Using the WebCT Discussions tool
Netiquette - "network etiquette" is the etiquette of
cyberspace or the rules for proper behaviour online.
To ensure you use the discussions tool properly review
the following guidelines:
The Core Rules of Netiquette
Netiquette Guides
Conditions of use of computing facilities at Murdoch University
should be reviewed at:
http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/policies/itsecurity
What is the Discussions Tool?
The Discussion Tool is an area where
you can communicate with the unit coordinator and
students in your course by posting messages to
a public forum, also known as a Topic. The
messages will remain in the forum for everyone
enrolled in the unit to see and they can respond
to your messages by posting replies.
To access the Discussions tool, click on the Discussions
icon. It may look like:
If there are new messages on the Discussions
board, the icon will reflect this:
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What
does the Discussions Tool look like?
The Discussions Tool displays a menu from which you can Compose
a message, Search messages or edit the Topic Settings.
The Topic listing displays all topics in the Discussions
Tool, along with Unread and Total message numbers
and the Status of the topic.
The unit coordinator may have divided the Discussions
into different topics based on student
presentation groups e.g. Group 01 or unit topics
e.g. Week 2: Creating Web Pages. The Notes topic is where
messages corresponding to content pages e.g. Unit
Information > Introduction are posted and can be
accessed from a content page Action Menu.
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Discussions messages.
The Discussions messages area displays information about
the topic viewed, options to compose messages and
configure settings, lists postings in chronological
order and allows you to compile messages into one
downloadable view.
Threading
Threading refers to the way messages are displayed. The
default message display is Unread and Threaded.
The Display menu allows you to
change from a Threaded to an Unthreaded view.
By selecting the All option, you will
view both read and unread messages. Selecting Unread will
display only new messages.
The display menu above has the All and Threaded options
selected. In this display, messages are displayed
under a common subject heading no matter what time
or day the message was posted.
By using the green
arrow  ,
threads can be open and closed.
By selecting the
magnifying glass  , you can view all messages from
the thread in a single window.
Pictured above, the message display is set to All and Threaded.
Below, the display options selected are All and
Unthreaded. In this display, messages
are listed by the order in which they were posted.
By selecting the Status icon, you can read the corresponding
Discussions message.
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The Discussions menu.
The Discussions tool provides various options
for managing messages.
The top menu, pictured above, gives you
these options:
Compose Message will
allow you to compose and post a new message.
Update Listing will refresh
the message listing, displaying most recently posted
messages.
Search allows you to
search messages for particular subjects, users or
date.
Mark all as read will
list all messages in the topic as having been read.
The display menu allows you to
change message view and topic.
All will display both read and unread
messages.
Unread will display only unread messages.
Threaded will display messages by
subject.
Unthreaded will display messages by
date.
Select Topic will allow you to navigate
between different topics. Select Go to
change topic.
The Action menu allows you to perform actions on messages.
You need to select the message(s) before performing
an action, as pictured below.
Individual messages can be selected. By
selecting Subject, all messages in
the topic are selected and and an action can be taken.
Compile will display
selected messages in a single window, which can be
downloaded as a text file.
Mark as read will mark
selected messages as having been read.
Mark as unread will mark
selected messages as unread.
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To Compose a New Message:
The Compose Message screen will open in a new browser window.
- From the Topic menu, select which topic
you want to post to.
- Type a Subject into the subject line.
- Type your Message into the message area.
Equations and Attachments can be included in your
message.
- Select Preview to view your message before
posting, or select Post to post your message
to the topic.
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To Reply to a Message
The message display window contains options for navigating topic
messages and responding to message subjects.
Reply will allow you to reply
to the message.
Reply Privately will allow you
to respond to the author of the message. The author
will receive the private message in their WebCT Mail
box.
Quote will include the original
message in your reply.
Download will download the message
as a text file to your computer.
Other options in the message window include Close,
to close the window and return to the message listing
and navigation icons enabling you to navigate between
threads  and
messages  .
NOTE: There are different options to reply to messages
which contain Equations.
Information about these
options is available.
To reply to a message,
- Select a Reply method (Reply, Reply Privately
or Quote).
The reply display will open in a new browser window.
- Type your Message into the message area. Equations and Attachments can
be included in your message.
- Select Preview to view your message before
posting or Post to post your message to the
topic.
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Adding an attachment to a message.
The Attach File button in the compose or reply window
will allow you to send attachments to
your Discussion postings.
To post an attachment:
- Beside the Attachments heading, select Browse...
- Browse your computer's files and select the file you wish to attach.
- Once the file is selected, click
the
Select
button. The file name will be listed in the Attachment box, as
pictured below.
The file is now attached
and you can continue to post a message.
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Viewing attachments
Messages that have attachments will display a different message
header. You will see the Attachments icon, a paper clip, displayed
with the message:
- Click on the paperclip icon to view the attachment.
You can also view an attachment when viewing a message:
- Select the See Attached link to view attached
documents.
WebCT will
display HTML files in a browser window, but other files
will appear in a list and you will have the
option to download them to your computer
for viewing in the appropriate software application.
For further
help with the WebCT Discussion Tool, click
the
Help button in the WebCT menu bar.
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