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.
Beginning May 6, 2024: Changes Instructors Will See with the Canvas Discussion Board Interface
Discussion Post
Publish Button is now a Checkmark Icon
The Subscribe Button has changed to a Bookmark Icon
The Edit Button is now located within the Three-Dot-Menu
The Search and Organization Menu is now located at the Top of the Discussion Post
The Mark as Read and Mark as Unread Controls now exist in the Three-Dot-Menu
The Reply Button is now Blue and there is more WhiteSpace overall in the interface
If the Discussion Post is set up as a Group Discussion, this is now indicated by the Group Icon in the upper left-hand corner of the Discussion Post
Discussion Assignment Details
Points Possible have moved to the upper righthand corner of the Discussion Post
Due Dates have moved to the upper lefthand corner of the Discussion Post
How do I use Discussions Tool as an instructor?
Open Discussion
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
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
To search for replies or specific authors, enter your terms in the search field [1].
To filter replies, click the Filter drop-down menu [2]. You can filter by all replies or unread replies.
To sort replies by newest or oldest, click the Sort button [3].
To view threaded replies in a split screen sidebar, click the View Split Screen button [4].
To view threaded replies all at once, click the Expand Threads button [5]. You can collapse the threaded replies by clicking the Collapse Threads button [6].
To view threaded replies inline, click the View Inline button [7].
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
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
The discussion topic section includes important information about the discussion, including the discussion title [1] and description [2].
You can also view the discussion due date [3], the number of points possible [4], and number of replies [5].
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
To view multiple due dates, click the Show Due Dates link [1].
View the multiple due dates [2].
To close the due dates sidebar, click the Close icon [3].
View Discussion Options
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
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
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.
To expand the discussion thread replies inline, click the # of replies link [1].
View the read and unread replies [2].
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
To view threaded replies in a split screen sidebar, click the View Split Screen button [1].
When viewing split screen discussion thread replies, you can collapse and expand the discussion thread replies sidebar. When a discussion thread reply is collapsed, you can view the reply indicators showing the number of unread and total replies.
To expand the discussion thread replies sidebar, click the # of replies link [2].
View the read and unread replies [3].
To view threaded replies options, click the Options icon [4]. 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.
To collapse the discussion thread replies sidebar, click the Close icon [5].
View Rich Content Editor
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.
Resources
If you’re curious what your students see, reference this Discussions (Students) article that is student-facing. If you would like to see Canvas' documentation directly, you can find that at How do I use Discussions Redesign as an instructor? (once on this page there are other questions from the Instructor Guide to view related to Discussions Redesign).