1. Read the Discussion Prompt and Instructions

Look for the instructions at the top of the discussion page.
Read all of the instructions carefully every time you do a new discussion.
The instructions may ask for you to post a response to the topic AND respond to a classmate's discussion post.
If you don't see any other students' responses, you should write your own response first, then you will be able to see the other posts.

You could also be the first student to respond, someone has to be! If there aren't any other responses, check back later to find a student to reply to.

You can find any information about due dates (if any) and points (if the discussion is graded) just above the instructions:

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You will see these instructions on the next page, when you try out a discussion post.

2. Start Your Reply

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You can start your reply to a discussion topic by clicking anywhere in the reply box, below the instructions.

You will normally see a similar "Reply" button under each response. This is called a "threaded" discussion. It allows you to respond directly to what another person has said, instead of replying to the main topic. When you want to respond to what another person has written, be sure to click on the "Reply" button below their post.

3. Write and Post Your Response

Next, you write your response in the Rich Content Editor [1]. You can add links, photos, equations, and/or media [2] also, if your instructor allows, you can attach files. When you're done, click the Post Response button [3].

Note: We recommend that you write long responses in a word processing program like Word, Google Docs, Open Office Writer, etc. The Rich Content Editor in Canvas does not save your work until you click submit. An interruption in your network access, or accidentally closing the browser can easily cause you to loose everything that you have written.

4. Review Your Post

Once you have posted your response, take the time to see how it looks in the discussion.

Does your post answer or address the discussion question?

Does your post use good grammar and punctuation?

Check the instructions again if you aren't sure. If you find that you want to make changes to fix a minor mistake or add additional information, you can edit your post.

To edit your post, just click on the gear in the top-right of your post, then choose edit.

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This will open the Canvas Rich Content Editor and allow you to make changes. When you make changes to your initial post, it will show the date and time that it was edited. Please be careful on graded discussions with due dates. If you make changes to your post past the due date, your instructor may treat your response as late.