My Blackboard Site

Discussion Boards

How do I add a discussion board to my course site?

The Discussion Board (also called a forum, threaded discussion, bulletin board or message board) provides a method of asynchronous communication. It can be used to facilitate discussions between a group of users (students and tutors) potentially located in different places and over a period of time. A message is posted by a user that is then available for all other participants on the course to read and comment. Messages in the discussion Board are organised as threads which keep messages related to a specific topic together. Students can use the Discussion Board to upload content of their own that can then be reviewed and discussed by their peers

The Discussion Board allows asynchronous communication between instructors and students. Course instructors manage these discussion boards by creating forum and threads to organise discussions into various themes and topics.

Discussion boards provide a tool that is capable of managing and structuring asynchronous online conversations.

Create a Forum

A forum must be created before your students can use the discussion board.

1. Click on the Communication link in the left hand panel.
2. Select Discussion Board from the list of Communication Tools.
3. Click on the Add Forum icon at the top left of the page.

1. 1. Forum Information

      1. Enter a name for the forum in the Title: text field.
      2. Enter a description of the topics in the Description: text field.
      3. Select Available if you want the students to see your forum.

   2. Forum Settings

      1. Check the box next to the settings you want to enable.

   3. Submit

      1. Click Submit to finish. You will see a receipt to confirm your choices. Click OK.
      2. Click Cancel to quit. Nothing will have saved.

Post a Thread to a Forum

You may want to post an initial thread to get the discussion started. Be sure to start with an open-ended question or a statement that will generate a wide range of responses.

1. Click on the Communication in the left hand panel.
2. Select Discussion Board from the list of Communication Tools.
3. Click on the Forum name to enter the Forum.
4. Click on the Add Thread icon at the top left of the page.

   1. Message

      1. Enter a Subject in the Subject: text field.
      2. Enter the starting thoughts and questions in the Message: text field.
      3. Select post message as Anonymous if required.

   2. Attachments

      1. To attach a file to the message, click Attach a file and navigate to the location of the file on your hard drive. Select the file and click Open.

   3. Submit

      1. Click Save to save a draft of the message.
      2. Click Submit to submit the post to the Forum. You are returned to the forum and your thread is added.
      3. Click Cancel to quit. Nothing will have saved.

Replying to a Thread

You can check in on your student’s discussions periodically. The best way to let them know that you are interested in the discussions is to post a reply to one or more of their postings.

1. Click on the Communication in the left hand panel.
2. Select Discussion Board from the list of Communication Tools.
3. Click on the Forum name to enter the Forum.
4. Click on the Thread name to enter the Thread.
5. Click on the Reply button to the right of the Thread name.

   1. Message

      1. If you need to reread the original message, select Show Original Post.
      2. Enter the text of your reply in the Message: textbox.
      3. Select post message as Anonymous if required.

   2. Attachments

      1. To attach a file to the message, click Attach a file and navigate to the location of the file on your hard drive. Select the file and click Open.

   3. Submit

      1. Click Save to save a draft of the message.
      2. Click Submit to submit the post to the Forum. You are returned to the forum and your thread is added.
      3. Click Cancel to quit. Nothing will have saved.