This article discusses the unique aspects of creating a Discussion activity when building a course and offers tips to create a valuable learner experience in Discussions.
- Learn more about the fields included for all activity types.
- Learn more about the role of discussions in the course experience.
Breakout group discussions
When the Breakout Group checkbox is selected, learners will only have a discussion with members of their breakout group, rather than the entire cohort. Learn more about how to set up breakout groups. When left un-selected, the discussion will involve the entire cohort.
Best practices when writing a discussion prompt
- Ask a question meant to incite conversation about the content or application of the content.
- Ask learners to post a piece of work they have developed and have others review and comment on the work in the discussion forum.
- Ask learners to post major findings after doing a group or individual activity.
- Ask learners to share their thoughts and feedback around what they’ve previously read or considered.
- Ask learners to share their thoughts about how to apply what they have learned in their day to day role.
Tips when creating a Discussion activity
1. Try to limit the number of discussions you have in each lesson and module. Discussions can overwhelm learners due to the amount of time it takes to thoughtfully post and reply to others, as well as the number of email notifications they may receive from the discussion.
2. You cannot attach any files to a discussion activity. However, learners and admins that post in the discussion can attach an activity. As a result, if you would like to attach a file related to the discussion, consider posting in the discussion and pinning your post to the top of the discussion.
3. Keep any text above the discussion prompt concise in this activity type so learners can focus on the question or prompt.
4. Only include one question in the prompt, particularly if you plan to do thematic analysis on the discussion (contact your Customer Success representative for more information about thematic analyses).