2. How is the Discussions Index Page Organized?

Discussions Index Page

All class and group discussion activities are created, listed, and organized on the Discussions index page, which is reached by clicking the Discussions link on the Course Menu.

If you provide a link to a specific discussion activity via an Announcement, Page, To Do list, or Module, it takes students directly into the discussion, bypassing the Discussions index page.

On the index page, discussions are arranged into three groups: Discussions, Pinned, and Closed for comments. To move a new discussion to a different group, either:

Click the three dots to the right of its name and select 'Pin' or 'Closed for comment.'
Click on the eight dot 'gripper strip' on the left side of the activity and drag it up or down to a different group.

1. Discussions

1. Discussions

New discussion activities are always added to the middle 'Discussions' group.

The order of discussions in this group changes based on usage.

Discussion activities with posts/replies are ordered by activity date: the top discussion has the most recent posts.
Discussion activities with no replies are ordered by creation date.

2. Pinned

2. Pinned Discussions

Discussions must be moved into the Pinned Discussions section. They remain in the order you place them.

If you have a FAQ or General Help discussion, pin it so it is easy for students to find.
You may wish to place graded discussion assignments in the Pinned section to preserve their chronological order.

3. Closed for Comments

3. Closed for Comments

Discussions placed in the bottom 'Closed for Comments' section become read-only, i.e., students can view them but cannot add replies.

Closed discussions are listed by the most recent activity.
Discussions can be dragged into this section or moved to it by clicking the three dots on the right side of the discussion and then selecting 'Close for Comments.'

Tip: To prevent students from reading closed discussions, change the discussion's 'Available From' date to one year in the future. Students can only see a discussion's topic title before the availability date.