Discussions: Availability Dates & Conditions

How to Edit an Existing Discussion

1. On the navbar, click Communication then Discussions.
2. On the Discussions List page, click the drop-down menu next to the forum or topic title.
3. Select Edit Forum (or Edit Topic).
4. On the Properties tab, add or edit the discussion Title and/or Description.
5. Click Save and Close.

The image below illustrates steps 2 and 3 for an example discussion topic.

Setting Dates for Discussions

You can add start and end dates to discussion forums or topics. If you add date restrictions to a forum, they will be applied to all of the topics within that forum.

Add Date Restrictions to a Discussion

• From the Restrictions tab, the Availability Start Date and End Date options display with the following choices:  
  • Visible with access restricted before/after start/end. The activity will be visible to learners before the Start Date, but they cannot click or open it. Information displayed to learners about the activity is limited to title, dates, and restrictions.
  • Visible with submission restricted before/after start/end. The activity will be visible to learners before the Start Date and they can access and view the activity but cannot complete it. Learners can access the description and evaluation requirements such as rubrics. The activity behaves the same as the previous 'locked' functionality. This effectively makes a discussion read-only.
  • Hidden before/after start/end. The topic/forum is hidden from learners until the start/end date. Calendar events for Availability Starts and Availability Ends are hidden until the start/end date. Notifications are also not sent until the start/end date. 
• From the Restrictions tab, the Display in Calendar option is consolidated with the Availability Start Date and End Date options, which adds the start date and end dates to the calendar.
• Instructors can set release conditions and group and section restrictions from the Restrictions tab.
• From Discussion Settings, instructors can now set the default visibility and access behavior for new discussion forums and topics. 

How to Delete an Existing Discussion

1. On the navbar, click Communication then Discussions.
2. On the Discussions List page, click the drop-down menu next to the forum or topic you wish to delete.
3. Select Delete.
4. Click Yes to confirm.