Discussions Module Banner

About Discussion Settings

There are several areas where you are able to open a discussion. Please make note, some of these areas may not be turned on by your instructor. The most common locations to view a discussion are from the Calendar, course Modules, or the course Discussion Index page.

Other locations may include:

The Assignments link in the course navigation
Course Home Page To-Do List
Syllabus
Dashboard To-Do List

Opening a Discussion

Begin by clicking the title of the discussion.

Availability and Due Dates for Discussions

screenshot of the process outlined below

Discussions may have a due date and availability date. The due date is when the discussion must be completed before you are marked as late. The availability date is the start and end date of when you can participate in the discussion.

Graded Discussions

screenshot of the process outlined below

Discussions may be graded or ungraded. If the discussion that you open is graded, an alert is placed at the top of the discussion.

Discussion Rubrics

The top right corner has a more options button. Select the button to see if your instructor has attached a Discussions Board Rubric, which outlines the expectations your instructor has for you.

Marking Discussions Read

As you read the posts and replies from others in the discussion, a dot next to each post turns solid. Canvas automatically marks the posts as "Read" if you spend enough time viewing the post. You may also select the circle on the left of the post to mark the individual post as read, or select the 'more options' button in the Discussion index at the top and choose manually "Mark as Read," so Canvas does not auto-mark the discussion as read.

Related Canvas Guides:

How do I view a Discussion Rubric?
How do I manually mark Discussions as Read?
How do I mark discussion replies as read or unread?
How do I subscribe to a discussion as a student?