Switch on or off Discussion tool visibility - 4000.4
Impact: Administrators
Updated Help Topic: Not applicable
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Administrators can now manage the visibility of the Discussion tool for both Courses and Organizations in Blackboard. A new toggle on the Tools page lets administrators show or hide the Discussion tab and related components in the Ultra Course View interface. When the tool is turned off, all discussion-related elements—including the Discussion tab, content creation options, group discussions, and activity stream notifications—are hidden from users. Existing discussions are not deleted and will reappear with no data loss if the tool is turned back on.
Feature behavior includes:
When turned off, all discussion components are hidden from the interface, including during content creation and in group settings.
Graded discussions remain visible in the Gradebook but are non-selectable and inaccessible. Grades can still be changed, and the grade column can be deleted.
Discussion activities are hidden from the Activity Stream. Previously recorded activities reappear when the tool is turned back on.
No data is lost when toggling the tool off or on.
It’s strongly recommended to turn off the Discussion tool only for new courses and organizations. Turning it off in courses with existing discussions—especially graded ones—may cause issues. Links to discussions will no longer work, and content links or URLs will break.
Administrators
Availability: Available for all Ultra courses and organizations.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: Administrators manage the Discussion tool from the Tools page in the Administrator Panel. In the list of tools, locate Discussion Board and find Course Tool and Organization Tool. Both tools now have the option to be turned on or off. To hide Discussion visibility turn the tool off in in Courses and/or Organizations. If it is off, users won't see the Discussions tab within a Course or Organization. This tool will no longer be visible in the Participation and Engagement section when creating content.