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3.h - Using the Discussion Board

The discussion board in Blackboard allows students, instructors and other participants to have online threaded discussions within the course. Typically, the Instructor starts a topic in the discussion board, and students respond to the topic with questions and/or answers to the topic. This type of discussion is very similar to e-mail, but all of the conversations are logged on the system, so that all participants can view all of the messages and responses.

Navigating in the Discussion Board is slightly different that other parts of Blackboard, so the following illustrations demonstrate some of the ways to view messages, respond to messages, and edit your messages.

1. Usually, the discussion board is found in the "Communications" area of a course. However, it is possible that some instructors might have direct links to a particular discussion board throughout the course. In this example, the discussion board is found in the course's "Communication" area. The student would click on "Communication", and then on "Discussion Board":
   
   
   
   
2. This will open the primary discussion board page, listing all available forums that students can post into. Also, notice that each forum lists how many messages are posted, and how many messages are new (or have not yet been read). To enter the discussion and view the messages, click on the title of the discussion forum:
   
   
   
   
3. This will open the discussion thread view, where you can view all of the messages which have been posted for this topic. There are many buttons and features on this screen. Refer to the illustration below and the corresponding feature explanations below the picture:
   
   
   1. Add New Thread Button - Some forums will allow students to start a new thread in the forum. This allows you to start a new topic with a new subject line.
   2. Expand/Collapse/Search - Clicking on "Expand All" will open the thread view so that you can see all of the messages in the forum. Clicking on "Collapse All" will collapse the threads so that you can only see the first message of each topic listed. Search allows you to search through the messages in this forum.
   3. Clicking on the small red triangle will open a toolbar with more advanced features for viewing, sorting, and searching the message threads.
   4. This area shows the topics and messages of the discussion thread. You can click on any of the message titles to view the actual message.
   5. This column lists who posted the particular messages in the thread.
   6. This feature allows you to sort messages by different methods.
   7. Clicking on "OK" will take you back to the main discussion board page.

    

4. After clicking on the title of one of the messages in the message thread, you will see the message detail screen. This screen lets you view complete details about the message, reply to the message, and other ways to navigate among the messages in the thread. See the illustration below for more complete details about the message screen:
   
   
   1. The "Previous" and "Next" message navigators allow you to scroll from message to message without having to go back to the main message thread. This navigation is similar to turning pages in a book, where clicking on "Next Message" will advance you forward in the message thread, and clicking on "Previous Message" will move you back to the previous message in the thread.
   2. This area shows you the details about the message: The forum it was posted in, the date it was posted, the author who posted it (along with a quick link to the author's email), and the subject of the message. These details are very similar to what you would see in a typical email message.
   3. This area is the actual message that was posted by the author. At the bottom of the message you will see a "Reply" button which will allow you to post a reply to this message.
   4. This is a repeat of the "Previous" and "Next" message navigation. The buttons are at both the top and bottom of the message details screen.
   5. This is a view of the message thread for which you are viewing. It is similar to the main message thread screen, and shows you which message you are currently viewing. Again, if you click on a message title, you will be taken to the message details for the message you click on.
   6. Clicking on "OK" will return you to the message thread screen.

    

5. If you click on "Reply" to a message on the message board, you will be able to type a response to the message of which you are replying. This screen allows you to edit the subject, type a message, and optionally attach a file:
   
   
   1. You can change the subject of your response if you wish. However, note that changing the subject can make the discussion thread somewhat confusing. If you are changing the topic, it is better to return to the main message thread, and click on "Add Topic" to start a whole new topic.
   2. Here is where you type your message as a response to the previous message. Here, you can use the Visual Textbox Editor to take advantage of bold, italic, underline and other text formatting options for your message.
   3. Optionally, you can attach a file (such as a Word Document, Powerpoint Presentation, etc.) to your message. This attachment will be visible to all participants of the discussion board who view your message. Also, your message will have an attachment icon (small paperclip) next to it in the main message thread views notifying participants that you have an attachment in your message.
   4. Once you have completed entering your response, click on "Submit" to post your message to the message board.

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