Discussion Board - Read and Reply to a Discussion Board Post

The Discussion Board is a communication tool used to conduct class discussions. Because the discussions are asynchronous (not live), participants can respond at any time. Instructors can create forums that establish multiple topics of discussion. Discussions that take place in these forums are grouped in "threads" that contain the main message and all replies to that main message. All threads are logged and organized. Ideas to enhance a course with online discussion.

Step One: Create a Forum

Step Two: Start a Thread

Step Three: Read and Reply to a Discussion Board Post

New: Watch a closed-captioned movie that shows you how to read and reply to a Discussion Board post in BeachBoard [opens a new window]

Threads grow as users respond to the initial, and subsequent, posts. Replies build on one another to construct a conversation.

1. Login to BeachBoard at https://beachboard.csulb.edu/
2. Under My Courses, click the name of the course that contains your Discussion Board forum.
3. Click the course's Control Panel link.
4. Under Course Tools, click the Discussion Board link.
5. On the Discussion Boards page, click the name of your course [e.g., 2084_LBCMP_ECON_100_SEC01]
   
6. Click the name of the forum whose messages you would like to read.
   
7. In the top right corner of the page, choose if you want the forum's posts to be displayed in a Tree View [recommended] or a List View.
   1. The Tree View presents the thread starter messages and their child messages. The child messages can be expanded and collapsed by using the plus/minus icon next to each message. Unread threads and posts are displayed in bold type; if a thread starter message has unread children, then the thread starter message is displayed in bold if its children are collapsed.
   2. The List View presents the list of threads in a tabular format. The threads can be sorted by clicking the carat [] at the top of each column.
8. To read a discussion board thread in the Tree View, click that thread's first post. This opens the Thread Detail page. The top half of the page shows all of the thread's posts, who made those posts, and when. The bottom half of the page shows the content of the first post in that thread. The next step is to either
   • Read each post individually. The post text will appear at the bottom of the page. Click the Next Post > link to advance to the next post.
   • Collect all of the thread's posts and read them all on one page. At the bottom of the top half of the page, choose Select All in the pull-down list and then click the Go button. Then, at the top of the page, click the Collect button. BeachBoard will display all of the thread's posts on on page in chronological order. This page can be printed if you choose [File > Print].
9. To reply to a discussion board post, with a post open on your page click either the Reply or Quote button beneath the post's contents.
10. Key in the reply’s subject in the Subject box.
11. Key in the reply’s message in the Message box.
12. If you wish to attach a file to the reply,
    • To the right of Attachment local file, click the Browse button. This opens a Choose file pop-up window.
    • Find the file on your computer you wish to attach and click the Open button. This process is similar to the process of attaching a file to an email message.
13. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

Step Four: Grade Discussion Board Participation (Optional)

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Additional Discussion Board Tools and Features