Desire2Learn 8.3

Setting Up Discussions

Discussions are a convenient means for you and your students to interact with each other. D2L discussions are an asynchronous (i.e., not real time) communication tool. The structure of the discussion will determine the ease with which it is used.

Discussion Terminology
Considerations for Discussion Setup
Starting a Discussion

For additional options for discussions, see Modifying Forums and Topics. Also review Online Discussions: An Overview which contains tips and strategies for successful online discussions.

Discussion Terminology

Discussion Terminology diagram

Forum
A forum is a subset of the discussion area. It serves as a heading or way to organize discussions. Establishing a separate forum for the major discussion topics can help you and your students manage and organize the discussion area. Only the instructor can create a forum.

Topic
A topic is a subset of a forum. This is a major element in the discussion (perhaps the question of the week posted by the instructor). Only the instructor can create a topic.

Message
A message is the actual discussion content posted. Both instructors and students can create a message.

Considerations for Discussion Setup

The setup of your Desire2Learn discussion area can make things easier or more difficult for you and your students. The primary consideration is the creation of separate forums for weekly/unit/group discussions. The following are some traits of the forums and topics that can help guide your decision.

You can use the Forums and Topics List pane to navigate between topics.
Messages in the same topic can be sorted by subject, name (posted by), or date.
You can search postings in the same topic, but you cannot search across topics.
Use the Description to detail your expectations for the discussion. For example, "Post your thoughts on this subject and reply to two other classmates' messages."
Decide whether you will be tracking and grading participation as the course progresses or only at the end.
If only tracking at the end, the fewer the forums, the easier it will be to track. The more forums, the more places to look for an assignment posted in the wrong place.
Limiting the size of discussion groups can provide for richer discussions and easier grading. Refer to Discussions: Setting Group Restrictions.
Make your presence in the discussion area known. Students value your viewpoint and will value the discussion more.

Starting a Discussion

For a discussion to be visible to students, you must add both a forum and a topic for the discussion. For additional options regarding discussions, refer to Modifying Forums and Topics.

Adding a Forum

From the My Home page, in the My Eau Claire Courses widget, click the course in which you would like to add a discussion forum
The Course Home page appears.
From the Navigation bar, click DISCUSSIONS
The Forums & Topics List pane appears.
Click NEW FORUM
The New Forum pane appears.
In the Title text box, type the name for your new forum
In the Description text box, type a short description of the forum
NOTE: The description will be displayed under the forum title when the Forums and Topics List pane is viewed.
To allow anonymous posts to the discussion, select Allow anonymous messages
NOTES:
This allows for anonymous postings, but does not make all postings anonymous.
Students may choose to make their post anonymous on the message list.
For UW-Eau Claire courses, anonymous postings are anonymous to both students and the instructor.
CAUTION: This feature is not reliable and is a known issue with D2L. If you have questions or concerns, please contact D2Lhelp@uwec.edu.
To make the forum hidden,
1. In the Availability section, select Show forum visibility options
2. Select Hide this forum
  NOTE: To automate the availability period use step 8.
To specify the time period in which the forum is available,
1. Select Forum is visible for a specific date range
2. To specify the start date, select Has Start Date
3. Use the Month, Day, and Year pull-down menus to specify the starting date
  HINT: To select a start date from the calendar, click SELECT DATE.
4. Select Has End Date
5. To specify an end date, use the Month, Day, and Year pull-down menus to specify the ending date
  HINT: To select a date from the calendar, click SELECT DATE.
  NOTE: The discussion forum and all topics beneath it will not be visible outside the specified time frame.
To terminate the discussion, but keep the forum visible, in the Locking Options section,
1. Select Show locking options
2. To lock the forum indefinitely, select Lock forum
3. To set a date range during which the forum is unlocked, select Unlock forum for a specific date range and select the appropriate dates
  NOTE: Messages may only be posted within the specified time frame of the discussion forum and not at all when it is locked.
Click SAVE & ADD TOPIC
The New Topic pane appears.
In the New Topic Details section, in the Title text box, type the title for your new topic
In the Description text box, type a short description of the topic
NOTES:
This description will be displayed under the topic title when the Discussions page is viewed.
You can type the actual question and/or describe the desired length of answers.
OPTIONAL: To add additional topics for the same Forum,
1. Click SAVE AND NEW
2. Repeat steps 11-12
Click SAVE
The forum and topic(s) have been added.
To return to the Forums & Topics List pane, on the Navigation bar, click DISCUSSIONS
NOTE: You cannot see the forum unless topics have been added.