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InstContentTeam
in
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 
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.
InstContentTeam
in
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 
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.
jsailor
in
Summary
Discussion Summarization uses a Generative AI model to provide instructors summaries of key points, questions, and ideas in a discussion thread.
This feature is designed to save educators time and to allow discussions to be used effectively in large-format classes and other environments where they were previously infeasible.
Availability
|
Release Schedule |
Coming soon! View updates via the change log in the Discussion Summaries User Group. |
|
Affected User Roles |
Admin, Instructor |
|
Affects User Interface |
Yes |
|
Related Feature Enhancement Ideas |
Please post ideas to the Discussion Summaries user group, which is coming soon! |
|
Upcoming Enhancements |
N/A |
|
Mobile App Support |
Not yet available |
|
Beta Environment Availability |
2024-07-20 |
|
Production Environment Availability |
2024-07-17 |
|
Free-for-Teacher Availability |
TBD |
|
Enforcement Date |
Will remain a feature option |
Configuration
|
Feature Option Location & Default Status |
Account (Disabled/Locked) |
|
Feature Option State |
Feature Preview (collecting user feedback) |
|
Enabled by Canvas Admin |
|
|
Subaccount Configuration |
Yes |
|
Related Feature Options |
Discussion Summary |
|
Affected Canvas Areas |
Discussions |
|
Advisories |
|
|
Permissions |
Inherent to user role (Instructor or admin required) |
|
APIs |
Not supported |
Account and Course Setup
Feature Option
At the Account-level, admins must enable the Discussion Summary feature option. Once enabled, a Summarize button displays for instructors on the Discussions page.
Course-Level Features
When the Discussion Summary feature option is enabled, discussion threads have a “Summarize” button that will use generative AI to generate a summary of key points and questions in the thread. Once generated, summaries may be refined by passing a description of desired outputs (e.g. “concerns about grading policy”), or be regenerated. These summaries are only available to instructors and administrators.
Summarize Button
To summarize discussion threads, click the Summarize button.
Enter the desired area or topic to summarize.
Enter the desired area or topic to summarize.
Generate Summary and Disable Summary Buttons
To generate a summary, click the Generate Summary button [1]. To exit the discussion summary, click the Disable Summary button [2].
Generated Summary
A summary is created based on the topics the instructor asked about.
ctitmus
in
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 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.
Notes:
- You can learn more about using Discussions as an instructor.
- 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?
If you are an instructor, 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.
- Allow or disallow threaded replies.
How do I use Discussions as a Student?
Within Discussions, you can:
- Create, edit, and delete discussion topics.
- Reply to individual student replies, unless your instructor has disallowed threaded replies.
- Subscribe to a discussion and be notified of replies.
- Subscribe to podcast feeds within discussions.
- Embed or attach files, images, and YouTube videos.
Notes:
- Your instructor may have some of the above options disabled in your course.
- You can learn more about using Discussions as a student.
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.
Notes:
- Your student's teacher may have some of the above options disabled in your student's course.
- You can learn more about using Discussions as a parent/observer.
InstContentTeam
in
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
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.
DeepaPrasad
in
For an accessible version of the AI nutrition facts, please download the attached PDF.
InstContentTeam
in
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
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.
swynn
in
This behavior has been resolved and deployed to the production environment as of 9/25/24.
Description
If a discussion has differentiated due dates for a user or section, those dates are not respected and a discussion will appear closed for comments according to the dates given to “everyone/everyone else”.
Expected Behavior
If there are differentiated due dates, they should be respected and the students with those dates should be able to access and reply to discussions.
Workaround
No workaround exists at this time.
Steps to Reproduce
-
Create a course with at least two students
-
Create a discussion and within the settings create an additional “assign to” section
-
For the everyone section, place the due date in the past
-
For the individual user place the due date in the future
-
Act as the individual user with the due date in the future, notice the discussion is closed for comments
Additional Info
VICE-4639
Known issues indicate notable behaviors that have 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.
jsailor
in
This one-page overview provides a summary of Discussion Summaries in Canvas.
HeatherAhern
in
This behavior has been resolved and deployed to the production environment as of 8/28/24.
Description
Students are unable to reply to discussions that should be open, as it gives them a “This topic is closed for comments” error. This is currently present in multiple institutions.
Expected Behavior
They should be able to reply to the discussion, as its still available.
Workaround
No workaround exists at this time.
Steps to Reproduce
No steps to reproduce exist at this time.
Additional Info
VICE-4515
Known issues indicate notable behaviors that have 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.
swynn
in
This case was unable to be reproduced. If behavior persists, please submit a new support case.
Description
If a discussion has differentiated availability/until dates for a user or section, those dates are not respected and a discussion will appear closed for comments according to the dates given to “everyone/everyone else”.
Expected Behavior
If there are differentiated due dates, they should be respected and the students with those dates should be able to access and reply to discussions.
Workaround
No workaround exists at this time.
Steps to Reproduce
-
Create a course with at least two students
-
Create a discussion and within the settings create an additional “assign to” section
-
For the everyone section, place the due date and available from in the past
-
For the individual user place the due date in the future, with an available from date in the past
-
Act as the individual user with the due date in the future, notice the discussion is closed for comments
Additional Info
VICE-4742
Known issues indicate notable behaviors that have 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.
