the Discussion Board. A list of Forums will appear. For each Forum that may be graded, an icon will appear in the Grade column.

2. Open a Forum and select a thread.

3. Click Grade Thread. This button will only appear to users with a Forum Role of Grader or Manager.

4. A list of users will appear. Click Gradefor a user.

5. A collection of the user’s posts in the Thread will appear. Evaluate the posts and enter a Grade in the Grade field at the top of the page.

6. Click Submit to add the Grade to the Grade Center.

Note: The Grader is alerted to possible loss of Grade data if they click any button on the page that does not submit the Grade. Click Submit to save the Grade before you leave the page.

Changing Discussion Board Grades

Follow these steps to change Discussion Board Grades:

1. Navigate to the Grade: page.

2. Click the number in the Grade field or click Clear Grade to delete the existing Grade.

3. Enter a new Grade and click Submit.

Disable Grading for a Forum or Thread

Use the Modify Forum feature to change the grading option to select No Grading. If Grades have already been entered for the Forum or its threads, a warning message will appear that changing the setting will remove the associated Grade Center Items. Click OK to continue or click Cancel to preserve the Grade Center Items.

Removing Messages

Messages can be removed in two ways: individually or several at a time. Please note that you cannot recover a message once it has been removed. Removing the initial message in a thread will also remove replies to it.

1. To remove an individual message, enter the message as if you were reading it. Click Remove in the message window. An alert box appears. Click OK to confirm the removal.

2. To remove several messages, enter the forum, make sure you are in Tree View.

3. Click the check boxes next to the postings you want to delete. If you want to remove all messages, click Select All in the options toolbar.

4. Click Remove. An alert box appears. Click OK to confirm the removal.

Creating a Forum Archive and Archiving Message Threads

This functionality has been replaced with the Thread Status option. Forum availability allows instructors to make the forum available or unavailable to students as needed. Also, instructors can now “lock” a forum which will prevent students from adding new post while allowing them to read existing threads.

Thread Status

The Forum Manager can change the status of a thread to one of the following:

o Published: A published thread is available to users.

o 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 other users cannot view the thread.

In order to see the Change Status to: make sure you are in List View mode

Follow these steps to change the status of a thread:

1. Open a Forum in the Discussion Board.

1. Select threads.

1. Choose a new status for the selected threads using the Change Status to: drop-down list.

1. Click Go.