Thread Detail Page Updates

The Thread Detail page is thoroughly redesigned yet maintains all of its existing functions. All of a thread's posts are now visible at the same time on one page. You are no longer taken to a new page to post a reply.

A.  Expand All and Collapse All manage the visibility of posts on the page. All of the batch actions are still available.

B.  Functions appear when you point your mouse anywhere on the Thread Detail page, and action bar functions appear at the top. When you point to a post, the Reply, Quote, and Expand or Collapse functions appear.

C.  Click the number of unread posts to see a collection of only the unread posts in the thread.

D.  Inline replies provide the content editor on the same page, within the context of the discussion.

F.  The new Mark as Read icon is blue when the post is unread and white when it has been read. Posts are marked as read if you slowly scroll down the page.

G.  Post dates are displayed as relative dates such as "7 days ago." When you point to the relative date, the calendar date of creation displays.

 

Forum Updates

Forum descriptions are often used as prompts for discussion, so they are now visible where users are posting.

Forum Settings are grouped into related areas on the page, making it easier to scan and select options. Settings that are not available based on the current selections are grayed-out or have strike-through text.

  • Post-first Setting - instructors can require students to post to a discussion before seeing other students’ posts.
  • You can choose between Standard View (the default) and the Post-first setting.
  • When the post-first setting is applied, ‘delete their own posts’ is turned off to avoid a student posting something first to see others’ posts, and then editing their post after the fact.
  • When students enter forums with the Post-first setting, a message tells them to create their own thread before they can view threads added by other users. Here’s an example of what the student would see in a ‘Post-first’ discussion forum: