Taking Part in Course Discussions

Taking Part in Course Discussions

This topic describes how to add, edit, and delete contributions to discussions. 

  1. Adding a Post.
  2. Determining the Post Type: Discussion or Question.
  3. Determining the Post Topic.
  4. Add a Post on the Discussion Page.
  5. Add a Post in a Course Page.
  6. Add a Response or Comment on the Discussion Page.
  7. Add a Response or Comment in a Course Page.
  8. Edit or Delete a Post, Response, or Comment.

Note: If you need to include mathematical or scientific expressions in a discussion, refer to Math Formatting in Course Discussions for guidance on formatting plain text as mathematical expressions

Adding a Post

When contributing to a discussion in your course, you choose both the topic and the type of post. For course-wide discussions, you can add a post on the Discussion page. For content-specific discussions, you have the option to post either on the Discussion page or directly within the relevant course page.

Choosing the Post Type: Discussion or Question

To help other learners and the course team find and respond to your post effectively, decide whether to create a question or a discussion post:

  • Question Post – Use this when you need a specific answer from the discussion moderation team or the course community.
  • Discussion Post – Use this to share thoughts, reflections, or ideas and encourage open-ended participation.

If you're unsure which type of post to create, consider whether you're seeking concrete information (question) or starting a broader conversation (discussion). If you need a response from the course team, be sure to create your post as a question, so they recognize that an answer is required.

After posting, a question mark icon will indicate question posts, while a conversation bubble icon will identify discussion posts on the Discussion page.

Note: You can change your post type from discussion to question (or vice versa) at any time. For details, see Edit or Delete a Post, Response, or Comment.

Determining a Post Topic

Every discussion post in your course must be assigned a topic. The course team provides a predefined list of discussion topics, and you select the most relevant one when creating your post. Before posting, review the available topics to ensure your post is categorized appropriately. For more details, see Exploring Discussion Posts.

Once you’ve chosen a post type and topic, you can add your post either on the Discussion page or within the course content.

Adding a Post on the Discussion Page

You can create a post for both course-wide and content-specific discussions directly from the Discussion page by following these steps:

  1. On the Discussion page, select Add a Post.
  2. Choose the post type: Question or Discussion.
  3. Select the most appropriate topic from the Topic Area list.
  4. Enter a title that is short and descriptive—this is what others will see when browsing discussions.
  5. In the text box, enter the content of your post. Use the available formatting options to add text styling, links, or images.

Note:
 Any formatting or images added to your post will only be visible when viewed in a web browser.

Adding Images

  • If you include an image, provide a description for learners who use screen readers. The description will also appear if the image file fails to load.
  • If the image is decorative and does not require a description, select This image is for decorative purposes only.
  • The maximum file size for uploaded images is 1 MB.

Posting Anonymously

Some courses allow anonymous posting. If this option is available, you will see a Post Anonymously
 checkbox beneath the text field. When selected, your username remains visible to the discussion moderation team but is hidden from other learners.

Adding a Post in a Course Page

If you come across a discussion while working through your course content or know where a specific discussion originates, you can add a post directly from the course page.

These steps apply only to content-specific discussions:

  1. Select Course.
  2. Open the course page that includes the discussion topic you want to contribute to.
  3. Click Show Discussion to view existing contributions.
    • The title and first line of each post will be visible in the list.
    • To read an entire post along with its responses and comments, click anywhere on the post preview.
  4. To add a new post, click Add a Post and follow the same steps as when adding a post on the Discussion page. See Adding a Post on the Discussion Page for details.
  5. To respond to an existing post or comment on a response, follow the steps in Adding a Response or Comment.

Note: Some courses allow anonymous contributions. If this option is available, you will see a Post Anonymously checkbox. When enabled, your username will be visible only to the discussion moderation team and hidden from other learners.

Adding a Response or Comment

To participate in an ongoing discussion, you can:

  • Add a response to the original post.
  • Comment on a response to further the conversation.

Formatting, links, and images can be added to both responses and comments, just as with posts.

Adding a Response or Comment on the Discussion Page

To contribute to a discussion on the Discussion page:

  1. Find the post you want to respond to. Review existing responses and comments to determine where to add your input.
    • For help with searching, sorting, or filtering posts, see Exploring Discussion Posts.
  2. Choose how to contribute:
    • To add a response, click Add a Response, enter your text, and select Submit.
    • To add a comment on a response, click inside the Add a Comment field below the response, enter your text, and select Submit.

Adding a Response or Comment in a Course Page

To contribute within a content-specific discussion on a course page:

  1. Navigate to the course page that contains the discussion.
  2. Click Show Discussion to view existing posts.
  3. Select the post you want to respond to. Review the responses and comments before contributing.
  4. Choose how to contribute:
    • To add a response, click Add a Response, enter your text, and select Submit.
    • To add a comment, click inside the Add a Comment field below the response, enter your text, and select Submit.

Editing or Deleting a Post, Response, or Comment

You can edit or delete only your own posts, responses, or comments. Contributions from other learners cannot be modified.

  1. Locate the post, response, or comment you want to edit or delete—either on the Discussion page or within the course content.
  2. Click the More icon (...) in the upper corner of the contribution to open a menu.                                                                                                             

  3. Choose an action:
    • Edit: Click Edit, make the necessary changes in the text editor, and select Update Response.
      • For posts, you can edit the text, change the post type (discussion or question), and update the topic.
    • Delete: Click Delete, then confirm by selecting OK
       in the confirmation box.

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