FACULTY: ULTRA: How do I create Discussions?

How Do I Create a Discussion?

1. Navigate to the Discussions tab in the navigation bar near the top of your course. 
2. Click the plus symbol (+) on the top right corner and click Add Discussion.
3. Give your discussion a name and make the initial post. Text formatting options are similar to Blackboard Learn original. 

Note: Under the plus symbol (+) button from the formatting toolbar, you can embed photos, embed videos from YouTube, insert a math formula, connect to cloud services, and embed other Blackboard tools such as Panopto, Padlet, and VoiceThread. 

How Do I Change Discussion Settings?

1. Before clicking Save, click the gear icon on the top right to change the settings for that discussion.
2. Here, you can:
   • Assign it to a Group Discussion
   • Choose whether or not it is graded
   • Align the discussion with your course’s Goals & Standards
3. Just above the gear settings icon, you can change the visibility from Hidden from Students to Visible to Students. You can also schedule when the discussion is visible to students by clicking Release Conditions.

Tips for Using Discussions

1. You can easily see who has responded to the discussion post as well as who they have replied to on the right panel under Participants.
2. Students can also create discussion threads themselves if you wish. On the main Discussions tab, click the gear icon in the top right corner. Check Allow students to create discussion topics.

For more information on Creating Discussions, see Blackboard Ultra’s webpage. Contact the TTC office at ttc@bridgew.edu for other questions regarding Blackboard Ultra.