Overview

This article explains what a Forum Activity is and how to use it.


Contents


Video Guide

This video gives an overview of how a student can interact with the Forum Activity.


What is a Forum?

Forums are used within Learning Space for a variety of reasons. News forums can be used on a module area for information, a standard forum can be used for discussions among a students or as an assessed piece of work. All forums within Learning Space feature the green and orange double speech bubble icon.

Forum Activity icon


How to post to a Forum

Enter the forum by clicking the title on the left hand side of the icon. You will then presented with the main Forum window which gives details of recent posts: 

Recent posts screen view in the Forum Activity

From this window you are able to search the Forum. You are also given the option to subscribe to the Forum meaning that you will receive updates via email. Please note that some Forums will be automatically subscribed depending on how it has been set up by the tutor.

You will also see a description of the Forum, this would usually give you some context as to how the Forum is to be used and what you are expected to discuss.

Underneath the Forum description is an area which lists the topics in that particular Forum and how many replies are in the discussion thread. You can also see when the last post was created. 

To add a new topic to the discussion click the "Add a new discussion topic" button.

New discussions topic screen view in the Forum Activity

When creating a new discussion topic you are required to enter a subject title and message text. The descriptive text associated with the original forum is also displayed at the top of the page.

The message box where text is required functions in the same way as other word processing pieces of software. From here you are able to align text, use formatting and bullet points within the text. Within this view you are also to insert an image and attach files.

Once you have created a discussion topic click the "Post to Forum" button at the bottom of the page. With any type of post using forums you will be presented with the following notification: "Your post was successfully added. You have 30 mins to edit it if you want to make any changes".

Post to forum submission message that states "Your post was successfully added. You have 30 mins to edit it if you want to make any changes"

Within the first 30 minutes of posting you will be able to edit and amend your content before it is sent out via email. You are then taken back to the main forum window.

Discussion screen listing existing discussions within the Forum activity

The new discussion topic has now been added. Forums by their nature display chronologically, the most recent topic will always be displayed at the top. If you want to engage with a discussion topic you will first need to select the relevant topic by clicking on the topic heading.

An example forum post entitled "Your ideas for brewing"

From this view you can now reply to relevant discussions taking place within the topic. The view displayed when replying to a topic is very similar to that shown when creating a new topic.

An example reply in the Forum Activity


The subject heading will be auto filled, but can be changed if desired. From here you can add text to your reply. Test can also be formatted or links added.

To post your reply to the topic discussion click the "post to forum" button located at the bottom of the page. Clicking this button will take you back to the topic discussion view, you can now see the reply nested under the initial topic.

At this point you are still able to amend or delete the reply, this option is only available 30 minutes after posting. At the moment the topic threads are shown in nested form, the dropdown menu at the top of the page allows individuals to view how they wish depending on preference.

Thread display options in an example post in the Forum Activity

Within the Forums you are able to add comments to other student’s replies in addition to initial discussion topics. You can do this by clicking reply on any comment you wish within the Forum. 


Adding an attachment to a forum post

When leaving a comment or starting a thread within a Forum you are presented with the following view.

New discussion window in the Forum Activity

Within this view you are able to add text to a discussion. You are also able to add an attachment to a discussion topic. To do this drag and drop a file into the attachment area below the text box. Please note that there will be an attachment limit listed on this page, this will differ from Forum to Forum.

If you are happy with your attachment selection click post to forum.

You are then taken back to the Forum area, where the post with attachment can be seen in the thread.

Example Forum area, showing posts with attachments that are visible within the thread

You have now successfully posted to the Forum area with an attachment.


Inserting an image into a forum post

When leaving a comment or starting a thread within a forum you are presented with the following view.

New discussion window in the Forum Activity showing area where to 'drag and drop' an Attachment file

Within this view you are able to add text to a discussion. You are also able to add images to a discussion topic. To do this drag and drop the image file into the message text box.

Your chosen image will now be inserted into the message area. Clicking post to forum will create your post. 

You are then taken back to the Forum area, clicking your post you should see the image you inserted visible in the thread.

Example Forum post displaying an image

You have now successfully posted an image to the forum area.


Question mark iconFurther Support

For general queries about the Learning Space, students should first contact their module leader or personal tutor. For any other comments or issues within this guide, please contact the Digital Learning Team via dlsupport@falmouth.ac.uk. Alternatively, please refer to the numerous help guides found on our Knowledge Base


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