This guide provides best practices and step-by-step instructions for setting and updating discussion dates in Brightspace to support student engagement.

Recommendations for Discussion Dates

Due Dates

The Brightspace Discussions tool does not have a setting for due dates. Instead, to set due dates for discussions, we recommend creating a link to the discussion in the corresponding content module and adding a due date to the link. This will 1) remind students to post in the discussion by the due date as they are working through the module content, and 2) appear in the course calendar along with all other due dates.

Creating a Module Link to a Discussion and Setting a Due Date

Linking discussions to modules makes them easier for students to find and aligns them with the course structure:

  1. From the course navigation bar, select Content.
  1. On the next page, select the module where you want the discussion to appear.
  2. Click Add Existing Activities, then select Discussions from the dropdown menu.
  1. From the list, choose the discussion topic you wish to add. Once added to the module, click the chevron icon next to the discussion link and select Edit Properties in Place.
  1. Click Add Dates and Restrictions to set a due date, and specify the desired date and time.

6. Click Update to save the changes.

Availability Dates

The Brightspace Discussions tool allows you to restrict a discussion topic’s availability using Start and End dates. Many faculty prefer that students refrain from posting in a discussion before its content module; start dates are the perfect tool. When you set availability dates for a discussion topic, there are three options for how the topic is displayed to students when it is unavailable: 

  • Visible with access restricted: Learners can see the topic before or after the start or end date but cannot access it. (They see only the title.)
  • Visible with submission restricted: Learners can view the topic, including the prompt, and open it, but cannot post new threads or replies, making the discussion read-only.  
  • Hidden: The topic remains completely hidden from learners until the start or end date. Also, the discussion is not displayed in the course calendar, and a start date notification will only be sent on the specified start date. (Students will not get prior notice of an upcoming discussion.)

If you choose to restrict the availability of a discussion, we recommend using the second option, Visible with Submission Restricted, to allow learners to view the discussion details while restricting their ability to post before the start date. 

We do not recommend the use of end dates, however, if you choose to set an end date, it is especially important to select this setting so that students can still read past discussions when they are reviewing for summative assessments. 

How to Set Discussion Availability Dates
  1. From the course navigation bar, choose Discussions.
  1. Click the chevron icon beside the discussion title and select Edit Topic.
  1. On the next page, choose Availability Dates & Conditions to set up dates.
  1. Enter a Start Date for the discussion topic. 
  2. Below the date fields, you can apply additional restriction options. We recommend selecting “Visible with submission restricted” and ticking the box to “Add availability dates to Calendar”. We do not recommend using End Dates, but you may set these here as well. 

6. Save the changes before exiting.

Updating Discussion Dates

Due Dates

Due dates set on content module links to discussions must be updated ‘by hand’ by going to each module and updating the dates one by one. See the instructions above in Creating a Module Link to a Discussion and Setting a Due Date.

Availability Dates

Discussion availability dates will be displayed in the Manage Dates table and can be updated either using the bulk offset dates tool when all the dates in the course are updated for the new semester, or individually by filtering the table to display only the discussions and clicking into the start date for each one to update it.

Using the Manage Dates tool to update discussion availability dates

  1. From the course navigation bar, select Tools → Course Admin.
  1. On the next page, choose Manage Dates.
  1. Filter by Discussions to view. Click on the start date that you’d like to modify.

Click Save to proceed.

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