Create Group Discussions in D2L Brightspace

Create one group-threaded discussion topic

When groups have been created in a course, a group-restricted discussion can be created.

From Discussions, create one group-restricted discussion topic

Important: You must create groups before you can set group restrictions on discussions. For a refresher on how to create groups, review the resources related to Create and Manage Groups.

  1. Navigate to the Discussions tool.
  2. Select New > New Topic.
    The New Topic option from the New menu
  3. Expand the Availability Dates & Conditions section, 
  4. Select Manage Restrictions.
  5. Select Restrict topic and separate the threads button.
  6. Select the Group Category to restrict to those groups.
  7. Select Add.
  8. Select Save and Close.
    The newly created group-restricted discussion topic

From Groups, create one group-restricted discussion topic

  1. Select Groups from the Other Tools menu in the course navigation bar.
  2. Select New Category.
    The New Category button the Manage Groups page
  3. Enter a title in the Category Name.
  4. Select an Enrollment Type, and enter the number of Groups/User in the corresponding fields (if applicable).
  5. Under ‘Create Workspace’ section, select Set up discussion areas check box.
  6. Select an existing discussion forum, or select the Create forum link to create a new discussion forum.
  7. Select the Create new topic radio button.
  8. Select Save.
    Create new topic radio button selected under Set up discussion areas
  9. On the ‘Create Restricted Topics’ screen, leave the Create one topic with threads separated by group radio button selected. 
  10. In the Title field, you can leave the title as is, or rename it. The Title is the discussion topic title that is visible to students and yourself in the Discussions tool.
  11. When ready, select Create and Next.
    The "Create one topic with threads separate by group" option on the 'Create Restricted Topics' screen
  12. Select Done on the Workspace Summary page.
  13. Select Save on the Edit Category page.
  14. On the Manage Groups page, the discussion is linked to the groups in the category.
    The discussions are linked from the group category in the Groups tool

Connect an existing discussion topic to groups

How do I connect my existing discussions to new groups in my course?

  1. Select Groups from the Other Tools menu in the course navigation bar.
  2. Create your groups of students using the New Category button.
  3. Enter a Category Name for the category of students.
  4. Select the Enrollment Type and Number of Groups.
  5. Under ‘Create Workspace’ section, select Set up discussion areas check box.
  6. From the Forum menu, select the forum containing the discussions you want to connect to the groups.
  7. Select the Attach to existing topic radio button.
  8. From the Attach to Topic menu, select the empty topic you want to connect to the groups.
  9. Select Save.
    Creating a discussion workspace by selecting the forum, and attaching to an existing topic before saving the page.
  10. On the Manage Groups page, one group-restricted discussion topic is created for the group category.
    The Manage Groups page with four groups and one discussion topic listed for all groups.
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The online learning platform for Minnesota State. D2L Brightspace is the product, which includes third-party integrations with Minnesota State enterprise systems.