Blackboard 9:
Creating & Managing the Discussion Board
The Discussion Board is a communication medium for posting and responding to messages.
This tool is designed for asynchronous use, meaning users are not present at the same time to
converse on-line. Conversations are grouped in threads that contain a main topic and all related
replies.
1) Click Discussion Forum in the Course Menu
2) Turn on Edit Mode if necessary
3) Click Create Forum
4) Enter a Name and Description for the forum
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Below is a table defining the field’s settings available for a Discussion Forum:
Forum Availability
Date & Time Restrictions
Allow Anonymous Posts
Allow Author to Delete Own Posts
Allow Author to Edit Own Posts
Allow Post Tagging
Allow File Attachments
Allow Members to Create New
Threads
Subscribe
Allow Members to Rate Posts
Force Moderation of Posts
Grade
Determine if the forum is available to the
students
Defines the dates and times that the
forum is available
Defines if students have the option to
post anonymously
Defines if an author can remove their
posts
Defines if an author can edit their post
on a discussion forum
Allows individual to tag a post
Allow users to attach a file to their post
Allows a student to create a new thread
in a discussion forum
Allows course users to subscribe to a
thread or forum. This generates an
email to the user notifying them of the
newly posted material
Allows a course user to rate a post using
a 5 star criteria
Instructor must grant a posts access to a
discussion forum by allowing the post to
be published
Instructor is able to grade the forum or
thread. This function is integrated with
the Grade Center
5) Click Submit after determining the setting for the Discussion Forum
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To Access the Discussion Board:
1) Click Discussion Forum in the Course Menu
2) Click on the forum you would like to enter
To Make Any Changes to the Properties of a Discussion Board:
1) Click the Double Arrow to the right of the forum name
2) Click Edit
3) Make any changes
4) Click Submit
To Create a Thread:
1) Click on the forum name to enter the Discussion Board
2) Click Create Thread
3) Enter subject
4) Enter message
5) Attach file if necessary
6) Click Submit
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To Reply to a Thread:
1) Click on the forum name to enter the Discussion Board
2) Click on the Thread
3) Click the Reply button
4) Attach a file if necessary
5) Click Submit
Discussion Board Views
There are 2 types of views that you can use to look at Discussion Board entries:
List View and Tree View. List View lists the main threads only, while Tree View allows the user to
expand the view to see the entries inside.
To Expand the Thread in Tree View:
Click the + icon to view its contents.
To Collapse the Thread:
Click the – minus sign.
Forced Moderation
Forced moderation of posts requires that all postings are reviewed by the instructor before they are
displayed for the students.
To Force Moderation of Posts:
1) Make sure Edit Mode is on
2) Select Discussion Forum in the Course Menu
3) Click the Double Down pointing arrow to the right of the Discussion Forum
4) Select Edit
5) Choose Force Moderation of Posts
6) Click Submit
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To Moderate the Forum as the Instructor:
1) Select Discussion Forum from the Course Menu
2) Select the Forum
3) Click Moderate Forum
4) Click the Moderate button to the right of the students post
5) Select Publish to publish to the forum
6) Select Return and type a message to the student (optional)
7) Click Submit
Grading Forum
Instructors can grade a student based on participation in a forum/thread.
To Grade a Forum
1) Click on the forum name
2) Click the Grade Forum button
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
Click the Grade button to the right of the students name
Click Edit Grade Button
Enter a Grade
Enter Student Feedback for Student
Enter Grading Notes for Instructor
Click Save Grade
Click OK
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Searching Forums
You are able to search for content within a forum or across multiple forums.
To Search for Content in a Single Forum:
1) Select Discussion Forum in the Course Menu
2) Click the Search Button
3) Enter the word you would like to search for
4) Select either Current Discussion Board or All Forums in Class
5) Select any date range
6) Click Go
Blackboard will locate any posts that include the word(s) you searched for.
Discussion Board Statistics
You are able to easily view the total posts, date of last post, average post, and min or max post as
well.
To View the Statistics:
1) Select Evaluation from the Control Panel
2) Select Performance Dashboard
3) Click on the Discussion Board field stats of the user you would like to view
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