[Discussions] Allow instructor to block/moderate student from discussion board

[jolaine]

I have an instructor who says a student is repeatedly posting inappropriate content in a Discussion Board, even after the instructor has given guidance as to appropriate posting.  Currently, the only way to control this is for the instructor to go in and delete the offending messages, but by that time, the rest of the students may have seen it.

There should be a way for an instructor to set the discussion so that it must be moderated (posts don't appear to the students until the Teacher/TA has approved them) or that a particular student can be blocked from the discussion. 

[dheup]

There is a 4th option... Have a "discussion" where all of the conversations are sent to the teacher via Canvas messages and then posted by the teacher. 

Yes, as Deborah Bogard points out, this is only a workaround, not a solution. It's only slightly easier than #2 staying awake 24/7 while the discussion is open 🙂

[bogardde]

Thanks for trying to help. But this would be a workaround, not an option, and as a workaround it would just be too cumbersome and limited. Instructure just needs to make the Moderation option happen. The fact that it hasn't is another case where K-12 needs get put on a back burner because we just don't have the numbers or as loud of a voice as Higher Ed.

[whiteheado]

This would be such a helpful feature to have. Working in a school wellbeing team, we would really like to have this option in order to avoid students posting discussion points as a way of reaching out for help. We have chosen not to use the discussion board tool in order to avoid oversharing and risking the possibility of students posting concerning and detrimental messages which effect their peers. 

Thanks!

[samplejm]

Having moderation as an option does not create work for a teacher unless they opt for it. In an elementary setting students are still learning to use appropriate language and some students struggle with behavior. Parents are also more likely to react to inappropriate comments. Justly so, I believe, and as we are placed in an en loco parentis status we need to up hold high standards. The ability to review comments allows the opportunity to help students learn self-control without causing them embarrasment, while protecting the greater learning community from potential harassment, and exporsure to questionable content. Further, in the current virtual learning enviroment, school remedies are harder to enforce. It would be ashame for the genneral classroom population to lose out on the opprotunities that discussion supplies because a teacher is not able to moderate responses and one or two students continually abuse the discussion and the teacher is forced to end it.

[kevin_jackson]

I would love to have the option to turn on moderation so that comments must be approved before being published. I don't need it in every discussion, so that's why I would like the option to exist.

[anoll]

We just had a demo of the Canvas LMS and this question came up within 2 seconds of seeing the Discussion tool. We will be using the LMS in grades k-12. Moderating discussions is necessary, Discussions will not be used in many instances where it would be an effective learning tool without this capability. With all due respect I'll say: if you don't know why we need this, you don't teach middle school. 🙂

[scotchcollege15]

I am writing this from lock-down and we are using discussion posts to keep connected to student who live far from school. Students are posting photos and videos so the risks of accidental or deliberate harm are high enough to require moderation.

This previous proposal as an optional add on. would work.

1. All unmoderated
2. All moderated
3. Instructor selects individuals whose posts are moderated, all others unmoderated
4. Instructor selects individuals who are blocked from posting

In a school setting the absence of a moderation feature makes open discussion forums a high risk of inappropriate content or behaviour. My request would be bump it up in priority, it is a must.

[kjuul]

As a teacher, I would also appreciate being able to moderate, remove, and flag posts made by students. 

[degresham]

Yes, please consider the option for the teacher to approve posts beforehand! I have students who push the envelope on their posts and I would like to be able to discuss with students proactively, when needed. I may try to use FlipGrid instead since it has this feature included. Thank you for considering!

[EmelieT]

I agree that there should be a filter, to review discussion posts BEFORE they are posted. Thank you for your comment!