Participate in discussions in myCourses
You and your students can engage in online discussion by posting messages with the Discussions tool.
In this article:
Create a discussion thread
Select Discussions on the course Navigation Bar.
On the main Discussions page, select a Topic heading.
Select Start a New Thread at the top of the page. Text fields and options for your new thread will appear.
Enter a subject for your thread in the text field at the top.
Enter your thread text in the textbox below the subject. See Use textboxes in myCourses for information on options for inserting media and formatting text.
(Optional) Select one or more of the following options:
(Instructors only) Pin thread: Select this checkbox to pin your thread to the top of a forum.
Post as Anonymous: Select this checkbox to post anonymously. Anonymous posting is only available if you selected Allow anonymous messages when creating the topic.
Subscribe to this thread: Select this checkbox to have updates sent to your email or mobile phone if you set up notifications for discussions.
Select Add attachments to access the following options:
Add a File: Upload a file from your computer and attach it to the message.
Record Audio: Record audio of up to one minute and attach it as a .wav file to the message. For further information, see Record audio in myCourses.
Select Post to post your message or select Save as Draft to save your message as a draft for posting at a later date.
Post a saved draft message
On the main Discussions page, select the Topic heading in which you saved your draft.
Select All Threads in the row above the messages and select the checkbox beside Drafts. This will filter the page to show only your draft messages.
Select the arrow beside the subject of your message and select Publish Draft.
In the pop-up window that appears, select Yes.
Reply to a message
Locate the thread or message to which you want to reply.
Select Reply to Thread in the thread or select Reply at the bottom of the message.
Enter your Message.
(Optional) To include the text from the original message in your reply, select Add original post text below the textbox.
Select Post.
You can tag people by following the format @mention. The person tagged should have the Discussions - mentioned in a discussion post or thread feature enabled in their notifications.
View a discussion thread
On the main Discussions page, select a Topic heading to view the discussion threads, and then select a thread title to view the discussion posts.
Post to multiple topics
You can post a thread to multiple topics. Note: This feature is available to instructors only.
Select Start a New Thread or select the down arrow beside an existing thread and then select Edit.
Scroll down and select Post to other topics.
Select Add Topics.
In the pop-up window that appears, select all topics you want to post this message in and select Add Topics.
After composing your message, select Post.
Subscribe to discussions
You can Subscribe to discussions to receive notifications of any new messages posted in a forum, topic, or thread. When new messages appear in a forum, topic, or thread to which you are subscribed, a red dot will appear on the Subscriptions icon on the top toolbar. You can select this icon to view all new messages for the discussions to which you are subscribed. In addition to these notifications, you can set up email and text notifications to receive an e-mail or text every time a new message is posted in a subscribed forum, topic or thread. You can also receive a daily Summary of Activity notification for all subscribed discussions. See Enable and manage email and text notifications in myCourses for more information.
Subscribe to a forum or topic
On the main Discussions page, select the down arrow beside a forum or topic name and select Subscribe.
In the pop-up window that appears, select a Notification Method:
Show notifications in minibar only: Shows new message notifications on the top toolbar of myCourses.
Send me an instant Notification: Shows new message notifications on the top toolbar, and if you set up notifications for discussions, you will receive e-mail or text notifications.
Include in my Summary of Activity: Shows new message notifications on the top toolbar and in your daily Summary of Activity if you signed up for a Summary of Activity in Notifications.
Select Subscribe.
If you selected to receive an instant notification or include the subscription in your Summary of Activity, select your name on the top toolbar and select Notifications to make sure these notifications are enabled.
Subscribe to a thread or message
On the main Discussions page, select the name of the topic containing the thread and message to which you want to subscribe.
Select Subscribe below the subject of the thread or message.
In the pop-up window that appears, select Subscribe.
Unsubscribe to discussions
On the main Discussions page, select Subscriptions at the top of the page.
Select Subscribed on the right of the page beside the discussion forum, topic, or thread.
In the pop-up window that appears, select Yes.
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While this resource is accessible worldwide, McGill University is on land which has served and continues to serve as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. Teaching and Learning Services acknowledges and thanks the diverse Indigenous peoples whose footsteps mark this territory on which peoples of the world now gather. This land acknowledgment is shared as a starting point to provide context for further learning and action.
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