Question
How to Create Discussion Boards
Answer
Discussion boards are flexible tools that allow students to participate in asynchronous discussions by sharing thoughts and ideas about class materials. Students do not need to be in the same location or time zone to participate. Typically, the instructor starts the conversation and acts as the moderator and facilitator throughout the discussion. This document will detail how to create and facilitate discussions.
Creating a Discussion Board
1. Log in to Blackboard and access your course.
2. Click the plus sign where you want to add a discussion and choose Create.
3. Under Participation and Engagement, choose Discussion.
4. Enter a discussion name.
5. Adjust the visibility and availability settings by selecting the drop-down menu in the upper right corner.
6. Type a description in the box provided and click Save. A description may include a question, idea, or prompt.
7. Click the settings icon in the upper right corner to adjust the discussion settings.
IDDC Pro Tip: To encourage original ideas, you can require students to first respond to a discussion before viewing other student responses. To set this feature, check the box for Post first.
8. Optionally, select the check box for Grade discussion to count the discussion for a grade. Additional grade settings appear.
9. Set the Participation & Grading options.
10. Click Save to save settings.
11. Click the purple "X" to return to the course content page.
Facilitating and Monitoring Discussions
A discussion board can simulate a classroom discussion. As the facilitator, you can correct misconceptions, provide explanatory feedback, or simply add to the discussion throughout the post.
1. Select a Discussion from the content area.
2. Click the Reply link below a student’s response to comment or reply.
3. Click the "..." icon to the right of a student’s response to edit or delete the response.
4. Use the Find Participants field in the right panel to filter the discussion board for a particular student.
5. Click the purple "X" to return to the course content page.