Before Creating a Discussion

When creating an online discussion, it is important to specify what you expect from your students. In addition to the question or prompt to be discussed, let the students know the expected length of their response, any resources or citations they need to include, and if they need to respond to any other discussion posts.
To help students avoid procrastinating on discussions until the due date, it's common to require an early date for initial posts. Use a variation of the following language in your discussion instructions to make this clear to students:

Your initial post is due on Wednesday, respond to other student posts by Sunday.

Some instructors have found that telling students to use the 3CQ format (a compliment, a comment, a connection, and a question) helps them create more engaging posts. This can be paired with a grading rubric that prioritizes posts that advance the conversation over number of posts.
Use the Users must post before seeing replies option for conversations where students are likely to come up with similar answers or have fallen into the habit of posting "I agree" comments.

Steps to Create a Discussion

STEP 1: Click on the Discussion link on the left navigation panel.

STEP 2: Click on the +Discussion button on the right side of the page.

STEP 3: Enter a Topic Title. You can add your directions and questions in the RCE box, as you did when you created and assignment.

Discussion Settings

If you want your discussion to be graded, check the Graded box under options.

In order to encourage original replies, instructors should also check Users must post before seeing replies. This will ensure that students will not see other student posts before posting their own response.

Allow threaded replies is also helpful to keep topics organized.

TRY IT!

Now that you have seen how to create a discussion, try it yourself. Create an discussion with the following parameters:

Discussion Name: Weekly Check-in

RCE information: What questions do you have about this week's unit? Post any questions you have.

Points: 10

Settings: Allow threaded replies

Due Date: None

Save and Publish

Bonus TRY IT!

Masquerade as a student by using the Student View button and post a reply to your discussion.

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