Forums

introduction | reading messages | contributing

Introduction
Forums are the Web based equivalent of discussions held within a classroom where you write, rather than talk. As well as being an opportunity to discuss subjects with other students, forums are often used by learning facilitators to check students' involvement in the course. They can even be used as part of your assessment.

The term "forum" is also another word for: discussion board bulletin board Web board community discussion

Reading messages

How a forum looks and operates varies depending on the forum you are using. Usually, when you enter a forum, you will see a listing of topics. Each topic (or thread) contains the original message and, if applicable, any replies to that message. You will generally be able to see who has posted the topic, when, and the number of replies (if any) to the topic.

If the thread contains replies, you will usually see a plus sign next to it. Clicking on this will expand the thread and show you the replies which have been made.

	A plus sign next to a topic shows that the topic contains replies. Clicking on the plus sign will show you the replies which have been posted.
	A minus sign is shown when you have expanded the topic. Replies are summarised underneath the original topic.

You are able to read the topic or any of the replies by clicking on the subject line itself.

Contributing to a discussion

In a forum, you can contribute by either

• creating a new thread by writing and sending a message, or

• reading and replying to an existing message (ie continuing the thread).

Some forums require you to be registered as a user, however others allow you to read and/or post topics as a guest user. Look for an "add post" button and click on it. You will then need to type your message and a subject for your message. Then by clicking "submit" or "post" (depending on the forum you are using), you will immediately add your message to the forum. Click on the forum "help" button if you need specific instructions about contributing to your forum.

TIP -Sometimes the forum can send you a notification email when your message receives a reply. This will save you going back to the forum to check if anyone has replied to your message.