Using the Discussion Board on Blackboard

Overview of The Discussion Board

The Discussion Board is a communication tool in Blackboard. The basic component of the Discussion Board is a message, which may also include an attached file. Messages are organized into threads which are stored in forums.

Note: See examples of forums and threads at the bottom of this page.

Starting a New Thread

1.   Login to Blackboard and enter your course.

2.   On the left side of the screen, click the Discussion Board link. A list of discussion forums will appear.

Note: Discussion Boards are also available within Groups-see Communication > Groups. If you are doing group work, be sure to check on which Discussion Board you should be using.

3.   Click on the correct forum title.

4.   Click + Thread in the upper left of the screen.

5.   Click in the Subject field and type your subject.

6.   Click in the Message field and type your message.

7.   Click Submit to post your message.

8.   If you would prefer to save a draft of your message, click Save. To later review and publish draft messages, select Show All in the Display drop down menu and click GO. Click on the message subject. Click Modify. Click Submit.

Reading and Replying to a Message

1.   Login to Blackboard and enter your course.

2.   On the left side of the screen, click the Discussion Board link. A list of discussion forums will appear.

Note: Discussion Boards are also available within Communication > Groups. If you are doing group work, be sure to check on which Discussion Board you should be using.

3.   Click on the correct forum title.

4.   Click on a message link to read a specific message.

5.   In the lower right of the message, click on Reply.

6.   Click in the Message field and type your message.

7.   Click Submit to post your message.

8.   If you would prefer to save a draft of your message, click Save. To later review and publish draft messages, select Show All in the Display drop down menu and click GO. Click on the message subject. Click Modify. Click Submit.

Note: For Macintosh users, if you are using the Safari browser the following setting must be changed in Blackboard in order to post Discussion Board Responses. Go to Personal Information > Set Visual Text Box Editor Options > Unavailable > Submit.

Example of Threads in a Forum

Example of Collapsed and Expanded Threads in a Forum

Example of an Online Forum

A forum is an area inside of a Discussion Board that is set up by the instructor for a specific topic of discussion. Threads are started within a Forum and a forum can contain as many threads as necessary.