Forums
      Back to home
      1. Support Centre
      2. Forums

      Forum Settings

      What settings can I set for my forum?

      Forum settings

      • Forum name: this is the name of the forum and will be displayed on the course page

      • Description: this is optional but can be used to give instructions or guidance about how to use the forum

      • Display description on course page: if this is enabled the description will be displayed on the course page just below the link to the forum

      • Forum type: as previously discussed there are 5 forum types (link to what is a forum page)

      • Maximum attachment size: learners can attach files to their posts, it is recommended that you limit the maximum size of their post so that you don't use up all your server space. (very important if you are paying a commercial hosting company for your Totara site.

      • Maximum number of attachments: this specifies the maximum number of files that can be attached to a forum post.

      • Display word count: this specifies if the word count of each post should be displayed or not.

      • Subscription mode: this provides notifications to the users of new posts to the subscribed forum or forum topics. The notification will be delivered depending on the users messaging preferences. It is possible for the trainer to choose if a subscription forum is optional or not. There are 4 subscription options:

      Optional subscription: Users can choose whether to be subscribed

      Forced subscription: Every member of the forum is subscribed and can't unsubscribe

      Auto subscription: Every member of the forum is subscribed initially but can choose to unsubscribe at any time.

      Subscription disabled: subscriptions are not allowed for learners, although trainers can still subscribe

      (the subscription mode and subscribe or unsubscribe links appear in Navigation > Forum Administration when viewing the forum. Trainers can change the mode via the Subscription mode options and view the current subscribers via the Show/edit current subscribers link.

      • Read tracking: this allows users to track read and unread forum posts. There are 3 options for this setting:

      Optional: learners can turn tracking on or off for the forum via a link Track/don't track unread posts in Administration > Forum administration, or via their profile Forum Tracking option.

      Off: it is not possible to track unread forum posts

      Forced: tracking is always on in this forum, regardless of user preference or setting.

      • Lock discussions after period of inactivity: you can lock a discussion after a certain period of inactivity. You can amend these when creating or editing the forum, although it is disabled by default (so no locking will occur) Once a discussion is locked then only users with the right capabilities (eg editing trainer) can unlock the discussion by replying to the forum.

      • Time period for blocking: this allows you to block learners posting after a given number of posts in a given period. After a certain number of posts learners will be warned that they are close the the limit.

      • Post threshold for blocking: setting the block threshold to 0 prevents learners being warned that they are near the limit. (none of these settings affect trainers posting just learners)

      • Grade Category: this controls the category in which this activity's grades are placed in the gradebook

      • Grade to pass: this determines the minimum grade required to pass. The value is used in activity and course completion as well as in the gradebook (pass grades highlighted in green fail grades in red)

      • Roles with permission to rate: to submit ratings users require the /rating:rate capability and any module specific capabilities. Users assigned the following roles should be able to rate items. The list of roles may be amended via the permissions link in the administration block.

      • Ratings aggregate type: you can have a score for the learners submissions in the forum. The grade is set using the dropdown menu. If NO RATINGS is selected then the activity will not appear in the gradebook. The aggregate type defines how rating are combined to form the final grade in the gradebook. There are 5 aggregate types:

      Average of ratings: the mean of all ratings

      Count of ratings: the number of rated items becomes the final grade. (the total can't exceed the maximum grade for the activity

      Maximum: the highest rating becomes the final grade

      Minimum: the smallest rating becomes the final grade

      Sum: all ratings are added together, however the total can't exceed the maximum grade for the activity.

      • Scale: select the type of grading used for this activity. If scale is chosen, you can then choose the scale from the scale dropdown. If point is chosen, you can enter the maximum grade for the activity.

      • Restrict rating to items with dates in this range: select the dates from and/or to that you want to restrict ratings to be entered.

      • Activity completion

      • Restrict Access

      • Tags