{"id":825,"date":"2017-08-17T16:25:44","date_gmt":"2017-08-17T16:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources2\/?page_id=825"},"modified":"2024-03-27T16:20:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T18:50:02","slug":"discussion-tool-faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/brightspace-guides\/communication\/discussion-tool-faq\/","title":{"rendered":"Discussion Tool FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><div class='content-column one_third'><div id=\"bellows-main-discussions\" class=\"bellows bellows-nojs bellows-main bellows-source-menu bellows-align-left bellows-skin-vanilla bellows-type- bellows-expand-current\"><ul id=\"menu-discussions\" class=\"bellows-nav\" data-bellows-config=\"main\"><li id=\"menu-item-20943\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-home bellows-menu-item-has-children bellows-menu-item-20943 bellows-item-level-0\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Home<\/span><button class=\"bellows-subtoggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Submenu\"><i class=\"bellows-subtoggle-icon-expand fa fa-chevron-down\"><\/i><i class=\"bellows-subtoggle-icon-collapse fa fa-chevron-up\"><\/i><\/button><\/a>\n<ul class=\"bellows-submenu\">\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-20945\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-has-children bellows-menu-item-20945 bellows-item-level-1\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/brightspace-guides\/communication\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Communication<\/span><button class=\"bellows-subtoggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Submenu\"><i class=\"bellows-subtoggle-icon-expand fa fa-chevron-down\"><\/i><i class=\"bellows-subtoggle-icon-collapse fa fa-chevron-up\"><\/i><\/button><\/a>\n\t<ul class=\"bellows-submenu\">\n\t\t<li id=\"menu-item-20949\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-has-children bellows-menu-item-20949 bellows-item-level-2\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/brightspace-guides\/communication\/using-the-discussion-tool\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Discussions<\/span><button class=\"bellows-subtoggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Submenu\"><i class=\"bellows-subtoggle-icon-expand fa fa-chevron-down\"><\/i><i class=\"bellows-subtoggle-icon-collapse fa fa-chevron-up\"><\/i><\/button><\/a>\n\t\t<ul class=\"bellows-submenu\">\n\t\t\t<li id=\"menu-item-32609\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-32609 bellows-item-level-3\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/discussions-terminology\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Discussions Terminology<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t<li id=\"menu-item-33053\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-33053 bellows-item-level-3\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/discussions-creating-a-forum\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Creating a Forum<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t<li id=\"menu-item-33055\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-33055 bellows-item-level-3\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/discussions-creating-a-topic\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Creating a Topic<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t<li id=\"menu-item-33123\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-33123 bellows-item-level-3\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/discussions-group-discussions\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Group Discussions<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t<li id=\"menu-item-33299\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-33299 bellows-item-level-3\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/discussions-grading-discussions\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Grading Discussions<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t<li id=\"menu-item-20951\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-20951 bellows-item-level-3\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/brightspace-guides\/communication\/discussion-statistics\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Discussion Statistics<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t<li id=\"menu-item-20947\" class=\"bellows-menu-item bellows-menu-item-type-post_type bellows-menu-item-object-page bellows-menu-item-20947 bellows-item-level-3\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/brightspace-guides\/communication\/discussion-tool-faq\/\" class=\"bellows-target\"><span class=\"bellows-target-title bellows-target-text\">Discussions &#8211; FAQs<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><br><div class='content-column two_third last_column'><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Discussions Tool: Frequently Asked Questions<\/h1>\n\n\n            <div class=\"qae-faqs-container qae-faqs-toggle-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"qe-faqs-filters-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"active\"><a class=\"qe-faqs-filter all-faqs\" href=\"#\" data-filter=\"*\">All<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li><a class=\"qe-faqs-filter\" href=\"#discussiontoolfaq\" data-filter=\".discussiontoolfaq\">DiscussionToolFAQ<\/a><\/li>\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2229\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> What is the Discussions tool?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\tThe Discussions tool can be used for online discussions between you and your students or between groups of students. After setting up a discussion forum, you can create individual topics for discussion within the forum. Students can post messages in a threaded discussion. Students can also attach documents (e.g., PPTs, images) to their messages.\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2227\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> What is a Forum?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<p>A <strong>forum<\/strong> is used to organize your discussion topics (similar to a category in Assignments). When creating discussions, a forum must be created first. Once a forum is created, you can then create one or several topics within the forum. Discussions take place in the topics, <em>not<\/em> in a forum.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2225\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> What is a Topic?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Topics<\/strong> are where discussions actually take place &#8211; where users read and post messages.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2223\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> Can I create group discussions so that only specific students can see and post to a topic\/forum?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<p>Yes, you can restrict discussion forums or topics to specific groups of students.&nbsp; For information on how to create group discussions, please visit our page on <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/discussions-group-discussions\/\">Creating Group Discussions<\/a>. <\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2221\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> Can I lock forums or topics so that students can no longer post but can still see all the posts?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<p>Yes. You can do it by setting an end date for a discussion forum or topic, after which the submission function will be disabled. For more information about availability dates and associated settings, please visit our page on <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/discussions-creating-a-forum\/\">Creating a Forum<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/discussions-creating-a-topic\/\">Creating a Topic<\/a>. <\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2217\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> Can I use the discussion tool in my face-to-face course?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<p>Sure, the Discussions tool may be particularly beneficial for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Large classes where students may not have the opportunity to interact with peers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Classes where time does not permit a high level of in-class interaction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Classes with a group work component so students have a shared space to work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Activities or questions that require the students to take time to develop a thoughtful response that would not be possible in a classroom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Courses that focus on current and emerging trends.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Courses with students who may be more comfortable expressing their thoughts after having time to reflect.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students for whom English is a second language since the discussion allows them the time to compose their responses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2215\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> Should I grade discussion postings?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<p>Yes, definitely! Whether your course is face-to-face or distance, if you want your students to participate and use the discussions tool, there should be an evaluation component.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2213\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> Should I respond to every posting in a busy discussion forum or topic?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<p>No, you do not have to respond to every student\u2019s posting. You should read the postings and either respond to specific students&#8217; posts if you have a question, or post a summary of students&#8217; posts that will help to guide the discussion further.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2211\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> What is my role? How should I participate in the discussions?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<p>This really depends on your course and the maturity of your students. Your role will vary tremendously when teaching a first-year course as compared to a graduate level course. You should participate enough so students know that you are interested but students should guide the discussion.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"qaef-2209\" class=\"qe-faq-toggle discussiontoolfaq\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-minus-circle\"><\/i> Can I see if students have read or posted in specific discussion forums and topics?\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"qe-toggle-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<p>Yes, you can see students&#8217; participation in the Discussions tool by clicking on the Statistics tab on the main discussions page.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t            <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"parent":763,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-825","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"featured_image_src":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33809,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/825\/revisions\/33809"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citl.mun.ca\/technologyresources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}