Ed Discussion

Yes, but it depends on the issue. Most questions are better directed to instructors first. Students rarely face IT issues with Ed Discussion.

No, only one category can be selected per post to maintain clear organisation in the course.

Yes, instructors have much more control over notifications. You can customise them through the settings in your account, like opting out of announcements or choosing specific triggers for emails.

Yes, instructors can lock threads or mark posts as private, preventing further responses.

It is visible to everyone. Pinned posts appear prominently at the top of the thread.

The answer according to the facilitator of an Ed Discussion workshop (who is also a teacher) is, yes. Ed Discussion encourages participation by making it less intimidating for students. The platform integrates Q&A and discussion features more seamlessly, which increases engagement.

The answer according to the facilitator of an Ed Discussion workshop (who is also a teacher) is, not significantly. While there are more questions, they are higher quality and often more interesting. Moderation tools help save time.

Not really. The full-window experience is preferred, as the iframe can be too cramped.

No, this is not customisable. It is a feature request currently under consideration.

No, polls in Ed Discussion are anonymous.

Yes, Ed Discussion automatically highlights code syntax based on the selected language, like Python or SQL.

The “Code” option is plain text, while Code Snippet supports syntax highlighting and is runnable for specific coding languages like Python or SQL.

Yes, there is a “Download Threads” option that provides data in JSON format, which can be converted into other formats for analysis.

Yes, you can embed an iframe within a post using the Web Preview option. This feature allows you to write and preview HTML, CSS, and JavaScript directly. If a specific feature isn’t natively supported by Ed, you can often implement it yourself using custom code in the Web Preview.

To temporarily block content from students during a test, you can switch the course to “Read Only” in the advanced course settings. This setting prevents new posts or replies but doesn’t hide existing content. Another option is archiving the course, though this is better suited for use after the course ends. Currently, there isn’t a built-in feature to completely hide the discussion board. Removing and re-adding students is a workaround, but it’s a tedious process and not ideal for this use case.

To direct a post to specific students, there is a chat feature available, but instructors cannot create a thread exclusively for a student. Instead, students can create private posts that are visible only to them and the instructor. However, instructors cannot author private posts on behalf of a student.

The ‘Anonymous Comments’ setting allows users to post anonymously on any post. While this feature is enabled by default, it is marked as “Not Recommended” because it removes the ability to control where anonymity is allowed. Users often prefer more granular control over anonymity, which is why this setting isn’t generally advised. However, it can still be used based on your preferences.

The ‘Megathread’ feature in Posts & Announcements consolidates multiple threads into one. When a post is designated as a megathread, all follow-up comments, particularly top-level ones, are tagged as unresolved by default. This allows for follow-up questions to be asked and resolved within the same thread. It’s a way to manage and streamline discussions by grouping related topics together.

No, ‘Anonymous’ on the discussion board means that a student’s name is hidden from their peers but not from staff. This distinction is clearly noted in the platform.

Tutorials in Ed Discussion could potentially relate to Categories, which can be used to organise discussions and group content by topics or sessions. Categories might serve to group students or discussions specific to tutorial sessions.

Yes, Ed Discussion can be used in manual (non-enrolled) Canvas courses. For example, a manual course for Lab Safety could have Ed Discussion enabled by the course director for student access. It is recommended to review how students are added to such courses, such as using sections with specific start and end dates.

Since Ed uses Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI 1.3), the course roster should sync automatically. However, this process will need to be confirmed with the vendor.

Using the ‘Sync with LMS’ button restores the original roles from Canvas. This will need to be referred to the vendor to understand when and how the sync button should be used to avoid role resets.