Discussions

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Tip

If you create 1 discussion for your course, then all the students enrolled in the course will participate in the same discussion, which might be too big of a "conversation" to be successful. Instead, create a discussion for each class period, assigning the discussion to just the appropriate hour Links to an external site. and not Everyone.

Another option is to create a group discussion. You could create groups within a class period to have discussions for smaller groups within that class. You could create groups within the course and have students in the same group who are not in the same class period. 

 

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Guides

Discussion Guides Links to an external site.

What can I use a Discussion for?

Discussions can be used to:

  • Help students start thinking about an upcoming Assignment or class discussion.
  • Follow-up on a conversation or questions that began in a face-to-face classroom.
  • Check for understanding of learning targets.
  • Debate contradictory ideas.
  • Brainstorm different approaches to a problem.

Options and Settings

Discussions can be created Links to an external site. as an assignment for grading purposes Links to an external site. or remain ungraded (i.e., an "Introduce Yourself" or "Student Forum" or course Q&A).

When you set a discussion to 'graded' then the options for creating an assignment will appear. Consider the following quiz settings:

In the Options section of the Quiz settings:
In the Course Settings, under More Options:

In your Discussion directions/prompt, use the Rich Text Editor to include links to websites, record or upload videos, insert content from External Apps such as Khan Academy or CK-12, etc. You can use the Content Selector to includes links to other pages in our course, modules, files, or embed an image you've uploaded. 


Threaded or Focused

You can also choose to make a discussion threaded or focused Links to an external site.. Use a Threaded Discussion for multiple posts and related comments. One or more discussion leaders post a message and multiple learners comment on it with the freedom to create any number of related discussion topics and comments (infinite layers of nesting). 


Peer Review

A peer review discussion Links to an external site. enables students to provide feedback on another student's reply to a class discussion. Peer reviews are a tool that allows communication between students and can help students master the concepts of a course and learn from each other. Peer reviews can only be added as part of a graded discussion.


Facilitating Discussions


Video Tutorials