Forum FAQs

Tips For Using a Forum

• If your forum post is more than just a paragraph you should compose it in Word or similar program and then cut and paste the text into the forum. This helps prevent losing a large amount of work if something happens before you submit your posting.
  • Alternatively, consider highlighting all text and copying it if you are concerned about your Moodle session timing out when you advance to a new screen.
• Consider modifying the subject line to signify the content or contribution of your post.
• Make sure you are responding to what is being asked.
• Review your netiquette document for how to interact appropriately online.

Creating New Discussion Topic

To create a new discussion topic:

1. Click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button.
2. Enter a subject. This will be the title of your post.
3. Respond to the prompt in the message. 
   1. You can use the Moodle toolbar to format your post text or even to add images or attached a file if you so choose. Once you are done you must click the “Post to forum” button to submit your posting. Once submitted, you will have up to 30 minutes to edit or delete your posting. After 30 minutes your posting can not be changed or deleted.

Respond to Other's Posts

Many forums require you to respond to your classmates' posts. To read another’s post, click on the title link in the discussion column. You will then see the initial post and any additional interaction. To reply to either the initial post or any of the responses click on the reply button in the lower right hand corner of the post you want to respond to. You proceed just like you would do if you were creating a new discussion topic.

Forum Types

Announcements  

This forum will be located at the top of your Moodle course page and can be used by your instructor to make announcements to the entire class. You are automatically subscribed to this forum and will receive email notifications to your Bethel email when things are posted here. You can not post or reply to items posted in this forum.

Standard Forum

This is the most common forum type you will interact with in Moodle. In these forums, you are able to create new discussion topics of your own or read and reply to others' discussion topics. 

To view a discussion, you simply click on the Subject in the Discussion column. If you reply to a message you will need to click on the message "thread" to see all the replies to that message thread.  

Q & A Forum

This forum is used when the instructor wants you to post a reply to a question before you can see any other responses. You will also see that there is not “add a new discussion topic” button. In this forum type you are only able to reply to the posted question or topic. Once you post a reply you will be able to see the rest of the replies (there is a 30 minute delay).

Subscribing to Forums

Most forums give you the option of subscribing to them. You would do this if you want to be kept up to date on the interactions going on in the forum without having to constantly go into Moodle to do so. If you subscribe to a forum you will be emailed when postings are made to the particular forum to which you are subscribed. Emails are sent to your Bethel email account for each forum to which you are subscribed.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to a forum:

• In the forum, click on Subscribe to forum or Unsubscribe from forum. This option is listed to the right of Add discussion topic.
• Toggle the subscription option for individual posts in the subscribe column of list of forum posts.