Mount Ida College

“Post First” option for Online Discussions:

Problem: The Default/Normal Mode for an Angel Discussion allows all posts to be viewable by all students at all times. The potential problem with this mode is that students can read everyone else’s answers before posting their own. Students can be influenced by others’ responses (or even plagiarize them).

Solution: Use the “Post First” mode in a discussion. In this mode, students cannot see ANY posts by other students until they Post First. Then, magically, all the other posts will appear for them to read/reply.

Bonus Tip: Another useful Mode is “Private User Journal” - for a private discussion between you and one student (e.g., can be used for Reflections).