Discussions Redesign will replace the classic Canvas discussion board and will be enforced in Penn Canvas on May 20, 2024. If you would like to make the switch earlier, it is possible to enable it as a Feature Preview.
For help with the classic version of Discussions that is the default until May 20, visit Discussions on Instructure Community.
On This Page
Why the Change?
Instructure, the vendor of Canvas, has considered user feedback and improved the discussion feature to ensure that discussions are more engaging, user-friendly, and efficient.
Please note that instructors do not need to take any action for the migration. All discussion board content in use will automatically be transferred over to the new version, and no data will be lost in the transition.
Overview
To review the full list of interface changes with visuals, visit Instructure’s Discussions Redesign Release Notes.
Feature Parity
Discussions Redesign has parity with most classic Discussions features:
- Option to require users to post before seeing replies
- Reply posts can be marked as read or unread
- Display for Discussion time stamp edit
- Multiple Due Dates for graded discussion boards
- Available From and Until Dates
- Previous/Next buttons for Modules
- Group Discussions
- Peer Review for graded discussion boards
- Add to student to-do list
New Features
New features in Discussions Redesign include:
- Role labels to indicate when the instructor leads a discussion
- Flexible viewing options to allow users to choose inline view or split view
- Mentions to notify a user tagged by @
- Quotes to reference a reply
- Reply reporting to ensure appropriate replies
- Anonymous ungraded discussions to allow for honest responses
- Sort/filter options and enhanced search functionality
- Visual improvements on mobile app
- Edit history for instructors to view all student reply versions
- Updated create/edit for interface consistency and improved accessibility
- Checkpoints to allow for the instructor to set two due dates for discussions: one for initial response and one for replies (available August 2024)
Getting Help
For additional guidance on using Discussions Redesign, please see the Instructor Guide and Student Guide on Instructure Community.
You can also contact your Local Support Provider or submit a request to Canvas Support.
Last Updated: 12 Apr 2024