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In this video, you will learn how to view, reply to, and edit discussion posts.
Last updated 2023-06-01
View the script for this video
To view subtitles for this video, click the button in the toolbar and select a language.
Video overviews reflect current feature functionality in Canvas; they are updated based on workflow changes, not on minor or non-functional interface enhancements. Depending on your institution's Canvas theme, the Canvas interface may display differently than shown in this video, but the functionality is the same.
Discussion Overview (Students) Video Script
In this video, you will learn how to view, reply to, and edit discussion posts. To get started, click the Discussions link in Course Navigation. From the Discussions Index page, you can view all discussions in your course, filter discussions to view all or unread discussions, search for a specific discussion by title or keyword, and, if enabled by your instructor, you can start a new discussion.
By default, when you view a discussion, unread replies are automatically marked as read when you scroll past them. You can manage this option by clicking the Settings icon. Select the Manually mark posts as read checkbox to keep track of which posts still need review when you view a discussion, Click the Save Settings button when you are done.
The Discussions Index page is organized into three areas: Pinned Discussions, Discussions, and Closed for Comments. The Pinned section displays a list of discussions that your instructor wants to show at the top of your Discussions page. The Discussions section displays a list of current discussions with most recently active listed first. The Closed for Comments section displays a list of discussions with expired availability dates and discussions that have been manually closed.
Graded discussions display the assignment icon, and discussions that require a peer review display the peer review icon. Dates display for graded discussions, and for discussions with assigned to-do dates. Click the subscribe icon to subscribe or unsubscribe to a discussion. You can also view the number of unread and total replies in a discussion.
Thanks for watching this Discussions Overview video. To learn more about Canvas, ask questions, or engage with other Canvas users, please visit community.canvaslms.com.
In this video, you will learn about the Discussions Index page and discussion creation.
Last updated 2023-06-02
View the script for this video
To view subtitles for this video, click the button in the toolbar.
Video overviews reflect current feature functionality in Canvas; they are updated based on workflow changes, not on minor or non-functional interface enhancements. Depending on your institution's Canvas theme, the Canvas interface may display differently than shown in this video, but the functionality is the same.
To learn more about discussions, visit the following lessons:
Discussions Overview (Instructors) Video Script
In this video, you will learn about the Discussions Index page and discussion creation. To view the Discussions Index page, click the Discussions link in Course Navigation. From the Discussions Index page, you can view a list of all discussions in your course, filter the list of discussions to view all or unread discussions, search for a specific discussion by title or keyword, and start a new discussion. You can also manage settings for all discussions in your course by clicking the Settings icon.
When you view a discussion, unread replies are automatically marked as read when you scroll past them. To help you keep track of which posts still need review when you view a discussion, select the Manually mark posts as read checkbox. To allow students to begin a new discussion, select the Create discussion topics checkbox. To allow students to edit and delete their own posts, select the Edit and delete their own posts checkbox. To allow students to attach pictures or documents to a discussion post, select the Attach files to discussions checkbox. Click the Save Settings button when you are done.
The Discussions Index page is organized into three areas: Pinned Discussions, Discussions, and Closed for Comments. The Pinned section displays a list of discussions that show at the top of a student’s Discussions page. The Discussions section displays a list of current discussions with most recently active listed first. The Closed for Comments section displays a list of discussions with expired availability dates and discussions that have been manually closed. To move a discussion from one section, or to organize discussions in the Pinned Discussion section, drag and drop it to the preferred location. Click a discussion’s options icon to open or close commenting, pin or unpin, duplicate, send the discussion to another instructor, copy the discussion to another course, or delete a discussion.
You can also view at-a-glance information for individual discussions. Graded discussions display the assignment icon, and discussions that require a peer review display the peer review icon. Dates display for graded discussions, and for discussions with assigned to-do dates. Publish icons indicate the publish status of a discussion. Click the subscribe icon to subscribe or unsubscribe to a discussion. You can also view the number of unread and total replies in a discussion.
To create a new discussion, click the Add Discussion button. From the discussion details page, give your discussion a title in the Topic Title field and add directions, media, and other instructional content using the Rich Content Editor. To assign an ungraded discussion to a specific section in your course, click the Post to drop-down menu and type the name of or select a section name from the options that appear. Add an attachment to your discussion by clicking the Choose File button and selecting a file from your computer. Select other discussion format options in the Options menu and create a group discussion by selecting the This is a Group Discussion checkbox. You can create a graded discussion by selecting the Graded checkbox in the Options menu. Next, enter the discussion point value in the Points field, and specify how the grade displays in the gradebook in the Display Grade As drop-down menu. Then select an assignment group from the Assignment Group drop-down menu. You can also specify peer review requirements for your discussion. Assign a due date as well as availability dates for the discussion. You can also assign the discussion to specific sections and students, or differentiate due dates for sections and students within your course. Click the Add button and in the Assign to field, type or select the section or student name. Then add due and availability dates. To save your discussion as a draft, click the Save button or, to save changes and make the discussion available to students, click the Save & Publish button. After you save your discussion you can view the discussion details page.
In the discussion details page, you can publish or unpublish the discussion, edit the discussion, view discussion options, search and filter discussion replies, collapse and expand discussion replies, subscribe or unsubscribe, and reply to the discussion.
Thanks for watching this Discussions overview video. To learn more about Canvas, ask questions, or engage with other Canvas users, please visit community.canvaslms.com.
Canvas provides an integrated system for class discussions, allowing both instructors and students to start and contribute to as many discussion topics as desired. Discussions allows for interactive communication between two or more people; users can participate in a conversation with an entire class or group.
Discussions can also be created as an assignment for grading purposes (and seamlessly integrated with the Canvas Gradebook), or simply serve as a forum for topical and current events. Discussions can also be created within student groups.
Discussion topics can be organized as focused or threaded discussions. Focused discussions only allow for two levels of nesting, the original post and subsequent replies. Threaded discussions allow for infinite levels of nesting. Focused discussions are relatively short-lived interactions, while threaded discussions allow replies within replies and may last for a longer period of time.
Focused Discussions
Focused discussions are relatively short-lived interactions that tend to disappear as the course progresses, such as a weekly forum for questions related to that week's activities.
Use a focused discussion for single posts and related comments. One discussion leader typically posts a message and multiple learners comment on it. Participants may leave a side comment to a reply, but cannot develop the conversation beyond two layers of nesting.
Focused discussions might also be used to:
- answer a single question
- share resources amongst peers
- collect results from a simple research activity
- share solutions to a single problem
- correct misconceptions
- clarify course policies
- get feedback on a work in progress
- share insights about a single reading
Threaded Discussions
Threaded discussions include infinite layers of response nesting, allowing commenters to continue responding on a single nested thread. Threaded discussions lend themselves to the refining of complex ideas. Responses and different lines of inquiry that can be quickly navigated due to its hierarchical structure. Threaded discussions may be long-standing spaces for thoughts that persist throughout an entire course.
Use a threaded discussion for multiple posts and related comments. One or more discussion leaders post a message and multiple learners comment on it with the freedom to create any number of related discussion topics and comments.
Threaded Discussions might also be used to:
- post and answer multiple related or unrelated questions
- organize results from a complex research activity
- share and iterate upon ideas shared by each student in the course
- debate the pros and cons of a single issue or multiple issues
- ask multiple questions of a single discussion leader
- refine ideas between multiple discussion leaders and multiple learners
- facilitate group discussions around multiple topics
- facilitate discussions around a discussion (fishbowl conversations)
- explore at length the feasibility of different solutions to a complex problem
How do I use Discussions as an Instructor?
Within Discussions you can:
- Create, edit, and delete discussion topics. You can also reply to, edit, and delete individual student discussion posts.
- Create threaded or focused discussions within your course. (Private discussions can be initiated within student groups, which are not viewable by others outside that group.)
- Create discussions with varied due dates for different sections within your course.
- Create a group discussion as an assignment.
- Create a graded discussion for everyone, individual students, course sections, or course groups. When a discussion is marked as a graded assignment, the Canvas SpeedGrader™ isolates each student’s comments from the thread and combines them into one easily readable view for grading.
- Subscribe to a discussion and be notified of replies.
- Enable podcast feeds within your discussions.
- Embed or attach files, images, and YouTube videos.
- Add course content directly from your course.
- Delay discussion posts until a defined date.
- Pin discussion threads that you want your students to see at the top of the Discussions page.
Note: You can also use keyboard shortcuts to navigate individual discussion threads. To view a window with a list of keyboard navigation shortcuts, press Alt+F8 (on a PC keyboard) or Option+F8 (on a Mac keyboard) simultaneously on your keyboard.
What Settings Can I Control in Discussions?
You can control certain settings within Discussions:
- Tell Canvas how to mark your discussion posts as read and unread. You can also manually mark posts as read.
- Require students to reply to a discussion before viewing other replies.
- Allow students to edit or delete their own discussion posts.
- Allow students to create new discussions and attach files in your course discussions (this setting does not apply to student groups).
- Allow students to like discussion replies in your course discussions.
- Close discussion threads to comments.
How do I use Discussions as a Student?
Within Discussions you can:
- Create, edit, and delete discussion topics. You can also reply to individual student discussion posts.
- Subscribe to a discussion and be notified of replies.
- Subscribe to podcast feeds within discussions.
- Embed or attach files, images, and YouTube videos.
Note: Your instructor may have some of these options disabled in your course.
How do I use Discussions as an Observer?
Within Discussions you can:
- View your student's course discussions.
- Filter your student's course discussions.
- Subscribe to a discussion and be notified of replies.
Note: Your student's teacher may have some of these options disabled in your student's course.
Discussions Redesign
If enabled by your institution, Discussions Redesign provides an enhanced experience for course discussions.
A discussion displayed in the Discussions Redesign interface includes three sections: the discussion toolbar, discussion topic, and discussion replies.
You can use the toolbar to search for replies or specific authors, filter by all replies or unread replies, sort replies by newest or oldest, and return to the top of a discussion.
In this video, you will learn about the Discussions Index page and discussion creation.
Last updated 2023-06-02
View the script for this video
To view subtitles for this video, click the button in the toolbar.
Video overviews reflect current feature functionality in Canvas; they are updated based on workflow changes, not on minor or non-functional interface enhancements. Depending on your institution's Canvas theme, the Canvas interface may display differently than shown in this video, but the functionality is the same.
To learn more about discussions, visit the following lessons:
Discussions Overview (Instructors) Video Script
In this video, you will learn about the Discussions Index page and discussion creation. To view the Discussions Index page, click the Discussions link in Course Navigation. From the Discussions Index page, you can view a list of all discussions in your course, filter the list of discussions to view all or unread discussions, search for a specific discussion by title or keyword, and start a new discussion. You can also manage settings for all discussions in your course by clicking the Settings icon.
When you view a discussion, unread replies are automatically marked as read when you scroll past them. To help you keep track of which posts still need review when you view a discussion, select the Manually mark posts as read checkbox. To allow students to begin a new discussion, select the Create discussion topics checkbox. To allow students to edit and delete their own posts, select the Edit and delete their own posts checkbox. To allow students to attach pictures or documents to a discussion post, select the Attach files to discussions checkbox. Click the Save Settings button when you are done.
The Discussions Index page is organized into three areas: Pinned Discussions, Discussions, and Closed for Comments. The Pinned section displays a list of discussions that show at the top of a student’s Discussions page. The Discussions section displays a list of current discussions with most recently active listed first. The Closed for Comments section displays a list of discussions with expired availability dates and discussions that have been manually closed. To move a discussion from one section, or to organize discussions in the Pinned Discussion section, drag and drop it to the preferred location. Click a discussion’s options icon to open or close commenting, pin or unpin, duplicate, send the discussion to another instructor, copy the discussion to another course, or delete a discussion.
You can also view at-a-glance information for individual discussions. Graded discussions display the assignment icon, and discussions that require a peer review display the peer review icon. Dates display for graded discussions, and for discussions with assigned to-do dates. Publish icons indicate the publish status of a discussion. Click the subscribe icon to subscribe or unsubscribe to a discussion. You can also view the number of unread and total replies in a discussion.
To create a new discussion, click the Add Discussion button. From the discussion details page, give your discussion a title in the Topic Title field and add directions, media, and other instructional content using the Rich Content Editor. To assign an ungraded discussion to a specific section in your course, click the Post to drop-down menu and type the name of or select a section name from the options that appear. Add an attachment to your discussion by clicking the Choose File button and selecting a file from your computer. Select other discussion format options in the Options menu and create a group discussion by selecting the This is a Group Discussion checkbox. You can create a graded discussion by selecting the Graded checkbox in the Options menu. Next, enter the discussion point value in the Points field, and specify how the grade displays in the gradebook in the Display Grade As drop-down menu. Then select an assignment group from the Assignment Group drop-down menu. You can also specify peer review requirements for your discussion. Assign a due date as well as availability dates for the discussion. You can also assign the discussion to specific sections and students, or differentiate due dates for sections and students within your course. Click the Add button and in the Assign to field, type or select the section or student name. Then add due and availability dates. To save your discussion as a draft, click the Save button or, to save changes and make the discussion available to students, click the Save & Publish button. After you save your discussion you can view the discussion details page.
In the discussion details page, you can publish or unpublish the discussion, edit the discussion, view discussion options, search and filter discussion replies, collapse and expand discussion replies, subscribe or unsubscribe, and reply to the discussion.
Thanks for watching this Discussions overview video. To learn more about Canvas, ask questions, or engage with other Canvas users, please visit community.canvaslms.com.
In this video, you will learn how to view, reply to, and edit discussion posts.
Last updated 2023-06-01
View the script for this video
To view subtitles for this video, click the button in the toolbar and select a language.
Video overviews reflect current feature functionality in Canvas; they are updated based on workflow changes, not on minor or non-functional interface enhancements. Depending on your institution's Canvas theme, the Canvas interface may display differently than shown in this video, but the functionality is the same.
Discussion Overview (Students) Video Script
In this video, you will learn how to view, reply to, and edit discussion posts. To get started, click the Discussions link in Course Navigation. From the Discussions Index page, you can view all discussions in your course, filter discussions to view all or unread discussions, search for a specific discussion by title or keyword, and, if enabled by your instructor, you can start a new discussion.
By default, when you view a discussion, unread replies are automatically marked as read when you scroll past them. You can manage this option by clicking the Settings icon. Select the Manually mark posts as read checkbox to keep track of which posts still need review when you view a discussion, Click the Save Settings button when you are done.
The Discussions Index page is organized into three areas: Pinned Discussions, Discussions, and Closed for Comments. The Pinned section displays a list of discussions that your instructor wants to show at the top of your Discussions page. The Discussions section displays a list of current discussions with most recently active listed first. The Closed for Comments section displays a list of discussions with expired availability dates and discussions that have been manually closed.
Graded discussions display the assignment icon, and discussions that require a peer review display the peer review icon. Dates display for graded discussions, and for discussions with assigned to-do dates. Click the subscribe icon to subscribe or unsubscribe to a discussion. You can also view the number of unread and total replies in a discussion.
Thanks for watching this Discussions Overview video. To learn more about Canvas, ask questions, or engage with other Canvas users, please visit community.canvaslms.com.
This document (last updated 2023-12-19) provides a summary of the Discussions/Announcements Redesign feature, which was originally introduced in the Canvas Release Notes (2021-06-19). For specific release updates within this document, please see the releases change log.
Discussion and announcement topics display an updated design with small usability enhancements. These changes ensure page responsiveness and prepare the interface for feature functionality improvements.
- Community Resources
- Feature Releases
- Customer Feedback
- Feature Documentation
- Feature/Integration Setup
- Feature Preview
- Active Development
- Permissions
- Mobile Support
- Release Schedule
- Course-Level Features
- Interface Modifications
- Feature Parity
- Additional Functionality
- Role Labels
- Flexible Viewing Options
- Mentions
- Quotes
- Reply Reporting
- Reported Reply Notifications (Teachers)
- Anonymous Discussions
Community Resources
Feature Releases
This document outlines up-to-date functionality for this feature. This document will continue to receive additional updates as indicated in the feature's release change log. Releases are subject to change.
Customer Feedback
Community feedback for the Discussions/Announcements Redesign project is welcome in the Discussions/Announcements Redesign User Group Forum.
Feature Documentation
New documentation for this feature is available in the Canvas Guides:
- Announcements Redesign
- Discussions Redesign
Comments are welcome for functionality clarification. Lessons will also be updated with all future enhancements as indicated in the change log.
Feature/Integration Setup
Feature Preview
The Discussions/Announcements Redesign project involves the Discussions/Announcements Redesign feature preview, which can be allowed on a course-by-course basis or turned on for all courses across the entire account. By default, this feature preview is set to Off. Canvas admins can manage this feature preview in Account Settings.
By default, this feature preview is set to Off and Unlocked, which means it is visible at the course level but is not turned on. Institutions who prefer that this preview not display at the course level should lock the feature preview at the account level in Account Settings.
Active Development
This feature enhances the Canvas experience within Discussions. When this preview is enabled in a course, early access to ongoing improvements will be displayed automatically with every release. Customers who choose to enable this feature in the production environment should subscribe to this document and the Discussions/Announcements Redesign User Group to stay current with upcoming features and their release dates.
This feature preview will be enforced for all users in production on July 20th, 2024. At that time the default discussion and announcement experience will be that of the redesign and users will no longer be able to use the legacy experience.
Permissions
Permissions for Discussions are outlined in the Account Permissions PDF and the Course Permissions PDF.
The Discussions/Announcements Redesign project currently uses the same permissions as classic Discussions and Announcements. Any changes to permissions and this project will be updated in this document.
Mobile Support
This feature is not yet available in the Canvas Mobile apps. Please see the Product Roadmap for upcoming updates when available.
Release Schedule
This feature will be available in both the beta environment as of 2021-06-07.
Production availability will be as of 2021-06-19.
Additional enhancements will continue to be made to this feature as announced in the change log.
An enforcement date of this feature will be based on planned feature development and user feedback. Additional details will be announced in Upcoming Canvas Changes when available.
Course-Level Features
Interface Modifications
For individual discussion and announcement topics, the interface has been expanded for maximum space and ensure responsive views.
The following modifications have been made to individual topics:
- The toolbar has been moved to the top of the discussion and announcement thread.
- Newest replies display at the top of the first page instead of the bottom of the last page.
- Users can sort replies from newest to oldest, or oldest to newest.
- Users can also quickly move to the top of the discussion or announcement at any time.
Feature Parity
The following functionality has been included for parity with classic Discussions:
- Users must post before seeing replies
- Reply posts can be marked as read or unread
- Discussion time stamp edit display
- Multiple Due Dates (addition: individual student names are displayed instead of the total number of students)
- Available From and Until Dates
- Previous/Next buttons for Modules
- Group Discussions
- Peer Review
- Add to student to-do list
The following functionality has been included for parity with classic Announcements:
- Users must post before seeing replies
- Reply posts can be marked as read or unread
- Announcement time stamp edit display
- Announcement delay post alert (teachers/instructors)
Additional parity features will be added in future releases.
Additional Functionality
Role Labels
Discussion and announcement threads display a label for users with TA roles and Teacher (Instructor) roles. This feature helps students more quickly identify users with instructor-based roles in the course.
Threads also include a label indicating the discussion or announcement author.
Flexible Viewing Options
When a reply includes additional replies, the number of replies is displayed, as well as the number of unread replies (specific to the user viewing the reply). Users can choose to view these replies inline or in a split view.
Inline View
Split View
Mentions
Users can mention other users in discussion replies by using the @ symbol. All available users in the course display in the drop-down menu.
Quotes
Users can quote other replies as part of their discussion reply.
Reply Reporting
Within individual discussions, replies can be reported by students and teachers. Teachers can choose to enable reporting in the Discussions Settings menu.
Once enabled, all users can report replies by clicking the Settings menu for the reply and clicking the Report link.
When a reply is reported by a user, the user must indicate why the reply is being reported (inappropriate, offensive and/or abusive, or Other). Reporting a reply cannot be undone.
Once a user reports a reply, the Settings menu option displays to that user as Reported. That user cannot report the reply again, but other users can still report the reply.
Reported Reply Notifications (Teachers)
To be notified of reported replies, teachers can enable the Discussions Reported Reply notification when accessing course-level notifications from inside a course. If you select a course and then go to View Course Notifications on the Home page, the option will be there. Email notifications include a direct link to the reply that has been reported.
Reporting a reply does not hide the reply; all replies are still visible to all users. However, teachers can choose to edit or delete the reported reply.
Note: Once a reply is reported, it always displays as Reported and cannot be cleared by teachers.
Anonymous Discussions
Discussions allow teachers to create anonymous discussions. This option displays when creating a new discussion for a course. By default this option is set to off.
When anonymity is turned on for a discussion, grading and groups are not supported.
When the Discussion Settings menu option is selected for students to create discussions, the option is also included to allow students to create anonymous discussions. This option is not selected by default.
When an anonymous discussion exists in the course, the Discussions page indicates anonymous discussions before a student opens the discussion.
Users with a teacher, TA, or designer role in the course will never be anonymous. However, student names and profile pictures are hidden from other course members, including teachers. Admins who are not explicitly enrolled as a teacher, TA, or designer and create a reply also display as anonymous. Additionally, users who view a course without having a course enrollment (such as when participating in a public course) also display as anonymous.
Anonymous discussion posts include the standard settings options, including reporting replies.
When an observer views a fully anonymous discussion, the text now displays This is an anonymous Discussion. Student names and profile pictures are hidden. When an observer views a partially anonymous discussion, the text now displays Students have the option to reply anonymously. Some names and profile pictures may be hidden.
- Tags:
- 2021-06-19
You can easily reply to any discussion. However, the reply option may vary depending upon how your instructor set up the discussion. Discussion replies can be edited or deleted, as long as your instructor has not restricted this setting in your course.
Before submitting a reply for a graded discussion, you may want to review all discussion information, such as the graded discussion rubric, if any.
Notes:
- The discussion reply Rich Content Editor includes a word count display below the bottom right corner of the text box.
- If your discussion looks different than what is displayed in this lesson, your instructor may be using Discussions Redesign in your course. Learn how to reply to a discussion in Discussions Redesign.
Open Discussions
In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
Reply to Discussion
To reply to the main discussion, type your reply in the Reply field.
Post Reply
Add your reply, links, files, and other media in the Rich Content Editor [1]. If allowed in your course, you may also attach files [2].
To post your reply, click the Post Reply button [3].
Note: If you post your discussion response before an attached image finishes uploading, Canvas displays a warning message.
View Your Reply
Your reply will be posted at the bottom of the discussion reply thread. The border of your post will flash indicating it has been newly posted. The unread icon next to your post will immediately change to the read icon if Canvas automatically marks your posts as read. However, if you manually mark your posts as read, the unread icon will remain until you manually mark it as read.
Thread a Discussion Reply
To respond to a discussion reply, click the Reply link.
Note: Depending on how your instructor set up the discussion, the reply field may look slightly different.
Post Reply
Add your reply, links, files, and other media in the Rich Content Editor [1]. If allowed in your course, you may also attach files [2].
To post your reply, click the Post Reply button [3].
Note: If you post your discussion response before an attached image finishes uploading, Canvas displays a warning message.
View Reply
Your reply displays at the bottom of the discussion thread. If your discussion replies are automatically marked as read, your new reply displays a Read icon [1]. If you have selected to manually mark read discussion posts, your post displays an Unread icon [2] until you manually mark it as read.
This behavior has been resolved and deployed to the production environment as of 2/28/24.
Description
Teachers/TA's/Admins return an error attaching files to graded discussions with Discussion Redesign enabled
Expected Behavior
Teachers, TA’s and Admins should be able to use the “Attach” function.
Workaround
If affected users attach items through [Insert]>[Document/Media/Image]>[Upload] instead of the “Attach” function they have no issues.
Steps to Reproduce
-
Create Canvas Course with Discussion Redesign enabled
-
Create a graded discussion
-
As a Teacher, TA or an admin, reply to the discussion and attempt to attach file using the “Attach” button
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Notice the error message of “Error Uploading File” and the file does not attach
Additional Info
VICE-3931
Known issues indicate notable behaviors that has been escalated to the Canvas engineering team. Known issues are not a guarantee for an immediate resolution. This document is for informational purposes only and does not replace the Support process. If you are encountering the behavior outlined in this document, please ensure you have submitted a Support case (per your institution's escalation process) so Canvas Support can adequately gauge the overall customer impact and prioritize appropriately.
- Tags:
- 2024-02-28
- VICE-3931
Your instructor may include a rubric as part of a graded discussion. The rubric is a set of criteria that your instructor will use to grade your discussion. Before submitting your discussion, you can use the rubric to evaluate your own work and make sure your discussion fulfills your instructor's requirements.
Note: Not all graded discussions may include a rubric.
Open Discussions
In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
Show Rubric
Click the Options icon [1] and select the Show Rubric link [2].
Note: If the Show Rubric link does not display, there is no rubric for your discussion.
Show Rubric in Discussions Redesign
To view a rubric in Discussions Redesign, click the Options icon [1] and select the Show Rubric link [2].
View Rubric
View the graded discussion rubric.
The rubric includes criteria [1], ratings [2], and full point values [3]. A rubric criterion may include up to five different ratings and individual point values.
View Rubric Details
If a criterion includes a longer description with more details, click the view longer description link [1].
The rubric may also include an outcome associated with the course [2]. Outcomes are identified by a small flag and are used to assess learning mastery in a course. The outcome also shows the threshold for the outcome, or the number of points you must achieve to meet expectations. Your instructor may allow you to view outcomes results in your course grades.
This behavior has been resolved and deployed to the production environment as of 3/13/24.
Description
Group discussions display the Select Group option for students when Discussion Redesign is enabled.
Expected Behavior
The Select group option should not show for students.
Workaround
No workaround exists at this time.
Steps to Reproduce
Prerequisite: Have a course with Discussions Redesign enabled and at least a few student enrollments added to groups.
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Create a group discussion and publish.
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As a student navigate to the discussion.
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Observe that the select group option is displayed on the top left.
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Click on it and select another group which generates an Access Denied error.
Additional Info
VICE- 4123
Known issues indicate notable behaviors that has been escalated to the Canvas engineering team. Known issues are not a guarantee for an immediate resolution. This document is for informational purposes only and does not replace the Support process. If you are encountering the behavior outlined in this document, please ensure you have submitted a Support case (per your institution's escalation process) so Canvas Support can adequately gauge the overall customer impact and prioritize appropriately.
- Tags:
- 2024-03-13
- VICE-4123
The Discussion Index page allows you to view all the discussions within a course.
Notes:
- Your instructor may choose to hide the Discussions link in Course Navigation. If the Discussions link is not available, you can still access Discussions through other areas of Canvas.
- If your discussion looks different than what is displayed in this lesson, you can reference the Discussions Redesign guides for more information.
Open Discussions
In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
Note: If the Discussions link is not available in Course Navigation, you can access course discussions through the Modules page.
View Discussions
Discussions are organized into three main areas.
Discussions [1]: These are current discussions within the course. Discussions are ordered by most recent activity. You will only see this section heading if there are discussions within this section.
Pinned Discussions [2]: These are discussions that your instructor wants you to pay specific attention to and will appear at the top of the Discussions page. You will only see this section heading if there are discussions within this section as designated by your instructor.
Closed for Comments [3]: These discussions have been manually closed for comments, or the discussion is past the available from/until date. These are discussions that are only available in a read-only state and are ordered by most recent activity. You will always see this section heading, even if there are no discussions within this section.
View Individual Discussion
Each discussion displays whether or not it is a graded discussion [1], the name of the discussion [2], the date on which the last discussion reply was posted [3], the due date (if any) [4], the number of unread/total posts in the discussion [5], and whether or not you are subscribed to the discussion [6].
You can also view availability dates for individual discussions [7].
An unread icon next to a discussion indicates an unread discussion [8]. The number of unread/total posts will not appear for group discussions and discussions that have no discussion replies [9].
There will also be a peer review icon if a graded discussion has been assigned peer reviews [10].
View Availability Dates
The first dates you may see are the availability dates. Your instructor may use availability dates to restrict discussion replies to a specified date range. The availability dates are the range of time that the discussion is accessible to you. Availability dates also appear on the Assignments page for all discussions with assigned availability dates.
- If the discussion does not have a date listed, the discussion is open; you can reply to the discussion at any time during your course [1].
- If the discussion says Not Available Until [date], the discussion is locked until the specified date [2].
- If the discussion says Available until [date], you can reply to the discussion until the specified date [3].
- If the discussion is in the Closed for Comments section, the discussion cannot accept submissions [4]. Discussions in this section may show a "Was locked at [date]" to indicate when the discussion was closed for comments [5].
Note: If the listed date is set to 12 am the last day for the assignment to be submitted is the full day before the listed date. For instance, if an assignment is Available until December 15, you can access the assignment until December 14 at 11:59 pm.
View Due Dates
The second set of dates are the due dates for each respective discussion [1]. However, due dates only apply to graded discussions. Any replies to discussions after the due date are marked as late; some instructors may deduct points for late replies. You can still reply to late discussion before the Available until date.
Please be aware that the Due date may be before or on the Available date.
Due dates also include a time [2]. If your instructor does not set a due time, the listed date displays the course's default due time.
Filter Discussions
There are a few ways to filter Discussions:
- View All or only unread discussions by selecting an option from the drop-down menu.
- Search for a discussion by typing a discussion title, a user name, or a keyword in the Search field.
- Start a new discussion by clicking the Add Discussion button. (Note: Some instructors may choose to disable this option.)
- Change the discussions settings to manually mark posts as read by clicking the Settings icon.
View Open Discussion
When a discussion is available for participation, you can view the Reply field beneath the discussion topic [1]. To reply to the discussion, click the Reply button.
The discussion also shows the discussion topic [2] and the name of the person who created the discussion [3].
Notes:
- If your discussion looks different than what is displayed in this lesson, you can reference the Discussions Redesign guides for more information.
- The Discussions page supports keyboard shortcuts. To view a window with a list of keyboard navigation shortcuts, press Alt+F8 (on a PC keyboard) or Option+F8 (on a Mac keyboard) simultaneously on your keyboard.
View Graded Discussion
If your discussion is a graded discussion, you can view the discussion the same way as regular discussions with additional information:
- Graded Discussion details [1]: points and due date for the graded discussion, if any. Not all graded discussions may have a due date.
- Rubric [2]: any grading criteria that your instructor has provided for the graded discussion. A graded discussion may or may not include a rubric. Before submitting your reply, you may want to review the discussion rubric.
If you were to miss the due date, you may be able to submit a reply to the discussion before the last day of the course. If the graded discussion does not have a due date, you can submit a reply any time before the last day of the course.
View Discussion with Required Replies
If you are unable view responses from other students, you may be required to make a reply before you can view them. Once you reply to the discussion, any other replies will be visible.
View Locked Discussion
When a discussion is locked, you can't view any details in the discussion topic. However, you can view the date when the discussion will be open.
View Closed Discussion
Both graded- and non-graded discussions can be closed at any time. Your instructor may note in the description topic or syllabus if a discussion is only scheduled to be available for a specific period of time.
When a discussion has been closed for comments, you can still view the details of the discussion topic and any replies, but you can no longer reply to the discussion.
The discussion was either available until a specific date, or your instructor manually closed the topic.
As an instructor, you can create a discussion for your course. This lesson outlines a variety of options to choose from in order to customize a discussion for your course.
Note: Discussions can be graded or ungraded. If a student attaches a file to an ungraded discussion, the file size counts toward the student's storage quotas. However, attachments added to graded discussions do not count toward the student's storage quotas.
Open Discussions
In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
Create Discussion
Add a title for your discussion in the Topic Title field [1].
To add discussion content, use the Rich Content Editor [2]. The Rich Content Editor includes a word count display below the bottom right corner of the text box [3].
If you want to create a section-specific discussion that is not graded, click the Post to drop-down menu [4]. You can select one or multiple sections. To create a graded section-specific discussion, use the discussion options.
Note: When a document is uploaded to the Rich Content Editor from a quiz, the file is saved to the Uploaded Media folder in Course Files and defaults to hidden status. Students can view the file when the quiz is made available to them. Learn more about file visibility.
Add Attachment
To add an attachment to your discussion, click the Choose File button [1].
If required by your institution, you will need to select usage right settings for your attachment. To manage usage right settings, click the Set usage rights icon [2].
In the Usage Right drop-down menu [3], select one of five usage rights. If you are an instructor and are not sure which usage right applies to your file, please consult your institutional admin for guidance:
- I hold the copyright (original content created by you)
- I have obtained permission to use the file (authorized permission by the author)
- The material is in the public domain (explicitly assigned to public domain, cannot be copyrighted, or is no longer protected by copyright)
- The material is subject to an exception - e.g. fair use, the right to quote, or others under applicable copyright laws (excerpt or summary used for commentary, news reporting, research, or analysis in education)
- The material is licensed under Creative Commons; this option also requires setting a specific Creative Commons license
If known, enter the copyright holder information in the Copyright Holder field [4].
To save your usage right settings, click the Save button [5]. You can edit usage right settings by clicking the Set usage rights icon.
Add Discussion Options
By default, discussions are created as focused discussions. To create a threaded discussion, click the Allow threaded replies checkbox [1].
To require users to reply to the discussion before they can see any other replies, click the Users must post before seeing replies checkbox [2].
To enable a discussion podcast feed, click the Enable podcast feed checkbox [3].
To allow students to like discussion replies, click the Allow liking checkbox [4].
To add an ungraded discussion to the student to-do list, click the Add to student to-do checkbox [5]. Student to-do items display in the course calendar, in the student-specific List View Dashboard, and in the global and course home page to-do lists. Graded discussions automatically display in a student's to-do list.
To make the discussion a group discussion, click the This is a Group Discussion checkbox [6].
To make your discussion available on a specific date or during a specific date range using availability dates, enter the dates in the Available From and Until fields [7], or click the calendar icons to select dates. If you create a graded discussion, the Available From and Until dates can be set in the Assign field. Before the Available From date, students will only be able to view the discussion title. After the Until date, students can view the discussion topic and all responses but cannot add or edit any responses.
Create Graded Discussion
To create a graded discussion, click the Graded checkbox. If this option is selected, additional options will be added to the page, where you can assign graded discussions to everyone, individual students, course sections, or course groups.
Note: If you want to create a graded discussion and you have added sections in the Post To field, the Graded option will be unavailable. You must remove the sections from the Post To field before selecting this option. You will be able to add sections as part of the graded discussion options.
Save and Publish
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].
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 in the classic Discussions interface [1] or the Publish icon in the Discussions Redesign interface [2].