Discussion Board Options

Group Discussion Board Options
Blackboard provides several options to enhance your participation in a discussion forum on the Discussion Board or in a Group Pages Discussion Board. To take full advantage of these features, please follow these steps: Use the navigation frame on the left side of the screen in your course. If your instructor has made the Groups button or link available, click the "Groups" button or link. Note: If you do not see the "Groups" button or link in your course, click the "Communication" button and then the "Group Pages" link when the Communication area appears: When the "Group" section appears on the right side of your screen, click the link to your discussion group. Note: The title of discussion groups to which you have been assigned will appear with a hypertext link: Once you enter the discussion group, click the link to the group Discussion Board: Then the discussion forum for the Group Pages Discussion Board will appear. The Group Pages Discussion Board looks the same as a discussion forum on the main Discussion Board: After you read the assignment for the discussion forum, click the link to enter the discussion area and either begin a new discussion thread or respond to an existing discussion thread as directed. Blackboard gives you several options for viewing the discussion threads. If you enter the group after several class members have participated in the group discussion, you will see links to their discussion threads. The plus sign in front of a thread indicates a discussion board member has added a new thread and others have responded to that thread. To view all the discussion threads, click the "Expand All" option: You will then see all the discussion threads with the responses arranged in order under the initial thread message: To view other options that will allow you to select only particular threads or responses to view at once, move your mouse pointer and click the "Show Option" tab: After you click the "Show Options" tab, you will see a series of select boxes in front of the discussion threads and a series of options at the top of the threads: Move your mouse until the pointer is poised over the discussion threads that you want to read. Click each of the select boxes. Then move your pointer until it becomes a small hand over the "Collect" option. Click your mouse on the "Collect" option: At this point, the initial discussion thread and the response will appear. If you want to read all the dicussion threads and responses in the order in which they were submitted, click the "Select All" option and then the "Collect" option. All the discussion threads will appear on the screen. Another option is to sort the discussions by the members of the discussion group and then select and collect just the comments by one author. To do so, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the "Sort" option and then click the "Author" option: When the next page appears, all the discussion threads and replies will be arranged in alphabetical order. If you want to view the threads and replies by a single author, click the ones that you want to read. Then move your mouse pointer up to the "Collect" option. When the select arrows becomes a small hand, click the "Collect" option. You will then be able to read all the comments by one author. To close the discussion thread, click the "OK" button at the bottom of the screen.

Group Discussion Board Options

Blackboard provides several options to enhance your participation in a discussion forum on the Discussion Board or in a Group Pages Discussion Board. To take full advantage of these features, please follow these steps:

Use the navigation frame on the left side of the screen in your course. If your instructor has made the Groups button or link available, click the "Groups" button or link.

Note: If you do not see the "Groups" button or link in your course, click the "Communication" button and then the "Group Pages" link when the Communication area appears:

When the "Group" section appears on the right side of your screen, click the link to your discussion group. Note: The title of discussion groups to which you have been assigned will appear with a hypertext link:

Once you enter the discussion group, click the link to the group Discussion Board:

Then the discussion forum for the Group Pages Discussion Board will appear. The Group Pages Discussion Board looks the same as a discussion forum on the main Discussion Board:

After you read the assignment for the discussion forum, click the link to enter the discussion area and either begin a new discussion thread or respond to an existing discussion thread as directed. Blackboard gives you several options for viewing the discussion threads. If you enter the group after several class members have participated in the group discussion, you will see links to their discussion threads.

The plus sign in front of a thread indicates a discussion board member has added a new thread and others have responded to that thread. To view all the discussion threads, click the "Expand All" option:

You will then see all the discussion threads with the responses arranged in order under the initial thread message:

To view other options that will allow you to select only particular threads or responses to view at once, move your mouse pointer and click the "Show Option" tab:

After you click the "Show Options" tab, you will see a series of select boxes in front of the discussion threads and a series of options at the top of the threads:

Move your mouse until the pointer is poised over the discussion threads that you want to read. Click each of the select boxes. Then move your pointer until it becomes a small hand over the "Collect" option. Click your mouse on the "Collect" option:

At this point, the initial discussion thread and the response will appear. If you want to read all the dicussion threads and responses in the order in which they were submitted, click the "Select All" option and then the "Collect" option. All the discussion threads will appear on the screen.

Another option is to sort the discussions by the members of the discussion group and then select and collect just the comments by one author. To do so, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the "Sort" option and then click the "Author" option:

When the next page appears, all the discussion threads and replies will be arranged in alphabetical order. If you want to view the threads and replies by a single author, click the ones that you want to read. Then move your mouse pointer up to the "Collect" option. When the select arrows becomes a small hand, click the "Collect" option. You will then be able to read all the comments by one author. To close the discussion thread, click the "OK" button at the bottom of the screen.