"Discussions" is a place where messages can be posted for public display. On the Internet, and in some of the online modules, a Discussion may also be called a bulletin board or a forum.

In WebCT, Discussions is the main tool and topics are the items to be discussed.

A Discussion can be used :

• as a place where students can discuss general issues
• to discuss case studies or learning material with lecturer
• by a group of students to discuss or present an assignment
• to post general messages from the lecturer
• to organise related discussions

This icon will be displayed if you have a new message.

The Discussions layout is very similar to that of the e-mail window. The main difference between the Discussions tool and Mail is that when you post a message in a topic, everyone sees the posted messages.

Bulletin boards are used to ask questions about the course. The questions can be general or specific. They are open to all readers and can be answered by students or instructors.

You are also encouraged to answer questions that other students have posted.

When you select the Discussions tool, by clicking on the menu link or on a Discussions icon, you will be taken to a topic listing window.

Click on the Topic to see the postings. If you click on All you will see all postings for all available topics.

The image on the left shows the command buttons used to display the different forums.

The Return to Discussions link will return you to the topic listing. Don't forget to use the online Help if you are not sure about using the Discussions tool.

Topics may be set up for particular subjects. Click on the Topic dropdown box to see the different topics that are available.

As in the e-mail, messages can be sorted, and you can display All, Read or Unread messages by using the Show option.

To post a new message, click on Compose Message, enter the text, and then click the Send button.

Messages which have not been read will have a "New" icon next to the message. Forum messages also accept attachments.

Be sure to press Update the Listing after reading/composing messages so that the latest information is displayed. Check also that the Topic list is showing the correct topic for your message(s).

Don't be shy ! Use the forum to ask your questions.

You may also be able to provide some answers, comments, or suggestions to other students.

Do you have some thoughts now? Click on the bulletins icon in the toolbar to have your say.