The following are some of the questions we frequently get asked about Discussion boards. For a full list of FAQs from Canvas, check out these Canvas Guides from Instructure: Discussions

Can I reply to a discussion board post by email?

If you have asked Canvas to notify you when new posts are made in your Canvas course you will receive a Notification email from Instructure. You can reply to that email with your response, however your responding post will then include the to and from address lines, your message, the Canvas logo with options and your email signature line, so we don't recommend this practice.  

Please note: if you attach a file to the email, that attachment will not make it to the Discussion board. We recommend clicking on the link in the email as that will take you directly to the Discussion board where you can post and add the attachment.  

Is it possible to assign discussion questions to part of the class?

Yes, one way you could do this is to create a discussion board assignment and make it a differentiated assignment so only part of the class has been assigned. The sub-set of students that were assigned this board will see the board and be able to participate in the discussion.  The sub-set of students that were not assigned will not see the board and they will be grayed out for points in grades so it is not counted as an assignment for them.  

Are discussion boards the best way for my students in Canvas to share materials with each other?

Groups might be a better option. Setting up groups would enable your students to have a site within the Canvas course where they can share files, create pages, have discussions and have conferences. The faculty member can always look into this group area and students are able to share content and information with only the people in their group.  

To create Groups go to People and click on the + Group Set. Your Group Set is like a folder that your groups will go into. You can create multiple Group Sets with multiple groups in each. When you create your Group Set Canvas will need to know if you want allow students to sign-up for the group of their choice, if you want Canvas to randomly assign them to groups or if you would like to manually create the groups. You can easily see each group area by going to People and then to the appropriate group set. Each group will be listed there. Click on the gear icon and click on Visit Group Homepage. You are now in that mini Canvas course where the group members can share their content. 

Can I get updates about when someone posts to a discussion?

Yes, you can get a notification from Canvas when discussion posts happen in your course. Go to your Account and click on Notifications. You can scroll down to Discussions and set them to ASAP, at the end of the day, or the end of the week. 

Do I have to search the discussion board for a student's posts and replies in order to give them a grade for participating?

No, if you mark a Discussion as Graded when you set it up, you can grade the Discussion in SpeedGrader. Just like when viewing a student's Assignment submission in SpeedGrader, Canvas will display the student's post and any replies they made to other students' posts in the SpeedGrader window.