When a course from a previous semester is imported or copied into another course site in Blackboard, users have the option to either keep only the discussion forums or to import the starting post for each thread within the discussion forums. If users choose to import the starting posts, those posts are anonymized. This guide will demonstrate how to change the display of anonymous posts within Blackboard.
Accessing the Discussion Board
Log into your Blackboard course and click on the Discussion Board link in the course menu.
Setting the Author of Anonymous Posts
If you are accessing a discussion board for a copied course for the first time, you will see a dialog box similar to the one above with the heading Set Author of Anonymous Posts.
- From the dropdown menu, choose the desired option for setting the author of anonymous posts. The options include Not now. Ask again later; No, leave the messages as anonymous, or to set an instructor user as the author.
- Once you have made your desired selection, click the Submit button. Note: setting an individual as the author or leaving the messages as anonymous is permanent.
Confirmation
Upon completion of the de-anonymization process, you will see a green confirmation message that reads "The imported/copied seeds posts were successfully de-anonymized."