Enhanced Discussion Board Tools
Users new to Blackboard may find the list of Discussion Board definitions helpful. We recommend that you review this list before you post your first thread. If you have used the discussion board in the past you may also wish to test your knowledge of the terms included in the list below.
Terminology
Discussion Board
The area of your course module where ALL discussion forums available to you are displayed.
Discussion Forum
A forum is a discrete "themed" discussion comprising a thread or series of threads.
Thread
A discrete subject of conversation within a forum and formed from a series of posts that follow on from each other about the thread's initial subject.
Post/Message
A post is your individual contribution to a thread, generally in text form (but can include other media or attachments). You make a post to start a new thread or reply to existing posts within a thread.
Reply
A reply is posted in response to an initial thread or another post.
Quote
Quotes embed a person's post into a new reply.
Member
A Member is anyone who is, in some way, able to contribute to a discussion forum. Note that a forum doesn't necessarily have to include everyone enrolled in the module.
Moderation
Process used to vet posts for appropriateness. Members of a forum (usually your instructor or tutor) will have the right to remove or edit posts made by any forum member for example.
Forced Moderation
Process that forces all posts made to enter a Moderation Queue for approval before they are "published" and thus become visible to standard forum members (those without moderation privileges).
