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6.19. Discussion Topics

Create a Discussion Topic

Add a Topic

Discussions are nested within discussion forums. Select Add Topic from a forum context menu to create a new discussion.

Forum menu expanded to display Add Topic.

Add Details

Enter the Title and Description of the discussion topic in the corresponding text boxes under the Properties tab.

Properties tab, Title and Description textboxes are all highlighted

Post Requirements

There are three options for student posts. Users must start a thread before they can read and reply to other threads is typically used, but it may not suit every situation. There are options to allow anonymous posts or require approval before posting. These options are not recommended.

*Please note, if you selected any options at the forum level, those options will automatically apply to all topics within the forum.

A student may also rate discussions by using Five Star, Up/Down Vote, Up Vote Only, or No Rating method.

Discussion topic options displayed below the description textbox. Rating schemes Five Star, Up/Down Vote or Up Vote Only are highlighted.

Availability

Availability in Brightspace is synonymous with visibility. If availability dates are set, students will have restrictions to be able to view/access the topic before or after the specified dates. To manage this process, go to the Restrictions tab and set the Availability options.

(Previously, this function in Brightspace used Locking Options. They are now consolidated with the Availability date options.)

The Availability Start Date and End Date options and display as the following new options:

Visible with access restricted before/after start/end. The topic/forum is visible to learners before/after the start/end date, but they cannot access it. Previously, Classic Content was the only tool to make discussions visible without access.
Visible with submission restricted before/after start/end. The topic/forum is visible to learners before/after the start/end date and they can access it, but they cannot post new threads or replies. This effectively makes a discussion read-only. Previously, this was accomplished with the lock option or unlock dates.
Hidden before/after start/end. The topic/forum is hidden from learners until the start/end date. This is a new feature. Calendar events for Availability Starts and Availability Ends are hidden until the start/end date. Notifications are also not sent until the start/end date. Previously, the hidden status of a discussion topic was decided by the tool displaying the topic.

From the Restrictions tab, the Display in Calendar option is now consolidated with the Availability Start Date and End Date options, which adds the start date and end dates to the calendar. Previously, the tool decided which calendar event should be added to the calendar. With this change, calendar events for availability dates may change and additional events for Availability Start Dates may be added.

Calendar events for unlocked dates are now hidden from learners.
Where Discussions and User Progress may have previously hidden a topic or forum when outside of availability dates, those tools now may show them as visible, but inaccessible.
From Discussion Settings, instructors can now set the default visibility and access behavior for new discussion forums and topics. The defaults can be set at an organizational level.

Availability options under the Restrictions tab. Has Start Date and End Date options described in the text.

Restrictions

Select the Restrictions tab at the top of the Edit Topic page.

Restrictions include Release Conditions and Group and Section Restrictions. Release conditions can be set on a variety of tools, including discussion topics. The release conditions allow specific actions a student must take prior to the discussion topic becomes viewable or actionable. When Group and Section Restrictions are enabled, only members of the specified groups or sections will have access to this topic.

Restrictions tab highlighted. Segment topics, Release Conditions and Group and Section Restriction highlighted on the page.

Release conditions may be applied toward awards, checklists, classlists, competencies, content, discussions, assignments, grades, quizzes, and surveys. Each has other variables to provide specific circumstances to release portions of the course to students. In the next example, a discussion is restricted until the student scores 100% on a quiz.

Score on a Quiz, Select Quiz Sample Quiz all highlighted. Arrow point toward Create a New Release Condition page expanded. Criteria menu expanded with arrow pointing to show other symbol choices that include: <=, <, >=, >, =, Between, != and Not Between. Grade set to 100. Create button highlighted.

All conditions must be met is the default choice, but if more than one condition has applied, Any condition must be met could be selected if appropriate.

All conditions must be met highlighted in the menu.

Groups and Sections may also be restricted. Check the box and add groups or sections as needed. Choose Save to continue.

On the Group and Section Restriction page, checkbox for Restrict this topic to the following group and section and Add Groups and Section are highlighted. Save button highlighted.

Assessment

Select the Assessment tab at the top of the Edit Topic page.

If the gradebook has already been set up, select the corresponding grade item from the Grade Item drop-down menu. In Score Out Of, enter the maximum possible points for the discussion topic.

*Please note, if you are using a weighted grade scheme, the possible points will always be 100.

Expanded grade item with arrow pointing toward the menu on the Assessment tab. Score Out Of highlighted.

Choose Add Rubric to open the rubric list or search by name. Create Rubric in New Window can be used here if the rubric was not previously created for the course. Rubric development is covered in another section.

Student discussions can be assessed uniformly as an assignment group or they can be assessed individually. Select the Allow assessment of individual posts checkbox and select the appropriate calculation method from the Calculation drop-down menu.

If unassessed posts should be included in the grade calculation as zero, mark the Include unassessed posts checkbox next to the Calculation drop-down menu. Choose Save when finished.

Add Rubric highlighted. Arrow pointing toward the Posts menu expanded to Select a Calculation Method. Individual post assessment with the include unassessed posts option selected and Select a calculation method highlighted with arrow pointing toward the open window. Save button highlighted.

Edit a Discussion Topic

Navigate to the discussions list and choose Edit Topic from the menu of the topic to edit.

Discussion topic menu expanded to Edit Topic.

The Edit Topic window will open. Make any needed changes. This process is very similar to creating topics. Choose Save and Close when finished.

Save and Close button highlighted.

Delete a Discussion Topic

Navigate to the discussions list and choose Delete from the menu of the topic to delete.

A window will open confirming to delete the topic. Choose Yes to continue. The discussions list page will refresh and the topic will be removed.

Discussion topic menu expanded with the delete option displayed. Arrow pointing toward Confirmation window. Yes button highlighted.

Choose Save and Close when finished.

Save and Close button

Discussions Grades are Synchronized in Gradebook

When an instructor enters a grade for a discussion in the standard or spreadsheet view of Grade Book, the grade also appears with the discussion post in Discussions. Previously, grades entered in the Discussion were passed on to Grade Book; however, grades for discussions entered in Grade Book were not passed to the Discussions tool. This change ensures data consistency between Discussions and Grade Book.

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