Forum Options
(To download or print a PDF version of this topic, click here.)
Below is a snapshot of the recommended setting to get started in Discussion Board. A full description follows the snapshot.
- Allow members to create new threads
- Subscribe (optional)
Allow members to subscribe to forum
Include link to post - Grade Forum
Points possible
The following is a detailed description of the Forum Options that are available when adding a new forum or modifying an existing forum with discussion board.
Allow anonymous posts: (BPCC does not recommend using this setting)
Allow anonymous posts on the forum
Allow author to remove own posts: (BPCC does not recommend using this setting)
Allow authors to remove their own posts.
All posts
Only posts with no replies
Allow author to modify own published posts: (BPCC does not recommend using this setting)
Allow author to edit their own published posts.
Allow post tagging:
Allow tags to be added to messages on the forum. (For faster Discussion Board page loading, do not allow message tagging.)
Allow users to reply with quote:
Allow users to include the text of the original message in any replies to that message. This is enabled by default.
Allow file attachments:
Allow files to be attached to messages within the forum. BPCC recommends you turn this OFF unless the discussion calls for sharing electronic documents.
Allow members to create new threads:
Allow forum members to create new threads in the forum.
Select this to have the students start their own thread.
Do not select this option to better control the discussion topic. You must start each thread and the student will only be able to reply to your thread and other’s replies.
Subscribe:
Participants may be allowed to Subscribe to threads within a forum in order to receive notifications by email of new or updated postings in that thread. The notification is sent to the email address stored in the user’s Personal Information. Users will not be able to enter a different email address to which notifications will be sent, so as to prevent spam from being generated from the Discussion Board.
- Do not allow subscriptions (Default setting):
- Allow members to subscribe to threads: Allow subscription to threads only.
- Allow members to subscribe to forum: Allow subscription to the entire forum.
- Include body of post in the email:
- Include link to post:
Allow members to rate posts:
A common learning tool in classrooms is providing feedback to other students on their work. Students prepare an essay, lab report, or presentation and share it with the class. Other students are asked to comment on the work and offer criticisms for improvement. This process helps the student improve their assignment, but is even more valuable to the students that review the work. Reviewing the work of another student enforces classroom learning and helps the reviewer practice important communication skills.
Force moderation of posts:
Forum Moderation: Discussion Boards give students the freedom to share their thoughts and opinions on class topics with other users. Occasionally, students may introduce material to the Discussion Board that is inappropriate for the class discussion. Depending on the maturity and the sensitivity of the students in the course, it may be important to review student posts for inappropriate content before sharing posts with the rest of the class.
Instructors have the option of forcing moderation. If moderation is enabled, when a user other than a Moderator or Manager submits a post, the post is saved to the Moderation Queue. New posts are displayed in the queue for review and publication. If a post is rejected, a return message can be attached to the post informing the user why the post was not accepted for publication.
Grade:
Once Grading has been enabled, a Gradebook Item is created and all the advanced management features that can be applied to the item should be managed from the gradebook.
- Grade Forum: Points possible: Enable grading at the forum level.
Select Grade Forum and enter a point value to evaluate participants on performance throughout the forum. - Grade threads: Enable grading at the thread level.
Select Grade Threads to evaluate participants on performance in each thread. When the Grade Threads option is used, a Points Possible option appears each time a thread is started. Keep in mind that users cannot create new threads if Grade Threads is selected for the forum.
For more information on grading, visit Grading Discussion Board Participation.