How can I require students to reply to a course discussion before they see other replies?
You can require that students reply to a discussion before the see any of the other students' replies.
Open Discussions
![Open Discussions](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/002/762/721/original/fb4b6fe9-05b2-40e3-b221-a3fd6771b3f0.png)
In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
Add Discussion
![Add Discussion](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/003/234/530/original/8bd0c898-072c-4010-85c1-c8aa45be6316.png)
Click the Add Discussion button.
Enter Discussion Details
![Enter Discussion Details](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/052/183/original/cc56be3c-f51b-4d5f-982f-25b89129da13.png)
Enter a topic title [1] and discussion details [2].
Select Discussion Options
![Select Discussion Options](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/052/185/original/163f9c26-bc17-4594-8ade-812f1b84dfe0.png)
Select the Users must post before seeing replies checkbox.
Save and Publish
![Save and Publish](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/000/760/940/original/3ca77a35-7d5a-4d63-af76-3b6c7b553490.png)
If you are ready to publish your discussion, click the Save & Publish button [1]. If you want to create a draft of your discussion and publish it later, click the Save button [2].
![Publish Discussion](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/001/636/590/original/9536011d-5945-4c2e-96d7-e87151225dba.png)
When your discussion is saved in a draft state, you can return to the page and publish it at any time by clicking the Publish button.
Student View Discussion
![Student View Discussion](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/643/671/original/2713671f-aac8-469f-afae-1a7d463cfab9.png)
Students will see a 'Replies are only visible to those who have posted at least one reply' message when they view the Discussion topic.
In Discussions Redesign, students will see a 'You must post before seeing replies' message when they view the Discussion topic.
Note: Sometimes students will work around this requirement by deleting their posts. You can change your course settings to keep students from deleting their posts.