Copying Group Discussion Forums

Group discussion forums can be copied into different groups to reduce the setup time for creating group discussions, reducing the need for instructors to retype discussion forum information and settings into multiple groups.  Note: This guide assumes that at least one group discussion forum has been created.  For additional information, please refer to the guide on Creating Group Discussion Forums.

Accessing Group Discussion Boards, Part 1

Image of the Blackboard Control Panel, with the panel expanded at Course Tools and marked with a number 1, and Discussion Board highlighed and marked with a number 2

To access group discussion boards, log into your Blackboard course and go to the course Control Panel.

  1. Click on Course Tools
  2. Click on Discussion Board

 

Accessing Group Discussion Boards, Part 2

Image of the list of discussion boards, with an arrow pointing to the name of a discussion board and an annotation reading: Click on the group name you wish to access

You will now see a screen similar to the one above that lists all the discussion boards in the course, including the course discussion board and the discussion boards for each group.  Click on the name of the group that contains the discussion board you wish to copy

Copying a Group Discussion Board

The image shows a button to click on next to a forum name to generate a menu.  In the menu, the word Copy is highlighted

You will now see the list of discussion forums within the group you selected.

  1. Hover over the forum you wish to copy and click the button that appears to the right of the forum name
  2. Select Copy from the menu that appears.

Group Discussion Board Copy Options

The image is numbered with the following steps: 1.Name: Enter a name for the copied forum2.Copy: Select Entire Forum to copy the forum settings and all posts (not recommended if students have posted), or Forum Settings Only to copy only the settings.3.Include Alignments: If goal alignments are used, check this box to copy over forum alignments to the new forum.4.Location: Select the name of the group discussion board you wish to copy the forum to.  Please note, you can copy to only one discussion board at a time, so this process would need to be repeated for multiple groups.5.Submit: Click the Submit button when finished.

You will now see a screen similar to the one above.

  1. Name: Enter a name for the copied forum
  2. Copy: Select Entire Forum to copy the forum settings and all posts (not recommended if students have posted), or Forum Settings Only to copy only the settings.
  3. Include Alignments: If goal alignments are used, check this box to copy over forum alignments to the new forum.
  4. Location: Select the name of the group discussion board you wish to copy the forum to.  Please note, you can copy to only one discussion board at a time, so this process would need to be repeated for multiple groups.
  5. Submit: Click the Submit button when finished.

Confirmation

Image shows a green banner with the following text: Success: Forum Copied.

You will then receive a green banner similar to the one above notifying you that the copy was successful.  The forum will then appear in the selected group.