Ultra Course - Create Discussions

Discussions allow students to make public posts and read and reply to each others' contributions. Discussions can be included alongside other items in the Course Content area, or organized separately in the Discussions area.

NOTE: When you copy a course discussion from the Original Course View to the Ultra Course View, discussions are flattened and some unsupported settings are removed.

Table of Contents

1 Create a discussion on the Course Content Page
2 Create a discussion in the Discussion area using the navigation bar
3 Name the discussion
4 Add instructions and items to discussion
5 Make discussion available to students
6 Select discussion settings
7 Reorder discussions
8 Edit or delete a discussion
9 Edit or delete one specific response or reply
10 View discussion analytics
11 What will you see when students post to the discussion?
12 Create a discussion video

Create a discussion on the Course Content Page

You can create a discussion directly on the Course Content page so students can view it in context with other materials by clicking on the plus sign, select create and select Discussion. Discussion forums have been removed from ultra courses, but instructors can use folders to organize conversations in whatever way they like.

Select the Discussions link in the top navigation menu to open the course discussions page. From here, you can select the New Discussion button in the upper-right corner to create your new discussion. Alternatively, you can add a folder to organize conversations how you would like by selecting the Add Folder button. Discussion forums have been removed from ultra courses so using folders might be an option for you.

Name the discussion

If you don't add a name, the default title will become "New Discussion" plus the date the discussion was created. To change the name of the discussion, click the edit pencil next to the name.

Add instructions and items to discussion

Use the text editor to include items such as instructions, expectations, videos and readings. Learn more about the text editor.

Make discussion available to students

Students can't see a discussion until you choose to show it (hidden by default). You can create all of your content ahead of time and select what you want students to see based on your schedule. You also have the option of setting release conditions based on date, time and performance on other items in the course gradebook. Select the arrow next to “Hidden from Students” to expand a menu with additional options.

Select discussion settings

Select the Discussion Settings icon (gear) to open a panel with options for the discussion.

Select Display on the course content page (default) to include the discussion on the course content page with other content items. If you choose not to select this option, students MUST access the discussion through the discussion tab on the top navigation bar.

Select to hide discussion activity from students until they respond to the discussion. This will help encourage original ideas as the student must respond to a discussion before they can read other responses and replies. When you want to use Post first with groups, be sure to select Post first before you assign the groups.

Student cannot edit or delete published posts if you select this option.

You have the option to make the discussion count for a grade. When you choose to grade a discussion, more options appear such as the due date and maximum points. The maximum points apply to one or more posts made by a student. When you enable grading for a discussion, a column is automatically created in the gradebook.

Select align with goals to search for available goals. After you make the discussion visible, students can view the goals.

Reorder discussions

To rearrange a discussion, go to the discussions page using the top navigation tab. Here, hover your mouse over the stacked dots of the discussion. Click and hold your mouse and drag the discussion. The discussion will highlight purple so that you can easily see where you'll be placing it in the list. Release the mouse button to drop the discussion in the new location.

Edit or delete a discussion

To edit or delete a discussion, open the discussion page using the top navigation tab. You should see a list of discussions you have created. To delete or edit, click on the discussion's three dot menu and select delete. This will delete the entire discussion along with all responses and replies. Deleting a discussion is permanent and cannot be undone.

Edit or delete one specific response or reply

Go to the discussion and find the response you want to edit/delete. Click on the response’s three dot menu and select delete. This will only delete the response you have selected and cannot be undone.

View discussion analytics

To view student activity in a discussion, go to the discussion and open the discussion's three dot menu. Select Student Activity to view discussion participants and activity.

https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/2707131/sp/270713100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/45992501/partner_id/2707131?iframeembed=true&playerId=kplayer&entry_id=1_vgzwc6z8&flashvars%5BstreamerType%5D=auto

What will you see when students post to the discussion?

Students can open discussions from the Discussion tab on the top navigation menu. If there are new entries, you will see an indicator bubble next to the discussion title.

When you open the discussion, new responses and replies appear with "New" to show any activity that's happened since your last visit. Click on the Reply link to add a reply or Click on the Show replies to view all replies.

You can reply to individual posts by clicking on the reply link. To delete or edit a post, select the three dot menu and select edit or delete. This will only alter the selected reply you have chosen.

Create a discussion video

https://video.syr.edu/media/t/1_0b9cn3qn

Blackboard

Ultra Course - Discussions