Discussion Boards are set up by your lecturer and you may be prompted to participate in discussions on topics and assignments to work collaboratively.

You can use MyBeckett discussion boards, forums and threads to discuss topics or engage with group tasks within your module. Some discussion boards may be used as part of an assessment, so you may be marked on your contributions.

Your lecturer will direct you to the Discussion Board links within your module.

Key Terminology:

Forum: Your top-level discussion topic. It is usual for only lecturers to create a forum.

Thread (posts): When your lecturer creates a forum, they may give you the ability to create your own threads (posts by topic).  You can usually comment on threads to create a decision with your group / peers.

Subscribe: Clicking this option will alert you via email every time someone posts in the discussion, which means you will never miss out on the conversation.

Click on the forum name to read and reply or create a new thread (if enabled), the image below shows an example of a forum:

Create a new thread:

You can create a new related topic for discussion by clicking on Create Thread within a Forum. Fill in the subject title and write about your topic / subject that you want to discuss.

(Note: If your lecturer hasn't allowed you to create threads you will only be able to respond and not start new discussions topics).

Replying to a thread:

1. Click Reply, type a comment and / or attach a file, then click Submit.
2. You can quote authors of a thread if you want to respond to a particular topic or section of a comment / thread.  This is a hidden menu, to view the menu options you may need to hover the mouse cursor under the text.  Select Reply or Quote, to add in your own comments, then click Submit.
3. You may also have an option to email the author of the comment.

Subscribe to threads to receive an email update when people post:

Select the forum/s and click the Subscribe button. If there is more than one thread you can select them using the check boxes to the left side.

1. A confirmation message appears.
2. An email is sent to your student email address confirming your subscription. When posts are added by lecturers or students you'll receive an email from 'Blackboard Administrator' this is a no reply email address and you will click within the email to reply to the comment.
3. To unsubscribe, go back to where you clicked Subscribe in the Discussion Board. Click the Unsubscribe button to be removed from the mailing list.