Note: the information below reflects the New Discussion Redesign features Canvas deployed and Boise State rolled out on May 6, 2024.
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.
Discussion Tool Features
The features while viewing and interacting with Discussions are as follows:
Search for keywords or by author
Filter by All or Unread replies
Sort by oldest or newest
View Split Screen to view threaded replies in a split screen alongside the whole discussion
Expand Threads to expand or collapse all threaded replies
View Inline to view all of the replies within a thread
Group List icon that allows you the ability to view just replies from specific groups at a time
How do I use Discussions Redesign 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).