How do I modify forum Template Settings?
Template Settings control the default settings of each new forum created after the Template Settings have been changed. These settings can be overridden for a specific forum or topic by adjusting the Forum Settings or Topic Settings.
Go to Discussions.
Select Discussions from the Tool Menu in your site.
Select the Template Settings tab.
Select Forum Posting settings.
The Default Settings Template allows you to enable the following Forum Posting options as default in newly created forums:
- Moderate topics in forums: This option means all messages posted within topics in this forum must be approved by the instructor or site administrator before they can be accessed by other members.
- Require users to post before reading: Selecting this option requires users to post their own response first, before they can view other messages posted previously. This is a good option for instructors who want students to respond to a discussion prompt before seeing other students' responses.
Select availability.
The default option for forum availability is to Show immediately. You can also choose to Specify dates to open (show) and/or close (hide).
If you specify availability dates for forums via the Default Settings Template, all topics and content in those forums will be hidden when the forums are not open. Alternatively, you can set availability dates for individual forums or topics to have each forum or topic open or close at different dates.
Note: Choosing to Specify dates to open (show) and/or close (hide) is different from choosing to Lock a forum. Site participants will not be able to see a hidden forum at all, but they can read messages that were previously posted to topics in a forum you lock.
Select whether messages are automatically marked as read.
The default option for marking all messages in conversations as read is No, requiring site participants to mark each post as read after reading. Selecting Yes will automatically mark all messages in a conversation, or thread, as read, as soon as a participant accesses the conversation.
View Permissions.
The Default Settings Template allows you to set permissions for all forums created after the template is edited.
In most cases, the default forum permissions are appropriate. By default, instructors and site administrators are forum Owners, and all other site participants are Contributors. The forum owner may add and delete topics, modify permissions, edit the forum and topic descriptions, etc. Contributors may read, post and reply to messages. Contributors may also edit and delete their Own messages.
Modify Permissions.
Forum permissions may be customized for different user roles, rosters, or groups within a site.
- Select the drop-down menu next to each role or group to choose one of the pre-configured options (i.e. Author, Contributor, None, Non-editing Author, Owner, Reviewer).
- Click the Customize button to the right to further expand the options for more granular custom permissions.
- The default permissions allow contributors (the default role for students and collaboration site members) to post new conversations, read posts, reply to posts, mark posts as read, and edit and delete their own messages. You can add or revoke posting or reading privileges by selecting or deselecting the check boxes for those privileges. To prevent students from either editing or deleting their own messages, select Customize for the Student role, then select None under the Edit Messages or Delete Messages column.
Note: Group permissions display if groups have been created.
At the bottom of the page, select Save.
