Discussion board

Discussion board screen This feature is similar to chat but is designed for asynchronous use. That is, participants do not have to be present at the same time to converse online.

All discussion postings are saved and organised according to the forum they are posted. Discussions are grouped within the forums by topics (main posting) and their threads (all related replies).

To begin a discussion the instructor or manager will first need to add forums to the discussion board.

Add Forum

To add forums to the discussion board select Add Forum and complete the required information:

Forum title
Forum description

Add forum: title and description

Forum settings
- Allow anonymous posts – this option is usually not allowed unless the type of discussion you are using requires it. For example,
  - Random sharing of ideas and no one needs to know who posted the ideas – less threatening;
  - Anonymous introduction of participants (who know each other face to face) and they have to guess who the others are online.
- Allow author to edit message after posting – useful when fixing spelling mistakes; or for just a change of mind; or to append something new.
- Allow author to remove own posted messages – a suggestion is to disallow this if you are allowing them to edit their message.
- Allow file attachments
- Allow new threads – allows other participants to reply to the postings made to the forum
Forum participant settings
- Select participant and option from
  - Normal – no administrator privileges
  - Admin – permanent (the creator) or to others assigned by the creator of the forum
  - Block – block a participant from participating in a forum
  - Unblock