Creating Discussions in D2L

Setting up a discussion is a two-step process:

1. Create a forum that can hold one or more discussion topics.
2. Create discussion topics within that forum. 

D2L uses specific terms to refer to different parts of the Discussions area:

• Forums are used to house discussion topics that are similar. For example, there might be several discussions in the first week of the course, so a forum titled "Week One Discussions" could contain those.
  
• Topics are where the discussion actually takes place. This is where students can post threads in response to a discussion prompt. 
• Threads are the initial comments added to a discussion topic. 
• Replies are responses posted to a specific discussion thread.
  

If a discussion topic or forum has been deleted, instructors can restore the discussion.

Note: To add a link to a Discussion Forum or Topic to a module in Content, follow the directions to Add Links to Other Parts of the Course Site.

Create a Discussion Forum

1. Select Discussions in the course navigation bar.
2. Select New.
   
3. Select New Forum from the dropdown menu.
   
4. Enter a title [A].
5. (Optional) Enter a description [B].
6. Select Save and Close [C].
   

   

Create a Discussion Topic

1. Select New.
2. Select New Topic from the dropdown menu.
   
3. Select a forum from the Forums dropdown menu (or select the New Forum to create a new forum.)
4. Choose a Topic Type [A]:
• Open topic: Everyone can access the topic and contents.
  
• Group or section topic: Everyone can access the topic, but students only see threads from their group or section (course must have groups set up before setting up group- or section-based topics).
5. Enter a title [B].
6. (Optional) Enter a description [C].
   

   

7. (Optional) Select options [A] for the topic:
• Allow anonymous posts: Select this option to allow students to anonymously post to this topic (not recommended).
• A moderator must approve individual posts before they display in the topic: Select this option to approve posts before students are able to view them (or to have a TA review and approve them.)
• Users must start a thread before they can read and reply to other threads: Select this option to force students to post to the topic before they can read and reply to other posts (recommended).
8. (Optional) Select an option for Rate Posts [B] to set up a rating scheme. The default is No Ratings. Other options include Five-Star Rating Scheme, Up Vote/Down Vote Rating Scheme, and Up Vote Only Rating Scheme.
   
9. Select the Save and Close [C] button. 

   

Restore a Discussion

1. Navigate to the Discussions area.
2. Select the More Actions button.
3. Select Restore.
4. A new tab will open with a list of deleted discussions. Next to the discussion to restore, select Restore.

NEXT STEPS

Add restrictions to a discussion by making it available during specific dates or restricting it to groups of students. View Setting Dates for Discussions for more information.

Post the first thread to a discussion topic and require students to begin adding threads and replies to it. View Participating in Discussions for more information.