I absolutely HATE the new discussion board format.  It hides replies and each time you enter a board you have to hit expand threads to see them.

We lost the black dots that indicated unread posts so now you have to read carefully to catch the unread posts and replies only show up if you open them.  

This discourages participation and makes it really hard to follow conversations. The old system worked JUST FINE.  At the very least, I as instructor should be able to set global parameters for my course such as going from older to newer as a sort, always showing all replies, and clearly indicated the unread ones with a dot or something. 

This new system is unduly complicated and off-putting.  For those of us who actively use the discussion forums as a major part of our class, this is a terrible step backward.

Wendy Turgeon

St. Joseph's University-NY