In discussions, you can share thoughts and ideas about class materials. In Blackboard Learn, course members can have the thoughtful discussions that take place in the traditional classroom, but with the advantages of asynchronous communication. Participants don't need to be in the same location or time zone, and you can take the time to consider your responses carefully.

Overview of discussions

This video provides an overview of the discussion board interface.

Forums and threads

A forum is an area of the discussion board where participants discuss a topic or a group of related topics. Within each forum, users can create multiple threads. When your instructor creates a forum, they may or may not let you start threads.

Visit this page for an overview on the layout of a forum, how to subscribe to a forum and how to view a forum.

Threads are created on a forum by the lecturer (or students if allowed by the lecturer). Threads are conversations on a specific topic. You will have to navigate the thread page to post a discussion reply or create a new thread (if allowed by your lecturer).

Manage discussions

Some discussion forums are quite active and to save time it becomes necessary to manage them. Another time saving mechanism is to search and collect your posts.

View discussion grades

If your lecturer is grading your discussion post, you can view your marks on the My Grades page.

The journals tool provides a personal space for you to communicate privately with your instructor. Your lecturer can choose to make journal entries public, allowing all course members to view all entries. You can read what other students wrote and build on those ideas.

When used in the group area, members of a group can view and comment on each other's entries for a group journal. The group can communicate with their lecturer as a whole and all members can benefit from the comments made. Your lecturer can grade group journals and apply the grade to every member of the course group. Journal entries can also be used specifically for communication. In either instance, you can make multiple entries for one journal topic.

The journal topic page 

View the different elements you will see on the journal topic page.

Create a journal entry

This video shows you how to create a blog entry, add media to your post, attach files, save and edit drafts and publish your journal entry.

Comment on a journal post

You can comment on one another individual, group or course journal. 

View your grades for a journal post

View your journal grades from two places.

Lecturers may require you to submit work on a blog. A blog is basically an online journal in which you can include any combination of text, images, links, multimedia, mashups, and attachments. Blogs are an effective way for you to share knowledge and materials created and collected in the course. 

As the owner of a blog, you can create entries and your instructor and classmates can add comments. A course or a group can also own a blog. In the group area, all members of a group can create entries for the same blog, building upon one another. Any course member can read and comment on a group blog, but can't create an entry if the user isn't a member of the group. Your lecturer can also offer comments and grade entries.

Your chosen profile image/avatar appears with your blog.

The blog topic page 

View the different elements you will see on the blog topic page.

Create a blog post

This video shows you how to create a blog entry, add media to your post, attache files, save and edit drafts and publish your blog entry.

Comment on a blog post

You can comment on one another individual, group or course blog. 

View your grades for a blog post

View your blog post grades from two places.