Q: What is a discussion?
Discussions is a ‘forum’ style feature in which admins can pose questions or topics to their learners and start a peer-to-peer and/or peer-to-admin conversation.
Q: How do I set up a discussion?
Discussions are created by clicking on the drop down menu next to the 'Create a Lesson' button. See the following guide for a step-by-step process of how to set up a discussion.
Q: Can I make discussions mandatory to my learners to complete a course?
Yes, you can make discussions mandatory in the 'Completion Requirements' section. By default, all discussion are set as mandatory, unless specified otherwise in 'Course Requirements Section' of the course settings (under the 'Completions' tab).
Q: Can I make discussions optional for my learners?
Yes, you can make discussions optional in the 'Completion Requirements' section of configuration. You click the 'Here' hyperlink in the note underneath the requirements section which will take you to the 'Course Requirements' section of the course settings (under the 'Completions' tab). You can then choose the option of 'specific lessons are required' and ensure the discussion is in the 'All Lessons' table to the left.
Q: Why has the completion requirement section become greyed out and non-clickable?
This is because the discussion is now set to optional, so there will be no need to set any criteria for passing this discussion. If you want to choose one of these options that are greyed out, the discussion will need to be made mandatory.
Q: Can I set certain criteria for my learners to pass the discussion?
Yes, in order to pass the discussion, users will either have to:
- Submit at least one post and one comment
- Submit at least one post
Q: How will the learners know what criteria they need to fulfil in order to pass this discussion?
In the learner’s app, a leaner will see a status icon that will either say 'Completed' or 'Incomplete'. When they click on this icon a message will appear to remind them of the requirements to complete the discussion.
Q: Can I limit the access of my discussion to certain users?
Yes you can. Firstly, it is useful to note that this discussion will be available to anyone who has access to the course it is part of. You can check the access in the 'Access Rules' section of the course. Secondly, you can determine which posts users can view when accessing this discussion with two options:
- All users who have access to the course can see all elements of the discussion
- Users can only see posts from users in their user group
Q: Can I set up a prerequisite to my discussion?
Yes, on the 'Access Rules' of the discussion, you can select which lessons need to be completed before the discussion can be accessed.
Q: Can I set a date for the discussion to be accessible?
Yes, on the 'Access Rules' of the discussion, you can select the dates that this discussion can be accessed by the users. The discussion will show a small locked symbol until the access dates.
Q: When I set a date for my discussion to be accessed by users, will this be the date in the user's timezone?
Yes, this date will be specific to the user's device’s timezone.
Q: Where do I see the comments to my discussion?
The comments can be found on the 'Discussions' section under the 'Peer Learning' tab. You will then be able to see all discussions that are in your account.
Q: What can I do as an Admin on a discussion?
As an Admin, you can delete comments and reply to comments. Admin replies in discussions will be shown in a navy colour.
Q: If I give a user the instructor role, what will they be able to do for discussions?
Instructors will have a limited view of the Admin portal to only include peer learning capabilities. This will include being able to reply to discussions and their comments will also appear in a navy colour.
Q: Can my learners use photos and videos in their discussion posts?
Yes, users can add photos and videos (‘.mov’, ‘.mp4’, and max size 30 MB) to their discussion posts by clicking on the image icon when going to write a comment on the discussion.
Q: What does 'Watching Post' mean?
Watching a post is a feature where users will receive push notifications based on the post they have turned watching on. To watch a post, learners will need to click the small eye icon. This is an optional feature.
Q: Some comments are showing as a dark navy colour, what does this mean?
This means that the comment was made by a user who is an admin or an instructor.
Q: How will the learner know that it is a discussion?
When learners open a course, they can see all the lesson types the admin or content author has added (discussion, assignment or lesson). Learners can also see icons and text that distinguish the lesson types, as well as the title and discussion prompt.
Q: Why can’t my learner see the complete or in complete criteria on their app?
If the learner can’t see the icon that states whether the discussion is complete or incomplete this is because the discussion is set to optional.