Ultra Course - Create Discussions

NEW! Changes to discussions in UCV

Students can delete discussions they've created. There is no option to prevent students from deleting discussions they've created. When students delete a discussion, other users see a message about the deletion.

NEW! Use Folders to Organize Conversations

Discussions in the Ultra Course View don't use forums and threads. Instead, instructors can use folders to organize conversations in whatever way they like.

NEW! Discussion Analytics

Discussion analytics allows you to view the entire discussion along with all responses and replies. Discussion analytics include average word count and responses, as well as top responses and participants.

NOTE: When you convert/copy your course from the Original Course View to the Ultra Course View, some discussions are flattened and some settings are removed.

Create a discussion on the Course Content Page

You can create a discussion directly on the Course Content page so students can view it in context with other materials by clicking on the plus sign, select create and select Discussion. Discussion forums have been removed from ultra courses, but instructors can use folders to organize conversations in whatever way they like.

Create a discussion in the Discussion area using the navigation bar

Go to the Discussions tab on the navigation bar to open the course discussions page. From here, you can select the plus sign in the upper-right corner and select Add Discussion from the menu, or add a folder to organize conversations in whatever way you like. Discussion forums have been removed from ultra courses.

Name the discussion

If you don't add a name, the default title will become "New Discussion" plus the date the discussion was created.

Add instructions and items to discussion

Make discussion available to students

Select discussion settings

Select the Discussion Settings icon (gear) to open a panel with options for the discussion.

Display on the course content page

Select Display on the course content page (default) to include the discussion on the course content page with other content items. If unselected, students MUST access the discussion through the discussion tab on the top navigation bar.

Post first

Select to hide discussion activity from students until they respond to the discussion. This will help encourage original ideas as the student must respond to a discussion before they can read other responses and replies. When you want to use Post first with groups, be sure to select Post first before you assign the groups.

Grade Discussions

You have the option to make the discussion count for a grade. When you choose to grade a discussion, more options appear such as the due date and maximum points. The maximum points apply to one or more posts made by a student. When you enable grading for a discussion, a column is automatically created in the gradebook.

Align with goals

Select align with goals to search for available goals. After you make the discussion visible, students can view the goals.

Assign to groups

Reorder discussions

To rearrange a discussion, go to the discussions page using the top navigation menu. Here, hover your mouse over the area to the left of the discussion's menu (3 dots). You will see opposing arrows appear. Once you see the opposing arrows, left click on the arrows and holding your left mouse key down, move the discussion. To drop the discussion, release the left mouse button.

Edit or delete a discussion

To edit or delete a discussion, open the Discussion page using the top navigation menu. You should see a list of discussions you have created. To delete or edit, click on the discussion's menu (3 dots) and select from the menu. This will delete the entire discussion along with all responses and replies.

Edit or delete one specific response or reply

Go to the discussion and find the reponse you want to edit/delete. Click on the response's menu (3 dots) and select from the menu. This will only delete the response you have selected.

View discussion analytics

What will you see when students post to the discussion?

Students can open discussions from the Discussion tab on the top navigation menu. If there are new entries, you will see a purple indicator next to the discussion title.

When you open the discussion, new responses and replies appear with "New" to show any activity that's happened since your last visit. Click on the Reply link to add a reply or Click on the Show replies to view all replies.

You can reply to individual posts by clicking on the reply link. To delete or edit a post, select the 3 dot menu and select edit or delete. This will only alter the selected reply you have chosen.

Ultra Course - Discussions