TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is an Online Discussion?
• Discussions in Ultra Course View
• Discussions in Original Course View
• Discussion Tips and Tricks

What is an Online Discussion?

Your instructor may use a Discussion to promote scholarly discourse and collaboration in your course. Discussions allow instructors and students to communicate with each other on a given topic by exchanging ideas through posts and replies. Unlike the face-to-face classroom, you do not need to raise your hand to make a point; instead, you can post your thoughts to a discussion.

Discussions in Ultra Course View

To participate in a discussion, click on the Discussion link from within your course content or click on the Discussions link in your course navigation bar at the top of the page.

Discussion link within course module:

Discussion link in course navigation bar:

Once you have entered your Discussion, read the topic carefully. If your Discussion is graded, you will find the due date, points, and grading rubric (if used) in the Details & Information section.

Type out your discussion response in the Responses area. Use the text/content editor (Ultra courses) to add and format text, upload images, add links and attachments, embed media, and more.

As your classmates respond, their content will appear in the Responses area. You may also click on a participant in the Participants panel to view their responses.

To reply to a classmate, click the Reply button at the end of their post.

Type out your reply and use the text/content editor (Ultra courses) to add and format text, upload images, add links and attachments, embed media, and more. Once you have finished, click Reply.

For more information refer to the Discussions (Ultra Courses) support page or watch the Participate in Discussions (Ultra courses) tutorial video.

Discussions in Original Course View

To participate in a discussion, click on the Discussion link from within your course content or click on the Discussion Board link in your course menu.

Discussion link within the course content:

Discussion Board link the course menu:

When you first navigate to the Discussion Board you will see a list of Discussion Board forums. Depending on the way your course has been set up, you may see a list of forums or only forums dedicated to the current week's topic(s).

Click a Discussion Board Forum to view, create, or respond to threads. Your instructor may or may not have created a description for the forum, containing instructions for posting.

You will respond to the discussion prompt by creating a new thread. Select Create Thread at the top of the page to create a new thread.

Give your thread a subject and use the text/content editor (Original courses) to add text, links, images, video, etc. 

Click Submit to post your thread.

Return to the Discussion Form to read and reply to your classmates' threads. Select a Discussion Thread and click to open.

Read your classmate's thread and click Reply to respond.

Use the the text/content editor (Original courses) to add text, links, images, video, etc.

For more information refer to the Discussions (Original courses) support page or watch the Participate in Discussions (Original courses) tutorial video.

Discussion Tips and Tricks

Remember these tips when participating in a discussion:

• Your instructor may include a rubric so that you are aware of how you are being graded. If this is the case, make sure you review it carefully before starting. 
• Take the time to write a meaningful response to the Discussion prompt.
• Use the text/content editor to add and format text, upload images, add links and attachments, embed media, and more.
• If you copy and paste text from a document or website, be sure to use the Clear Format option in the editor to remove the formatting.
• Respond to your classmates' posts.
• Stay on topic.
• Check back frequently or update your Notification Settings to be alerted to new Discussion activity.