Quick Reference Guide for Blackboard
Discussion Board
How to Create, Modify and Delete a Discussion
A Blackboard Discussion Forum consists of Threads, which are related messages posted by the instructor and students.
When posting to a Discussion Board, participants can either create a new thread and/or reply to an existing thread(s). As
replies are posted to threads, a series of sub-threads are then created that can be flagged, searched, filtered, sorted, and
expanded or collapsed for viewing.
To delete a thread you posted:
Steps to Post a Discussion Thread:
1.
Click the Discussion Board link on the Course Menu. By
default, this link is called Discussions, but it can easily be
renamed. The Discussion Board can also be accessed via
Tools > Discussion Board or via Course Tools > Discussion
Board.
2.
Click the Discussion Forum name in the Forum column on
the Discussion Board page to enter the forum.
3.
Click a thread link to read it.
4.
After reading the thread(s), click the particular thread link
in the Thread column to reply.
5.
Click the Reply button for the selected thread.
6.
If quoting the thread, click the Quote button.
(Recommended)
Note: If adding a new thread, click the Create Thread button (if
instructor-enabled).
7.
Type (or copy/paste) your response in the Message box.
8.
Attach a file(s) as needed.
9.
Click the Attach a File link.
b.
Click the Browse button to locate the file.
c.
Select the file.
d.
Click the Open button.
10. Click the Submit button to post your thread. (Click the
Save Draft button to save and submit later.)
1.
2.
3.
Click the Delete button.
Click the OK button to delete
Click Submit
Role of the Moderator
 As forum moderator, Faculty oversees the communication activity of any
Discussion board.
 As faculty you can control the contributors and makes decisions regarding
content and the direction of threads.
 Moving discussions from one section to another to keep topics organized
is also a common job for a forum moderator.
 If the tone of the Discussion becomes hostile or starts to move in the direction of personal attacks. As forum moderator you have the discretion to
lock the discussion to prevent heated, exchange between students
 As Faculty you also be able to hide discussions you deems unworthy of
further discussion.
 Conversely, topics that you feel deserve further examination can be posted indefinitely by the moderator even if they garner no comments.
To edit a thread you posted:
1.
Click the particular thread link.
2.
Click the Edit button.
3.
Edit the Subject, Message, or Attachments as needed.
4.
Click Submit
El Paso Community College Distance Learning Support Services Department
Contact Distance Learning Support Services at dlss@epcc.edu or 915-831-3111
April 19 2016
How to Configure the Discussion Moderator?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Go to any of the Discussion Board Items
Select Edit.
On the Edit Forum page,
Go to Forum Settings
Select the Force Moderation of Posts
Click Submit.
How to review and post a Moderated Post
1.
After posts are submitted, access the forum. In the moderator
view, no posts appear because the messages are waiting approval. On the action bar, click Moderate Forum.
 Release posts no longer appear in the moderation queue.
 Students see their returned posts in their forum.

Note: The Moderate Forum function appears only to those users
who have a forum role of manager or moderator. In the
student view, the author can see the post in Tree View with
a reminder it is in the moderation queue.
2.
3.
On the Moderation
Queue page, the posts
appear in alphabetical
order by title. Click the
column title or caret to
sort by post title, author, or date. To review a post, click Moderate.
Student will need to expand the post using the plus sign.
 If feedback was included, students can see why their posts
were returned.
 On the thread page, released posts display Returned next to
the post's title.
 From the thread page, students can edit their posts while
viewing the moderator's feedback and resubmit them.
 The posts are returned to the moderation queue. Moderation Queue appears next to the post's title.
On the Moderate Post page, read the post and select the Publish or Return option. Published messages are immediately
posted to the thread. While Retuned Post are sent back to the
student for future revisions.
Note: When choosing a moderated forum, do not allow students to edit or delete posts. This ensures that the post
approved is the one viewed by users.
4.
Optionally, type feedback in the text box. You can use the content editor functions to format the text, link to files in Course
Files or the Content Collection, and include web links, multimedia, and mashups.
Note: Though feedback is optional, this is an opportunity to provide guidance, ask questions, redirect a student's focus,
and explain why a post was returned.
5.
Click Submit
El Paso Community College Distance Learning Support Services Department
Contact Distance Learning Support Services at dlss@epcc.edu or 915-831-3111
April 19 2016