Describe date format for close/reopen discussions

docs/en_us/course_authors/source/change_log.rst

@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ May, 2014
 
    * - Date
      - Change
+   * - 05/07/14
+     - Updated the :ref:`Discussions` chapter to include a topic on closing
+       discussions.
    * - 05/06/14
      - Expanded the :ref:`Grades` chapter to include a topic on interpreting the score histograms for problems.
    * - 

docs/en_us/course_authors/source/running_course/discussions.rst

@@ -16,16 +16,18 @@ For options you can use to run and moderate discussions, see the following topic
 
 * :ref:`Moderating_discussions`
 
+* :ref:`Close_discussions`
+
 .. _Organizing_discussions:
 
 *************************************************
-Set up discussions for your course
+Set Up Discussions for Your Course
 *************************************************
 
 Discussions in an edX course include both the specific topics that you add to course units as discussion components, and  broader forums on course-wide areas of interest, such as Feedback, Troubleshooting, or Technical Help, that you can add as discussion categories. 
 
 ============================================
-Add units with a discussion component
+Add Units With a Discussion Component
 ============================================
 
 Typically, all units are added during the design and creation of your course in Studio. To add a component to a unit, follow the instructions in :ref:`Working with Discussion Components`.   
@@ -33,7 +35,7 @@ Typically, all units are added during the design and creation of your course in
 This type of discussion is subject to the release date of the section that contains it. Students cannot contribute to these discussions until that date.
 
 =====================================
-Create discussion categories
+Create Discussion Categories
 =====================================
 
 All courses include a page named **Discussion**. When you create a course, a discussion category named General is available for you to include by default. You can add more discussion categories to guide how students share and find information during your course. Categories might include Feedback, Troubleshooting, or Technical Help. Discussions in these categories can begin as soon as your course is available.
@@ -44,7 +46,7 @@ To create a discussion category:
 
 #. Select **Settings** > **Advanced Settings**.
 
-#. Scroll down to the Policy Key labeled **discussion_topics**. By default, its Policy Value is:
+#. Scroll down to the **Policy Key** for **discussion_topics**. By default, its **Policy Value** is:
 
  .. image:: ../Images/Discussion_Add_initial.png
   :alt: Policy value of {"General": {"id": "i4x-test_doc-SB101-course-2014_Jan"}}
@@ -73,7 +75,7 @@ When students click the **Discussion** page for your course, the drop-down list
 .. _Assigning_discussion_roles:
 
 ==========================================
-Assign discussion administration roles 
+Assign Discussion Administration Roles 
 ==========================================
 
 You can designate a team of people to help you run course discussions. Different options for working with discussion posts are available to discussion administrators with these roles:
@@ -84,7 +86,7 @@ You can designate a team of people to help you run course discussions. Different
 
 * Discussion admins have the same options for working with discussions as moderators. Admins can also assign these discussion management roles to more people while your course is running, or remove a role from a user whenever necessary. Responses and comments made by admins are marked as "Staff".
 
-**Note**: Discussion responses and comments made by course staff and instructors are also marked as "Staff".
+.. note:: Discussion responses and comments made by course staff and instructors are also marked as "Staff".
 
 Before you can assign roles to your discussion administrators, you need their email addresses or usernames. 
 
@@ -116,7 +118,7 @@ Run a discussion
 On an ongoing basis, discussion administrators run the course discussions by making contributions and guiding student posts into threads. Techniques that you can use throughout your course to make discussions successful follow.
 
 ========================
-Seed a discussion
+Seed a Discussion
 ========================
 
 Before you contribute to a discussion, you can decide whether you want to be identified as a staff member or community TA, or to appear like other students' work. Depending on the subject and your purpose, one or the other might be more appropriate to spark discussion and inform students.
@@ -127,10 +129,10 @@ You can also post anonymously. Regardless of your role, you can choose to make a
  
 * To post as a student, you must set up an alternate account with a different email address, go to the course URL and register, and then join the discussion. When you post as a student, your responses and comments do not have a banner or other distinguishing features: they appear the same as any other student post.
 
-**Note**: Posts by discussion administrators do not include a colored "Staff" or "Community TA" banner. The colored banner appears only when discussion administrators respond to existing posts or make a comment.
+.. note:: Posts by discussion administrators do not include a colored "Staff" or "Community TA" banner. The colored banner appears only when discussion administrators respond to existing posts or make a comment.
 
 ==========================================
-Use conventions in discussion subjects
+Use Conventions in Discussion Subjects
 ==========================================
 
 To identify certain types of posts and make them easier for your students to find, you can define a set of standard tags to include at the beginning of the subject. Examples follow.
@@ -145,7 +147,7 @@ To identify certain types of posts and make them easier for your students to fin
 
 
 ======================================
-Minimize thread proliferation
+Minimize Thread Proliferation
 ======================================
 
 To encourage longer, threaded discussions rather than many similar, separate posts, discussion administrators can use these techniques. However, be aware that long threads (with more than a 200 responses and comments) can be difficult to read and slow to display, and can therefore result in an unsatisfactory experience in the discussion.
@@ -172,7 +174,7 @@ To encourage longer, threaded discussions rather than many similar, separate pos
 .. _Moderating_discussions:
 
 ***********************
-Moderate discussions
+Moderate Discussions
 ***********************
 
 Discussion administrators monitor discussions and keep them productive. They can also collect inforrmation, such as areas of particular confusion or interest, and relay it to the course staff. 
@@ -182,7 +184,7 @@ Developing and sustaining a positive discussion culture requires that sufficient
 For information on setting up moderators for your course, see :ref:`Assigning_discussion_roles`.
 
 ========================================
-Provide guidelines for students
+Provide Guidelines for Students
 ========================================
 
 You can develop a set of best practices for discussion participation and make them available to students as a course handout file or on a defined page in your course. These guidelines can define your expectations and optionally introduce features of edX discussions. 
@@ -190,7 +192,7 @@ You can develop a set of best practices for discussion participation and make th
 .. For a template that you can use to develop your own guidelines, see :ref:`Discussion Forum Guidelines`.
 
 ========================================
-Develop a positive forum culture
+Develop a Positive Discussion Culture
 ========================================
 
 Monitors can cultivate qualities in their own discussion interactions to make their influence positive and their time productive.
@@ -214,7 +216,7 @@ Monitors can cultivate qualities in their own discussion interactions to make th
 For a template that you can use to develop guidelines for your course moderators, see :ref:`Guidance for Discussion Moderators`.
 
 ==================
-Edit posts 
+Edit Posts 
 ==================
 
 Posts and responses can be edited by discussion moderators, community TAs, and admins. Posts that include spoilers or solutions, or that contain inappropriate or off-topic material, should be edited quickly to remove text, images, or links. 
@@ -228,7 +230,7 @@ Posts and responses can be edited by discussion moderators, community TAs, and a
 #. Communicate the reason for your change. For example, "Posting a solution violates the honor code."
 
 ==================
-Delete posts 
+Delete Posts 
 ==================
 
 Posts and responses can be deleted by discussion moderators, community TAs, and admins. Posts that include spam or abusive language may need to be deleted, rather than edited. 
@@ -244,7 +246,7 @@ Posts and responses can be deleted by discussion moderators, community TAs, and
 **Important**: If a post is threatening or indicates serious harmful intent, contact campus security at your institution. Report the incident before taking any other action. 
 
 ==================================
-Respond to reports of misuse
+Respond to Reports of Misuse
 ==================================
 
 Students can use the **Report Misuse** flag to indicate posts that they find inappropriate. Moderators, community TAs, and admins can check for posts that have been flagged in this way and edit or delete them as needed.
@@ -258,9 +260,97 @@ Students can use the **Report Misuse** flag to indicate posts that they find ina
 #. Edit or delete the post. Alternatively, leave the post unchanged and click **Misuse Reported** or the flag to remove  the notification.
 
 ===============
-Block users
+Block Users
 ===============
 
-For students who continue to misuse the course discussions, you can unenroll the student from the course. See :ref:`unenroll_student`. If the enrollment period for the course is over, the student cannot re-enroll.
+For a student who continues to misuse the course discussions, you can unenroll the student from the course. See :ref:`unenroll_student`. If the enrollment period for the course is over, the student cannot re-enroll.
+
+.. _Close_discussions:
+
+******************************
+Close Discussions to New Posts
+******************************
+
+You can close the discussions for your course so that students cannot add posts.
+Course discussions can be closed temporarily, such as during an exam period, or
+permanently, such as when a course ends.
+
+When you close the discussions for a course, all of the discussion components in
+course units, and all of the discussion categories on the **Discussion** page,
+are affected.
+
+* Existing discussion contributions remain available for review.
+  
+* Students cannot add posts, respond to posts, or comment on responses. However,
+  students can continue to vote on existing posts, report posts for misuse, and
+  follow posts.
+
+* Course Staff, Instructors, Discussion Admins, Discussion Moderators,
+  and Discussion Community TAs are not affected when you close the discussions
+  for a course. Users with these roles can continue to add to discussions. 
+
+.. note:: To assure that your students understand why they cannot add to  discussions, you can add the dates that discussions are closed to the **Course Info** page and post them to a General discussion.
+
+=====================================
+Start-End Date Format Specification
+=====================================
+
+To close course discussions, you supply a start date and time and an end date
+and time in Studio. You enter the values in this format:
+
+``["YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM", "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM"]``
+
+where:
+
+* The dates and times that you enter are in the Universal Coordinated (UTC) time
+  zone, not in your local time zone.
+* You enter an actual letter **T** between the numeric date and time values. 
+* The first date and time indicate when you want course discussions to close.
+* The second date and time indicate when you want course discussions to reopen.
+  If you do not want the discussions to reopen, enter a date that is far in the
+  future.
+* Quotation marks enclose each date-time value.
+* A comma and a space separate the start date-time from the end date-time.
+* Square brackets enclose the start-end value pair.
+* You can supply more than one complete start and end value pair. A comma and a
+  space separate each pair.
+
+For example, to close course discussions temporarily for a final exam period in
+July, and then permanently on 9 August 2014, you enter:
+
+``["2014-07-22T08:00", "2014-07-25T18:00"], ["2014-08-09T00:00", "2099-08-09T00:00"]``
+
+You enter these values between an additional pair of square brackets which are
+supplied for you in Studio.
+
+============================================
+Define When Discussions Are Closed to Posts
+============================================
+
+To define when discussions are closed to new posts, and when they reopen:
+
+#. Open your course in Studio. 
+
+#. Select **Settings** > **Advanced Settings**.
+
+#. Scroll down to the **Policy Key** for **discussion_blackouts**. 
+
+#. In the **Policy Value** field, place your cursor between the supplied square
+   brackets. Use the required date format specification to enter the start and
+   end dates for each time period during which you want discussions to be
+   closed to new posts.
+
+   When you enter the dates and times from the example above, the **Policy
+   Value** field looks like this:
+
+   .. image:: ../Images/Discussion_blackout_unformatted.png
+     :alt: Policy value of [["2014-07-22T08:00", "2014-07-25T18:00"],
+         ["2014-08-09T00:00", "2099-08-09T00:00"]]
+
+5. Click **Save Changes**.
 
+   Studio reformats your entry to add line feeds and indentation, like this:
 
+   .. image:: ../Images/Discussion_blackout_formatted.png
+     :alt: Same policy value but with a line feed after each bracket and comma,
+         and an indent before each date
\ No newline at end of file