Creating and Responding to a Discussion Post in FREDLearn
- Brianna Garland
- Lisa Melohusky
This step-by-step guide will walk students through how to create a discussion post, and also how to respond to another classmate's discussion post. Instructions on how to add different types of attachments (including audio files, video files, and Google Drive files) to a discussion post are also included on this page.
How to Create a Discussion Post Instructions
1. On the course homepage click on Course Activities, located on the blue toolbar, and then select Discussions.
2. You will then see a list of all Discussions for the course. You will see a forum title, then any available topic(s) you can post in under that forum. Click on the topic title you want to make a Discussion Post in.
3. Once you have opened the desired topic you will see a discussion prompt, and underneath this prompt is the “Start a New Thread” button. Click on “Start a New Thread” to begin your Discussion Post.
4. Enter a “Subject” for your post and then type your Discussion Post in the large text box shown.
5. If you would like to add an attachment to your Discussion Post, click “Add attachments”, located under the Discussion Post text box. A drop down menu will appear which gives you options to upload a file from your device, record audio or video (up to 30 minutes), or choose an existing file (this gives you the option to add a file housed in your Google Drive). You can attach as many files as you would like to your post.
Instructions on How To Add Attachments to a Discussion Post
To attach a file, in the Attachments area, click “Upload” to browse your device for the file you want to attach. You can also drag and drop the file from its folder to the Attachments area. You can repeat this process to attach as many files as you would like to your post.
To choose an existing file located within your personal Google Drive, click “Choose Existing” in the Attachments area, then select “Google Drive”. Your personal Google Drive will load, showing all files and folders you may choose from to upload. Once you have found the file you want to upload, click the file (this will highlight it), then click “Upload”. The Google file will then appear in the Attachments section of your post.
To attach an audio recording, in the Attachments area, click Record > Record Audio. Click “New Recording” once you are ready to record, then click “Stop Recording” once you are done recording. Your recording will automatically begin playing back for you to listen to. To listen to your recording again, click the “Play” button. If you would like to start over, click “New Recording”. Your old recording will be erased, and the recording process will begin all over again. When you are finished with your recording, click “Add”, and your recording will then appear in the Attachments section of your post. Note: Audio recordings/attachments are limited to 30 minutes.
If you have pre-recorded audio you would like to use instead, select “Upload File” instead of “Record Audio”. Note: The file format must be .mp3, .m4a. .ogg, or .wav. Additionally, you can also drag and drop the audio file from its folder to the Attachments area to upload the audio file.
To attach a video recording, in the Attachments area, click Record > Record Video. Click “New Recording” once you are ready to record, then click “Stop Recording” once you are done recording. Your video recording will automatically begin playing back for you to watch and listen to. To watch to your recording again, click the “Play” button. If you would like to start over, click “New Recording”. Your old recording will be erased, and the recording process will begin all over again. When you are finished with your video recording, click “Add”, and your recording will then appear in the Attachments section of your post. Note: Video recordings/attachments are limited to 30 minutes.
If you have pre-recorded video you would like to use instead, select “Upload File” instead of “Record Webcam Video”. Note: The file format must be .mp4, .webm, .mov, .flv, or .f4v. Additionally, you can also drag and drop the video file from its folder to the Attachments area to upload the video file.
6. As shown in the screenshot above, you may also choose to “Subscribe to this thread” if you leave the box checked. You will then receive updates on this thread via your selected notification method. This will be either via email, text message, or both, depending on the settings you have selected in FREDLearn.
7. Once you are finished with your Discussion Post and have added any necessary attachments, you can either click “Save as Draft” if you are not yet ready to submit your post and would like to come back to it later, or click “Post” to submit your post for your instructor and classmates to see.
8. Once you have clicked “Post” the page will refresh to show the thread you just made, and you will get a pop-up confirmation at the bottom of the screen that your thread has been created successfully.
How to Respond to a Discussion Post Instructions
1. On the course homepage click on Course Activities, located on the blue toolbar, and then select Discussions.
2. You will then see a list of all Discussions for the course. Click on the topic title that you want to make your Response Post in.
3. Once you have opened the desired topic, you will see a list of all the threads your classmates have made within that topic. Click on the thread that you want to make your Response Post in. (Note: The threads that have bolded titles are threads that have unread messages in them)
4. Once you are inside the thread, you are able to read what your classmate has posted. Click “Reply to Thread” to start your Response Post to your classmate. You can also see in this view if any other classmates have replied to this thread yet.
5. Type your Response Post in the large text box shown. You may also add attachments to your post, subscribe to the thread, or change the title of your Response Post if you wish.
6. Once you are finished typing your Response Post, click “Post”.
7. The page will refresh and you will get a pop-up confirmation at the bottom of the screen that you have “replied successfully” to the thread. You will now also see your Response Post underneath your classmate’s initial post.