To access the Announcements tool, go to Edit Course, or access the tool from your homepage Announcements widget. To create an item, select New Announcement. You must fill out the required fields, which are indicated by red asterisks, including the Headline and Content. You can also set Availability dates which allow the item to be set up for a specific date and time to be released and dismissed.  Once you have created your announcement, be sure to click on the blue Publish button at the bottom of the page, which will publish or schedule your announcement based on the Start Date you have set for the announcement.

The Discussions tool is broken down into two different types of sections, Forums and Topics. Forums are essentially a place to discuss a topic. Some instructors create just one forum with all of their topics in it, while others create a forum for each week or module with the topics for that week or module in it. Because the latter is considered best practice, these instructions will explain how to create forums and topics for each module.  Click on Communications > Discussions. Click on New > New Topic. Click on the [New Forum] link and in the Title box, give this forum a name and click the Save button. Give the forum a name that is representative of the week, unit, or module of the course. If your course has weekly modules, name your forums something like Week 1 Discussion.  Topic Type - Leave this on Open Topic, unless you have previously created groups of students, leave this on the default of Open Topic. (Note: You may not see this option.) Title - Give this discussion topic a meaningful title. Don't use Week 1 Discussion here, but instead use a title that provides some insight into the topic being discussed.  Description - This is where you will type your prompt for the students to discuss. You can also include images or video through the "insert stuff" button, if you'd like (this is the button located to the far left of the toolbar for this field).  Options - If you would like students to post an original thread before they are able to read any other student posts, check the box labeled, "Users must start a thread before they can read and reply to other threads".  Click on the Restrictions tab.  Leave the "availability" section blank and in the "Locking Options" area select "Unlock topic for a specific date range". Note: Availability prevents students from seeing the discussion topics, posts, and replies outside of the set range. This is not best practice.  Check and set both the "Has Start Date" and "Has End Date" boxes with the start and end dates the discussion topic should be unlocked for the students.  Note: Locking will allow the students to see the topic, posts, and replies but they can only interact with the topic during the specified period. This is best practice.  Click on the Assessment tab.  If you have already created a grade item for this discussion topic, select it from the Grade Item drop-down menu. If you have not, then click on the [New Grade Item] link to create and associate the new grade item.  Score Out Of - This is where you will put the total points available for the discussion post. Rubrics - This is where you will select or create a rubric for this discussion post. I would recommend creating one rubric for all discussions and using it for each discussion post.  Click "Save and Close".  Create a Forum Create a Topic Add a Rubric to a Discussion Topic Assess from within a Thread Subscription Options Grade a Discussion Topic

Faculty - How2 Use the Classlist Tool in D2L By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to... Locate the Classlist. Use the Classlist to email students in your course. IMPORTANT: The Classlist is the preferred method to email people in your course.   1. Select "Communications", followed by "Classlist". 2. Either:     a. Click the user's name to open a new, blank email addressed to the user.     b. Select the checkboxs next to the people you want to email, and select "Email".

Faculty - How2 Delete and Restore Announcements By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to... Delete announcements. Restore announcements. Delete Announcements: 1. To delete an announcement, select "Go To Announcement Tool" from the Announcements dropdown menu. Delete Announcements: 2. Click the checkmark next to the announcement you would like to delete, and click "delete". Restore Announcements: 1. From Announcements, select the "More Actions" dropdown. Restore Announcements: 2. Choose the announcement to restore, and click "Restore".

Faculty - How2 Create a Checklist in D2L By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to... create a checklist in D2L. link to the checklist from within the content area. Create a Checklist Checklists are great for organizing the steps that students must complete for a project or assignment.   1. Select "Checklist" from the Toolbox dropdown. 2. Select "New Checklist". 3. Type a name for the checklist, choose settings, and click "Save". You can also write a description for the checklist and set whether you want the checklist to open in a new window when viewed. 4. Create new categories and new items for the checklist, and select "Save and Close". Link to the Checklist within the Content Area Students will not know that a checklist exists unless you link to it.   1. From Content, select "Existing Activities". 2. Select "Checklist" and choose the correct checklist.

Before you are able to use the activity feed, you must place the widget on your homepage.  Please see our tutorial Faculty - How2 Assign a Widget to the Homepage for more information on that process. Overview of the Activity Feed Activity Feed - Add Attachments and Links to Posts Activity Feed - Create an Assignment Post Activity Feed - Optimize Posts Activity Feed - Notifications