Discussion Board - Start a Thread

Discussion Board - Start a Thread

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

New: Watch a closed-captioned movie that shows you how to create a Discussion Board thread in BeachBoard [opens a new window]

Threads are a series of posts related to a similar topic. When creating a forum, the Instructor has the option of allowing or not allowing users to start threads. If threads are graded, users cannot start threads. Generally, the purpose of the forum will dictate whether or not users can start threads. A moderated, graded forum used to evaluate student performance will usually be tightly controlled. In this case, it would not be appropriate to allow users to create threads. Other forums are designed for users to share opinions and thoughts on tangential or unrelated topics. In this case, it is safe to allow users to create threads and spark discussions.

  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]
    Name of course
  6. Click the name of the forum in which you would like to start a new discussion thread.
    Discussion Forum
  7. Click the Thread button
  8. Key in the thread’s subject in the Subject box
  9. Key in the thread’s message in the Message box.
  10. If you wish to attach a file to the thread,
    • 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.
  11. If you chose to enable Grade Threads [in the Forum Settings at Control Panel > Discussion Board > [COURSEID] > Modify], BeachBoard will display a third section that lets you choose if this thread will be graded and how many points it will be worth.
  12. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

Step Three: Read and Reply to a Discussion Board Post

Step Four: Grade Discussion Board Participation (Optional)

Additional Discussion Board Tools and Features