Course discussions are rolling out gradually, so you may not see them on every course yet. Where enabled, each course carries its own discussion space in which enrolled students ask questions and instructors answer in front of the whole class. Answering once in a discussion saves the same question arriving ten times by message.
Where discussions happen
Open a course from your learning space and look for its discussions panel. If the panel is not there, the feature has not reached that course yet; in the meantime you can message the instructor directly. Conversations are organised into threads: each thread starts with a question or topic, and replies collect underneath it. Discussions are visible to the people in the course, not to the public catalogue.
Taking part
- Start a new thread for a new question rather than replying inside an unrelated one; future students searching for the same answer will thank you.
- Reply to existing threads to help classmates or add context.
- Like posts that helped you. Likes float useful answers to the attention of others.
- Instructors can endorse a reply, marking it as the answer they stand behind, which is the strongest signal in a busy thread.
Notes for instructors
Discussions work best when students see that questions get answered, so check in regularly, endorse good peer answers, and turn recurring questions into course content or an announcement. For one-to-many updates, use announcements instead; see Course announcements & updates.