Announcements and Discussions – Redesign

New features were enabled in the Announcements and Discussions tools in July 2024. The new versions of the tools are distinguished from the old ones by the word 'Redesign'.

 

Interface changes

  • Within a particular discussion topic, the toolbar (with Search, View and Sort options) has been moved to the top of the screen.
  • By default, newest replies display at the top of the first page instead of the bottom of the last page.
  • Users can sort replies from newest to oldest, or oldest to newest.
  • Users can expand all threads. 

 

New features

  • Viewing option – Users can choose to view replies inline or to view threaded replies in a split screen sidebar.
  • Anonymous discussions – Instructors can enable this on a per-discussion basis and also configure whether students can create anonymous discussions.
  • Mentions – Mention other users in discussion replies by using the @ symbol.
  • Quote Reply – Quote a particular reply as part of a new reply. A quoted reply will show the post’s author and quote the first line of the original post.
  • Reply reporting for inappropriate, offensive and/or abusive comments (tutors can choose to enable this feature for students using the cog icon on the Discussions tool).
  • Edit History – When a user edits a submitted discussion reply, instructors can view the edit history of all posts made by that person. Additionally, students can view their own edit history.