Discussion forums offer a unique way for learners enrolled in a course or learning path to discuss the material or related areas as a group. In the current climate, it makes for a wonderful means of social connection in a learning context. Discussion Forums allow users to carry on a discussion about a specific Course or Learning Path.
Enable Discussion Forums
Discussion Forums are tied to either a Course or a Learning Path. To enable:
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Navigate to the Course or Learning Path in the Courses tab.
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Select the “Settings” sub tab.
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Navigate to the Discussion Forums section and check the box next to “Enable Discussion Forum”.
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Click “Save”.
Monitoring Forums
Once Forums have been enabled for Courses and Learning Paths, Administrators will have a “Manage Discussion” button in the header of the Course and Learning Path. Account Owners and Administrators can delete or edit any posts/attachments. Team Leaders and Team Admins can delete/edit posts or attachments in any course they created.
Note: Refer to “Receiving Forum Notifications” section of this article for details on how to receive notifications for all forums.
Using Forums as a Learner
Discussion forums may be set up to provide the learners an area to discuss topics in the course. You can access the forums by going to the course and clicking on the ‘Discuss’ tab. They are set up in chronological order with the most recent posts appearing at the top. A learner may choose to reply to a comment or post a new one. Learners can also show and hide comments.
A WYSIWG editor allows participants to emphasize the details of their post with styling, links, tables, and formatting. Learners can upload files, tables, and images with their posts.
Accepted file types include: .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .pdf, .png, .gif, .jpg, .avi, .wmv, .mpg, .mov, .flv, .m4v, .mp4, .xls, .xlsx, .txt . There is a limit of up to 3 files per post.
Learners can edit or delete their own posts/attachments from within the discussion Forums.
Receiving Forum Notifications
Learners can enable Forum notifications for themselves by:
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Selecting “My Profile & Settings”, located in the top left corner
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Selecting “Edit my Profile”
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And checking the box for “Send email notifications for forums”
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Click “Save”
Learners will receive a Forum notification for any new post made in the courses they are assigned to.
Disable/Enable Email Discussion Forum Notifications for a User
To disable or enable all Discussion Forum notifications for a user, navigate to the user’s edit profile view from the People tab and in the Basic section, use the pencil icon to edit, then select ‘Enable notifications for forums’ and click Save.
Learners also can enable/disable this in their profile by accessing their profile from their ‘My Profile & Settings’.
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How To: Use Course Noticeboards & Manage Reference Materials |
