Self-check: The D2l Discussion Tool

1. Discussions Topics contain messages and are organized under discussion Forums.

True

False

Ding ding ding! You got it! Just like Modules work in Content, the Forums are used for organizing the Topics.

Explanation

Ding ding ding! You got it! Just like Modules work in Content, the Forums are used for organizing the Topics.

2. I can print all the messages in a discussion topic to read on paper rather than on the screen.

True

False

Yes, you can print any and/or all messages posted in a discussion topic. Will you kill several trees in the process? True again. I understand that some folks just don't like to read text on the screen so the option of printing is available in the Discussion tool. Myself and my other tree-hugging friends do beg that if you do plan to use this feature, tell your students to turn off the "Include Original Message in Reply" feature under "Settings." This alone will save many a tree.

Explanation

Yes, you can print any and/or all messages posted in a discussion topic. Will you kill several trees in the process? True again. I understand that some folks just don't like to read text on the screen so the option of printing is available in the Discussion tool. Myself and my other tree-hugging friends do beg that if you do plan to use this feature, tell your students to turn off the "Include Original Message in Reply" feature under "Settings." This alone will save many a tree.

3. Students can still see messages in a locked discussion topic but they cannot see a hidden discussion topic.

True

False

As far a student is concerned, a discussion message that is hidden doesn't exist. It's invisible to them. If a topic is locked, however, students can still see the discussion topic and any messages that were previously posted. The locking feature is handy for politely "shushing" people when you want to move on to a new topic. :)

Explanation

As far a student is concerned, a discussion message that is hidden doesn't exist. It's invisible to them. If a topic is locked, however, students can still see the discussion topic and any messages that were previously posted. The locking feature is handy for politely "shushing" people when you want to move on to a new topic. :)

4. I can link multiple discussion topics to the same grade item.

True

False

In their hit single "I Can't Go for That," Daryl Hall and John Oates sum this one up quite nicely: No can do. If you have all students using the same discussion topic for an assignment, this isn't an issue. But often times, instructors will put students into smaller, separate discussion topics to make the activity more manageable. In this case, you might have 5 discussion topics that you want to link to the same grade item and D2L does not allow this. Instead, you have to manually enter the scores into the Grades tool.

Explanation

In their hit single "I Can't Go for That," Daryl Hall and John Oates sum this one up quite nicely: No can do. If you have all students using the same discussion topic for an assignment, this isn't an issue. But often times, instructors will put students into smaller, separate discussion topics to make the activity more manageable. In this case, you might have 5 discussion topics that you want to link to the same grade item and D2L does not allow this. Instead, you have to manually enter the scores into the Grades tool.

5. I can sort discussion messages by first or last name.

True

False

I'm not sure what the programmer was thinking who developed this feature (oh wait...they weren't!) but you can only alphabetize by first name in the discussions area. If you drop down the "View" menu and select "All Messages," you can sort by First Name and not Last Name. Well, I guess it's better than no sorting capabilities but seriously! I'm pretty sure if he or she was working for Donald Trump they'd be hearing "You're Fired."

Explanation

I'm not sure what the programmer was thinking who developed this feature (oh wait...they weren't!) but you can only alphabetize by first name in the discussions area. If you drop down the "View" menu and select "All Messages," you can sort by First Name and not Last Name. Well, I guess it's better than no sorting capabilities but seriously! I'm pretty sure if he or she was working for Donald Trump they'd be hearing "You're Fired."