Ed Discussion provides a platform for students and instructors to interact through threaded discussions. Students can answer one another’s questions, work on and run code together, embed videos, annotate images, and share documents. Instructors can endorse student responses and add their own feedback.
By using Ed Discussion to ask questions instead of emailing your instructor directly, the whole class can benefit from your question. Keep in mind that courses can use Ed Discussion in many different ways, so be sure to check your syllabus for important guidelines from your instructor.
Ed Discussion now includes a coding workspace and a lessons area designed specifically to help facilitate coding assignments. For more details, please see the Lessons & Workspace section below.
This page is intended for students. Instructors should review Ed Discussion for Instructors.
Accessing Ed Discussion
For courses in Canvas, click Ed Discussion on the left side navigation menu to access the discussion for your course.
If your course is not in Canvas, you can log in to Ed Discussion with the same Penn email address you use for Canvas.
You may also download the Ed Discussion mobile app by following the steps below.
Installing the mobile app
- Navigate to the Ed Discussion mobile page.
- When prompted, log in with the same Penn email you use for Canvas.
- Follow the directions for your device (IOS or Android) to add the mobile app.
- Enable Push Notifications in your settings.
Using Ed Discussion
Getting started
After logging in, we recommend reading the Student Guide to Ed Discussion. The Ed Discussion platform includes several different tools, and your instructor may be using one or more of them in your course.
When multiple tools are enabled, their icons appear at the top of the Ed Discussion interface. Hover over an icon to reveal the tool it represents, and click an icon to switch to that tool. You may see more or fewer icons depending on which tools are used in your course.
Discussions
The Discussions tool is the primary way Ed Discussion is used in Penn courses. It functions similarly to the Canvas Discussions platform, but with several enhanced features.
Understanding discussion thread icons
Threads with a blue dot are unread. These are threads that you have not seen.
Threads with a green checkmark are questions that have been resolved. This means that the question has already been answered.
Threads with a purple pin have been pinned. Pinned threads are generally reserved for announcements or important information.
Threads with a blue ribbon have been endorsed by course instructors. This is usually done by instructors to distinguish high-quality content.
Threads with a heart signify agreement. Hearts are private and do not reveal identities. 
Threads with a star are bookmarked to refer back to later. Stars are private to the individual. -
Threads with an eye icon selected are those in which you are subscribed to receive thread activity email notifications. 
Threads with the “S” icon indicate a student has answered a question thread.
Threads with the “I” icon indicate an instructor has answered a question thread.
Attendance
Your instructor may be using Ed Attendance to take attendance in live class sessions. To check in when you arrive in the classroom, follow your instructor’s directions to use the QR code, password, or single-use codes they pass out to you or display on the classroom screen.
Lessons and Workspaces
Two additional features that may be leveraged in your course are Lessons and Workspaces.
- Lessons allow instructors to guide you through a coding assignment. You will be able to write and run code right inside the lesson to give you hands-on experience and real time feedback.
- Workspaces are Integrated Development Environments (IDE) where you and your classmates can develop and test code together.
Please reach out to your instructor if you have specific questions about a Lesson or a Workspace assignment.
Additional Resources
Getting Help
For more detailed guides, please log in to Ed Discussion, select your region, and then go to Help with Using Ed Discussion. If you are already logged into your Ed Discussion Dashboard, click on the person icon found in the upper right corner of the screen and click Help.
The Canvas Support team can also assist you with Ed Discussion. Contact us at canvas@pobox.upenn.edu.