1.  To create a thread, go to the Discussion tool and click on the appropriate topic title.

2. Click the Start a New Thread button to create your own thread in the topic; give it a subject and enter your text. You can attach pictures or documents to your thread by clicking the Add attachments link above the Post and Cancel buttons.

3. Click Post.

The Discussion tool does not auto-save your material, so if you become disconnected from the Internet while composing a post, you may lose it. It is recommended that you compose lengthy discussion posts offline using a word processor so that you have the body of your post saved. There are a number of paste options available in the Discussion tool.

1. Select the discussion topic you wish to add the note to. Click on the title of the discussion board to access it.

2. Click on the “Start a New Thread” button to add a new post in which your video note will appear.

3. Click on the “Insert Stuff” button in the top left.

4. Click on the Video Note option. You may have to allow Brightspace to use your camera and microphone if your camera and microphone do not automatically show up. The options will be different depending on what browser you are on.

5. When ready, click the “New Recording” button and begin your Video Note. If you do not see the blue ‘New Recording’ button, please see the ‘Troubleshooting’ section below.

6. When you are finished recording your video, click “Stop Recording”. Then click “Next”.

7. Give your video a title and description. Then click “Next”.

8. Click “Insert” to embed the video into your discussion post or click “Refresh Preview” to preview your video before embedding it.

Limitations

• The recordings created with Video Note are limited to 3 minutes.

• Videos are automatically removed after 6 months.

• You cannot download or embed the files created by Video Note, they can only be played in Brightspace where you created them.

Troubleshooting

If you do not see the blue button to record, please try the following:

• Ensure you are using a computer and not a mobile device

• If you are using Google Chrome, when you go to the Video Note screen, look up in the address bar and there should be a small camera icon listed. Click on that and choose the options to enable/allow the camera and microphone to be used on the site. Once enabled, refresh the page and try again.

• Try an alternate web browser to see if that resolves the issue. Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari are all compatible with Brightspace.

When you are responding to a discussion thread, you have the option of adding a variety of attachments. When creating a response, click the Add Attachments link to see your attachment options. To add an attachment, you can drag and drop a file from your computer to the attachments box, or click the Upload button to select a file from your computer. You can also record a Video Note response.

Once you have made a discussion post, you are not able to edit the text of your post. Only your instructor has the ability to remove or edit an existing post, and you will need to contact him/her if you wish to have your post edited or removed. Students can correct their errors by replying to their own thread instead of removing it. 

1. To reply to an existing thread, click on that thread’s subject title.

2. Click the Reply to Thread button and enter your text.

3. Click Post.

1. If a user has already replied to a thread, you can reply to their response by clicking the Reply link under that particular post.

2. Enter your text.

3. Click Post.

By default, when your reply to a post will include the text of the original post. You can change this by clicking on Settings at the top right corner of the Topic screen, and unchecking the box next to Include original post in reply.

Subscribing to a topic makes it easier for you to keep track of your classmates’ and instructor’s responses. Subscribing to a post means that you will receive a notification whenever the topic is updated (such as when a classmate posts a thread). To subscribe to a topic, click on the arrow next to the topic title and click the Subscribe link next to the star icon. From here, you can customize how Brightspace will notify you when the discussion has been updated. You can choose to subscribe to an entire module, a topic, or to a particular thread. You can manage your subscriptions and change notification methods by clicking on the Subscriptions tab along the top of the main Discussions List page – you can change notifications for all subscriptions, or tailor each topic subscription individually. Learn how to customize your account to receive notifications about your subscriptions via email and text messages here.

Instructors can configure Discussion forums to have limited availability. The dates that a discussion is available may be based on an assignment due date, or the course schedule. Only modules/topics that are currently available will be displayed in the Discussions List. If an existing forum or topic is scheduled to become unavailable at a future date, you will see that date listed under the forum/topic title in your discussion list.

Individual topics may also be locked after a particular date. If this is the case, you will see the date range for which the topic is unlocked listed under the topic title.  Once the topic is locked, you will still be able to view the threads, but you will no longer be able to reply or post to that topic.

It is important to note that Brightspace does not automatically post or save your writing. Unfortunately, if you lose internet connection or leave the page while typing, the post will be lost. Please make sure you have a strong internet connection and you post your Thread or Reply when you have completed it. If you are typing a long reply, it may be best to type this Word, Pages, or another word processing software and then copy and paste the text in. This way you do not lose your post if something happens in the browser.