As of May 6, 2024 Canvas discussion boards have a new user interface.
Some of the new features include:
Different Viewing Options: Choose between Inline and Split Screen views for enhanced readability.
"@" Communication Tools: Mention individuals in posts with “@” to interact with others in the course.
Quote Previous Replies: Include original replies within responses for clarity.
Anonymous Discussion Settings: Facilitate open dialogue with fully or partially anonymous discussions.
Added Filtering and Sorting: Navigate discussions with options to filter by unread, all, or read, and sort from newest to oldest or oldest to newest.
Please note: On the Canvas Mobile App fonts may appear small or light colored. The workaround is to use a browser and/or "desktop mode" to view the Canvas Discussion Tool.
Discussions are used within Canvas for students to communicate with one another in collaborative ways. The possibilities within Discussions are that they can be whole-class or group-based (small-group) and have initial and/or reply posts.
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The Discussion Tool Will Look a Little Different
Publish Button is now an Icon
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The Edit button is now located within the Three-Dot-Menu
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The Search and Organization Menu is now located at the Top of the Discussion Post
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The Reply Button is now Blue and there is more WhiteSpace overall in the interface
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How do I use Discussions Tool as an instructor?
Open Discussion
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To view a discussion in the Discussions Redesign interface, click the Discussions link in Course Navigation [1]. Then click the name of the discussion [2].
To create a new discussion, click the Add Discussion button [3].
View Discussion
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A discussion displayed in the Discussions Redesign interface includes three sections: the discussion toolbar [1], discussion topic [2], and discussion replies [3].
View Discussion Toolbar
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To search for replies or specific authors, enter your terms in the search field [1].
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To view the count of unread replies for each group discussion, click the Group List button [8]. Click the group link to view the group replies [9].
View Anonymous Discussion Message
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If the anonymous discussion option is enabled for the discussion, a message displays noting that student names and profile pictures are hidden, however your name and profile picture is visible to all course members.
View Discussion Topic
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The discussion topic section includes important information about the discussion, including the discussion title [1] and description [2].
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Note: If the anonymous discussion option is enabled for the discussion, student names and profile pictures do not display. However, as an instructor, your name and profile picture is visible to all course members.
View Discussion Multiple Due Dates
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To view multiple due dates, click the Show Due Dates link [1].
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To close the due dates sidebar, click the Close icon [3].
View Discussion Options
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The discussion topic section also includes several tools that allow you to manage your discussion.
To publish or unpublish the discussion, click the Publish icon [1].
To subscribe to or unsubscribe from the discussion, click the Subscribe icon [2].
To open the discussion's Options menu, click the Options icon [3].
To mark all discussion replies as read, click the Mark All as Read link [4].
To edit discussion details, click the Edit link [5].
To delete the discussion, click the Delete link [6].
To close the discussion for comments, click the Close for Comments link [7].
To send the discussion to another instructor, click the Send To... link [8].
To copy the discussion to another course, click the Copy To... link [9].
To open the discussion in SpeedGrader, click the Open in SpeedGrader link [10].
To add a rubric to a graded discussion, click the Add Rubric link [11]. If a rubric has already been added, this link displays as the Show Rubric link.
View Discussion Replies
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Discussion replies display below the discussion topic. Learn how to reply to a discussion, view and sort discussion replies, and report discussion replies.
View Inline Discussion Thread Replies
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When viewing inline discussion thread replies, you can collapse and expand the discussion threads by clicking the Expand Threads and Collapse Threads buttons. When a discussion thread reply is collapsed, you can view the reply indicators showing the number of unread and total replies.
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To view threaded replies options, click the Options icon [3]. You can mark replies as read/unread, mark threaded replies as read/unread, return to the topic, edit the reply, delete the reply, open the reply in SpeedGrader, or report the reply.
View Split Screen Discussion Thread Replies
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To view threaded replies in a split screen sidebar, click the View Split Screen button [1].
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To collapse the discussion thread replies sidebar, click the Close icon [5].
View Rich Content Editor
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When creating or editing discussion topics or replies, you enter and edit your content using the Rich Content Editor. The Rich Content Editor allows you to format text, link text to course or external content, insert media, and attach files. Learn more about using the Rich Content Editor.
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