How Do I?

Discussion Board

The Discussion Board is a communication tool that can be used to enhance a course web site. Conversations group a main posting ("forum") with all related replies ("threads").

From Your Course:

Read/Respond to a Thread

1. Click on the Discussion Board button, or the Discussion Board link in the Communication section.
2. Click the Forum Name.
3. Open the thread you wish to respond to by clicking the subject line.
4. Click on the Reply button to the right of the body of the message.
5. Fill in the Message field.
6. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

Create a New Thread

1. Click on the Discussion Board button, or the Discussion Boards link in the Communication section.
2. Click the Forum Name.
3. Click on the Add Thread button.
4. Fill in the Title and Description fields.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

Viewing Options

Blackboard allows you to view multiple messages on one screen. This is helpful when viewing a very active list, or copying and pasting messages into Word,
1. Click on the gray Show Options tab on the right side of the screen (just above the time/date stamps).
2. Click the Select All button
3. Click the Collect button
4. Scroll down the page to read all the messages.

More Information

Q: How do I add a file to my Discussion Thread?
A: In the Reply area, there is an option to browse for an attachment. Click on the Browse button and select your file.

Note: To prevent problems with Mac/PC compatibility, all files should have a three letter file extension (such as .doc or .htm), which designates its file type. To prevent conflicts, file names should contain no spaces or special character except the underscore (_) and only one period before the file extension (ex: HomeWorkOne.doc).