Sakai: Discussions

Forums

The Forums tool in Sakai allows you to have online class discussions. Discussions are asynchronous, which means participants do not have to be online at the same time.

Forums are one of the most popular tools in online and hybrid courses and can be used in traditional courses as well. Forums can provide opportunities for in-depth student reflection, application of concepts, and peer learning. Forums also add a critical element of student-to-student interaction to online instruction.

Basics

• How to Set Up Forum Topics: Video | Handout
• How to Publish a Test or Quiz: Video | Step-by-step instructions
• How to Grade Online Tests and Quizzes: Video | Step-by-step instructions

More info

• What do tests look like to students? (video)
• How to Create an Assessment Using Markup Text (pdf)
• Detailed instructions for each question type (University of Florida)
• Which test settings should I choose? (pdf)
• What do the Feedback Settings do? (Loyola pdf)
• Tests & Quizzes training manual (pdf)

• How to Set Up and Grade Forums
• How to Grade Discussion Posts (video)
• How do I stop the flood of emails (after posting in a Forum/Topic)?
• Provide students with Feedback in a Forum/Topic (UNC)

Best Practices for Forums

• TLC Presentation: Best Practices for Forums
• Forum Questions Used by Durham Tech Instructors
• Sample Rubric for Grading Forums
• Generating and Facilitating Engaging and Effective Online Discussions (University of Oregon)
• More Resources for Forums