Enable anonymous posting (Open Forum)

Open forums have the additional functionality of anonymous posting. This guide provides information about anonymous posting and how to make private replies.

A great way to use anonymous posting is when you want students to ask questions around exam materials or around points they find confusing. This can help students feel more comfortable engaging and seeking help. However, if students are having discussions with each other, then it is best to avoid anonymous posting to get students to take ownership of their comments and to limit potential online bullying.

Anonymous posting hides the author's name (teacher and students) for posts in the forum.

To enable anonymous posting:

1. Navigate to your Open forum and click Settings in the top menu.
   

   

2. Under Post options, check the Allow anonymous posting check box.
   

Teachers can choose to reveal their identities in posts by checking the Reveal yourself in this post when creating or replying to a post. You can select this option for individual posts and remain anonymous in others.

View author of anonymous post

Students can not reveal their identities if anonymous posting is enabled. However, you can toggle between student identities being shown or hidden and reveal who has made a post and see posters. This will not affect students, who will still see other students as anonymous.

1. In the top menu of your Open forum, select View posters.

   
   
   NOTE: Academics can reveal who has made a post and see posters. This will not affect students, who will still see other students as anonymous.

Private replies

You have the ability to turn on private replies to your students in an Open Forum. This enables you to provide a student with individual private feedback to their post that others cannot see.

1. Navigate to your Open forum and click Settings in the top menu.
   

   

2. Click on Post Options to expand the section.
3. Select the Allow private replies check box.
4. Click Save and display.