This guide pertains to Ultra Course View.
If your course is in Original Course View, see the Original Course View tutorial collection.
Explanation
Discussions are used to facilitate online conversations with your classmates in Blackboard Ultra. Below is a short guide on how to access your course and contribute to the latest discussion forum. Discussions may be graded, associated with groups, anonymous, and/or require the user to create their initial post before viewing the contributions of others.
Procedure
1. Upon entering your course shell, select the “Discussions” option from the top menu. Available discussions will appear below. Alternatively, the discussion assignment may appear in the main content area.
2. Click on your discussion activity of choice.
3. In some cases (shown below), you may not be able to view others’ posts until you create your initial post.
4. If the discussion is graded, you will see the total possible points on the right side of the screen. If your professor has created a rubric for this assignment, it will also appear in this area.
5. To respond to the prompt, begin typing in the bar under the discussion topic. Upon clicking on this bar, several writing tools will be made available to you. Linked here is a guide on how to use these tools in written assignments. Click “Respond” once your answer is complete.
6. If done correctly, your response will appear in the area below the bar.
7. Clicking the three dots next to your response will allow you to delete or edit your text. You may not be able to edit past comments depending on whether your instructor has made this an option. Deleted posts that have responses from other students will remain visible with the text removed.
8. You may use the option in the bottom right corner to search for other users who have created posts. Clicking on their name will sort only their responses.
Rubrics
If your instructor is grading the discussion with a rubric, you may view it in the right-hand menu upon entering the forum. This menu will also display the due date, total possible points, and group status.
You may click on the blue text to review the rubric. This will open a small menu on the right side of your screen where you may read each of the requirements. Click on the drop-down arrows to view the specific details and associated points or percentages.
Group Discussions
Group discussions are indicated by the "Groups" icon shown below. Additionally, upon entering a discussion, your group title and members will be displayed. In a group discussion, one's contributions will only be visible to their team and the instructor, meaning that other groups and users will not be able to review your posts.
Anonymous Discussions
Your instructor may configure your discussions to be anonymous. Anonymous discussions are never graded nor can they be associated with groups.
Anonymous discussions are indicated by a sunglasses icon in the right-hand menu. Additionally, a checkbox will appear under one's post as they are writing it.
Checking this box will keep your post anonymous, hiding your name and profile picture from the view of all other users in the course (instructors and students). You may edit or delete your posts depending on how your instructor configured the discussion forum.
See also: Discussions