BSU Student D2L Weblog

D2L 8.3 Help for Students

Discussions Tool

The Discussions tool is used for online discussions between you and other students and/or your instructor. You may be asked to post messages in regards to readings, class activities, group projects, or useful resources you think might be of interest to other students.

Access Discussions

To view the discussion area of your course, click the Discussions link on your course navigation bar.

Discussion home

Add a new message

1. Click on the Topic (blue link) you wish to contribute to.
2. Click Compose (the Compose New Message box will pop up on the screen).
3. Type an appropriate title in the Subject box.
4. Type your comments in the Messege box.
5. Click Post.

Reply to a posting

1. Click on the message you wish to reply to.
2. Click on the Reply button.
3. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard twice to insert a couple of blank spaces, then arrow up to the top of the message box.
4. Type your comments in the Message box.
5. When you are finished, Click Post.

Search for a posting

1. Click Show Search to display the search fields.

2. Type the words you want to search for and click Search.

Post an attachment

1. Click Compose to add a new message as described in the previous section.
2. Fill in the Subject and Message boxes.
3. Scroll down and click Add a File.
4. Click Browse to locate the file on your computer or from a network location.
5. Click Upload in the lower right corner.
6. Click Post in the lower right corner.

Download an attachment

1. Click on the message that contains the attachment you want to download.
2. Right-click (Command Click for a Mac) on the link to the attachment and choose Save Target As.

Flag message

“Flagging” a message allows you to make a particular discussion post (time-sensitive or important) more visible for the next time you return to the Discussion Topic. Simply click on the grayed-out flag next to the message, it will turn red.

Print messages

1. Select the messages you want to print by clicking in the boxes to the left of each one.
2. Click the “view selected messages in a printable format” icon to view the selected messages (a window will pop up).
3. Click Print in the lower right corner of the screen.

Discussions Settings

1. In the upper left corner of the Discussions page click on the Settings Link.
2. You have many options to choose from, so we recommend that you try out different settings until you are happy with how your discussion area looks and functions.
3. Be sure to look at the “Message List Styles.” Grid Style is the original style that we have been using for years. The new Reading Style allows you to see multiple messages on one screen. However, you will need to click a link (Mark As Read) to mark each message as being read so that you receive credit for reading it. This clicking is automatic in the Grid Style.

See also Discussion Area Concerns.

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