Discussions

Discussions are asynchronous online forums where you and your students can discuss a topic. When utilizing the discussion tool, users have the ability to use whatever format they are most comfortable with to communicate, such as text, or multimedia features ( record & upload video or audio).

Discussion Features

Attach files to messages
Add images
Embed media (video and audio)
Create a topic that is assigned specifically to a group of students
Discussion topics may be gradable, meaning that participation in the discussion will be counted towards the final grade for the course.
Notifications about additions to a discussion may be received via registered web services, text, etc.
Easily drag & drop to reorder topics

Discussions can be integrated into the curriculum of the course by having gradable discussions. A graded discussion shows up to the student as an assignment, and the SpeedGrader feature allows the instructor to easily grade and give points for online discussions.

Below are a few things to consider when setting up your Discussions:

The option for "threaded discussion" is not set by default, so be sure to select it as an option when you are setting up your discussion board! Threaded discussions lend themselves to refining complex ideas. For example, an open forum where students work on a central problem or question that is driving course content would be reasons to use a Threaded Discussion. Threaded Discussions might also be used to share and iterate upon individual ideas shared by each student in the course or to debate the pros and cons of a single issue or multiple issues.
In larger courses and courses with multiple sections, breaking students up into discussion groups can make the discussion more manageable to read and grade. To set this up, first check the box next to Use for grading when creating a new Topic. It will then be added to Assignment where you can make it a Group Assignment and assign it to the groups you have created under People.
The ability for students to attach files, or edit their own posts after they have submitted them is not set by default.