Creating a discussion forum (2m41s)

Transcript

Using the Discussion Board tool

Creating a discussion forum

In your Course Management area—the home office—open the Course Tools tab, then “Discussion Board”.  Next, click on the link to your class discussion board.  Click on “Create Forum” in the action bar.  If you want your students to participate by a certain date and time, we suggest you start the name with “Due” followed by the date and time. In the Description text box, type in a short description of the topic. If you use a rubric to grade the forum, attach the rubric file by clicking the paper clip icon in the text editor toolbar. --BEEP-- Leave the Forum Availability settings as is. Take your time to select the Forum Settings.  Click on the More Help link in the Create Forum banner on the top if needed. --BEEP--  In the Grade section, check Grade radio button and fill in the points possible.  Check the checkbox for Due date and set up the date and time.  It enables students to see a due date in the Course Calendar, the Notification Dashboard, and the “To Do” module of your course Home Page as well as on their Blackboard Student app. Add the rubric if you use Blackboard rubric tool, and make sure to check “Show Rubric to Students”.  –BEEP-- Don’t forget to click on “Submit”! 

If there is more than one discussion forum, you can adjust the order of the forums by clicking the double arrows on the right of the action bar.

Next, let’s make sure the discussion grading column is properly set up.  In the Course Management section of your course page, go to the “Grade Center,” then, in the “Full Grade Center,” to the column that Blackboard created for you.  Note that this column will be hiding all at the end of the Grade Center. If it has fallen off your screen, use the horizontal scrollbar at the bottom to find it.  Next, in the action bar, go to “Manage” then to “Column Organization” to reorder the columns as you see fit. --BEEP--

Next, go to the weighted total column for the grading category to which the discussion assignment belongs--you know, the one with the percentage mark at the beginning of the name.  Click on the action button to the right of the column, then on “Edit Column Information.”  Scroll down to the Select Columns and in the Columns to Select box, select the newly created discussion forum assignment; With the arrow move it to the Selected Column box and put in 100%,  then click “OK” to override the warning that may pop up. –BEEP-- Don’t forget to click on “Submit”.  Done.