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Tutorial – Bulletin Board

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Basic Information:

The icon for the Bulletin Board, or Discussion area, looks like a “push pin.” If there is something new that you have not read, it will have green highlights. When you click on this icon, you enter the Bulletin Board tool. You can make a number of choices at this time:

  • If you want to post a new message, click on Compose Discussion Message.
  • If you want to read a “thread” that someone else has started, click on the name of the Topic. It should be a link.
  • You can also manage your own settings here.
  • The numbers will show you how many message are in the Topic and how many you have read.
  • Public Topics are open to all members of the course. ALL members of the course can view postings made to public topics.

Private Topics are set up for groups of students to post assignments and messages to each other. When a student posts to one of his/her private topics only the membership of the topic will be able to view the posting. The instructor can lurk in those areas but won’t post any messages there.

Use Discussions

1.        From the course home page, click the Discussions icon. 

2.       You should see a screen that looks something like the one below. 
If you do not, click the Discussions link to move back one level.

3.       Once you are in Discussions, click the Main link, which is among those listed in the Topic column, as shown above.

4.       At the Discussion Messages: Main screen, click the subject link for the message from your instructor.  It will look something like the following.  In this example, you would click on the subject link “Welcome.”

5.       A message window opens.  Once you have read the message, click Quote, type your response, and then click Post. 

6.       You are returned to the Discussion Messages: Main screen.  Click the Update Listing button to see your post as well as any others that have come in from the rest of the class.

7.       If you still do not see your message, check to see if the thread of the message is expanded.  The ‘twisty’ (blue triangle) shows that status.  If the twisty points toward the subject of the message, the thread is collapsed, as shown below: