Classes: Creating a Discussion Forum

Introduction

This articles shows you how to create a discussion forum in Classes.

Instructions

1. Click on Activities and Discussions in the blue navbar.
   
2. On the Discussions List page, click the New button and select New Forum from the drop-down menu.
   
3. Enter the Forum name in the Title field.
4. Enter instructions or other text in the Description box.  If you will intend to include instructions at the Topic level, you may leave this blank.
   
5. Directly under the Description box, you will see four check boxes to select one or more Options:
   
   Options can be set at the Forum or Topic level.  Any settings applied at the Forum level will apply to all Topics contained in a Forum.
   • Allow students to post anonymous messages.
   • Require students to start a thread before they can read or reply to other threads in that topic.
   • Choose whether an instructor must approve all messages before they are posted.
   • Display the Forum description in all Topics contained in that Forum (not commonly used).
6. You have completed the necessary steps for creating a Forum.  If you want to control when students will be able to see or post to a Forum, select the Restrictions tab. Instructions for restricting availability are included in the help section: Adjusting Availability and Locking Options.  Availability and Locking Options set at the Forum level also apply to all Topics nested in that Forum.
7. Remember to choose one of the Save options at the bottom of the page.

Next step: Creating a Discussion Topic