Adding question and discussion categories for posts

docs/en_us/course_authors/source/creating_content/create_discussion.rst

@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ Create a Discussion Component
    course content. The values in the **Category** and **Subcategory** fields
    appear in the list of discussion topics on the **Discussion** page. To
    uniquely identify the discussion in your course, each **Category** /
-   **Subcategory** pair that you supply should be unique.
+   **Subcategory** pair that you supply must be unique.
 
    .. image:: ../Images/Discussion_category_subcategory.png
     :alt: The list of discussions with the "Answering More Than Once" topic indented under "Getting Graded"
@@ -102,4 +102,4 @@ In the **Discussion** tab at the top of the page, students can find the
 category and subcategory of the discussion in the left pane.
 
 .. image:: ../Images/Discussion_category_subcategory.png
- :alt: Image of the Discussion page from a student's point of view
\ No newline at end of file
+ :alt: Image of the Discussion page from a student's point of view

docs/en_us/course_authors/source/getting_started/glossary.rst

@@ -161,7 +161,13 @@ D
  
 **Discussion**
 
-  The set of topics defined to promote course-wide or unit-specific dialog. Students use the discussion topics to communicate with each other and the course staff in threaded excahnges. 
+  The set of topics defined to promote course-wide or unit-specific
+  conversation. Students use the discussion topics to communicate with each
+  other and the course staff in threaded exchanges.
+
+  A discussion is also a type of contribution that you can make to a topic to
+  start an open-ended dialogue. You can also contribute questions to the
+  discussion topics.
 
   See :ref:`Discussions` for more information.
 
@@ -433,6 +439,29 @@ P
 The page in the learning management system that shows students their scores on graded assignments in the course.
 
 
+
+.. _Public Unit:
+ 
+**Public Unit**
+
+  A unit whose **Visibility** option is set to Public so that the unit is visible to students, if the subsection that contains the unit has been released.
+
+  See :ref:`Public and Private Units` for more information.
+
+.. _Q:
+
+*****
+Q
+*****
+
+**Question**
+
+  A question is a type of contribution that you can make to a course discussion
+  topic to surface an issue that the course staff or other students can
+  resolve. 
+
+  See :ref:`Discussions` for more information.
+  
 .. _R:
 
 ****

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

 .. _Discussions:
 
 ##################################
-Managing the Course Discussions
+Managing Course Discussions
 ##################################
 
 Discussions, or discussion forums, foster interaction among your students and
@@ -31,13 +31,13 @@ sections:
 Overview
 ********************************
 
-Students and staff use course discussions to share ideas, exchange views, and
-consider different viewpoints. In a discussion, there are three hierarchical
-levels of interaction.
+Students and staff use course discussions to share ideas, exchange views,
+consider different viewpoints, and ask questions. In a discussion, there are
+three hierarchical levels of interaction.
 
 * A *post* is the first level of interaction. A post opens a new subject. Posts
   are often posed as questions, either to start a conversation or to surface an
-  issue that requires some action.
+  issue that requires some action. When you add a post, you categorize it as a **Question** or as a **Discussion**.  
 
 * A *response* is the second level of interaction. A response is a reply made
   directly to a post to provide a solution or continue the conversation.
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ levels of interaction.
   clarification or side note made to a specific response, rather than to the
   post as a whole.
  
-The dialog created by a post, its responses, and the comments on those
+The dialogue created by a post, its responses, and the comments on those
 responses is called a *thread*.
 
 All course staff members and enrolled students can add posts, responses, and
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ history.
 .. _Organizing_discussions:
 
 *************************************************
-Set Up Discussions for Your Course
+Set Up Discussion Topics for Your Course
 *************************************************
 
 Discussions in an edX course include both the specific topics that you add to
@@ -77,11 +77,12 @@ 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`.
+Studio. To add a discussion topic to a unit, you add a discussion component.
+Follow the instructions in :ref:`Working with Discussion Components`.
 
-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.
+This type of discussion topic is subject to the release date of the section
+that contains it. Students cannot contribute to these discussion topics until
+that date.
 
 =====================================
 Create Course-Wide Discussion Topics
@@ -162,8 +163,9 @@ these roles:
 
 * Discussion community TAs have the same options for working with discussions
   as moderators. Posts made by community TAs are marked as "By: Community TA"
-  in the list of posts. Responses and comments made by community TAs have a
-  colored "Community TA" banner. This role is often given to students.
+  in the list of posts on the **Discussion** page. Responses and comments made
+  by community TAs have a colored "Community TA" banner. This role is often
+  given to students.
 
 * Discussion admins have the same options for working with discussions as
   moderators, and their posts, responses, and comments have the same "Staff"
@@ -206,9 +208,9 @@ Run a Discussion
 *********************
 
 On an ongoing basis, the members of your discussion team run the course
-discussion by making contributions, endorsing responses, and guiding student
-messages into pertinent threads. Techniques that you can use throughout your
-course to make discussions successful follow.
+discussion by making contributions, endorsing responses, marking answers as
+correct, and guiding student messages into pertinent threads. Techniques that
+you can use throughout your course to make discussions successful follow.
 
 ==========================================
 Use Conventions in Discussion Subjects
@@ -229,13 +231,21 @@ body of a response or comment. Examples follow.
 Both your discussion team and your students can use tags like these to search
 the discussions more effectively.
 
+When a post is created its type must be selected: either "question" or
+"discussion". Members of the discussion team should be thoughtful when
+selecting the type for their posts, and encourage students to do the same. See
+:ref:`Find Question Posts and Discussion Posts`.
+
+.. future: changing the type of a post, maybe resequence or separate  conventions from post types
+
 ========================
-Seed Discussions
+Seed Discussion Topics
 ========================
 
-To help students learn how to get the most of course discussions, and find the
-best discussion topic to use for their questions, you can seed discussions by
-adding posts before your course starts. Some examples follow.
+To help students learn how to get the most out of course discussions, and find
+the best discussion topic to use for their questions and conversations, you can
+seed discussion topics by adding posts before your course starts. Some examples
+follow.
 
 * In the General topic (which is included in every course by default), add an
   [INTRO] post to initiate a thread for student and staff introductions.
@@ -246,8 +256,8 @@ adding posts before your course starts. Some examples follow.
   create their own posts.
 
 * If you include discussion components along with problem components in a unit,
-  you can add a post that encourages students to use the discussion topic to
-  ask for help with the problems, but reminds them not to post the answers.
+  you can add a post that encourages students to use the topic to ask for help
+  with the problems, but reminds them not to post the answers.
 
 ======================================
 Minimize Thread Proliferation
@@ -259,30 +269,38 @@ long threads (with more than 200 responses and comments) can be difficult to
 read, and can therefore result in an unsatisfactory experience in the
 discussion.
 
-* Pin a post. Pinning a post makes it appear at the top of the list of posts.
-  As a result, it is more likely that students will see and respond to pinned
-  posts. You can write your own post and then pin it, or pin a post by any
-  author. Click **Pin Thread**.
+* Pin a post. Pinning a post makes it appear at the top of the list of posts on
+  the **Discussion** page. As a result, it is more likely that students will
+  see and respond to pinned posts. You can write your own post and then pin it,
+  or pin a post by any author. Click **Pin Thread**.
 
     .. image:: ../Images/Pin_Discussion.png
      :alt: Image of the pin icon for discussion posts
 
 * Endorse a response. Endorsing a response indicates that it provides value to
-  the discussion, such as a correct answer to a question. Click the **check
-  mark** that displays at upper right of the response.
+  the discussion. Click the **check** (or tick) mark icon that displays at
+  upper right of the response.
 
     .. image:: ../Images/Endorse_Discussion.png
      :alt: Image of the Endorse button for discussion posts
 
+.. replace this image ^ when new one is available
+
+* Mark a question as answered. You use the same procedure to mark a response as
+  the correct answer to a question as you do to endorse contributions to a
+  discussion. Click the **check** (or tick) mark icon for correct answers.
+
 * Close a post. You can respond to a redundant post by (optionally) pasting in
   a link to the post that you prefer students to contribute to, and prevent
   further interaction by closing the post. Click the **Close** button that
   displays below the post to close it.
 
-* Provide post/response/comment guidelines. A set of :ref:`Guidance for
-  Discussion Moderators` or a post in a course-wide discussion topic (such
-  as **General**) can provide guidance about when to start a new thread by
-  adding a post, responding to an existing post, or commenting on a response.
+* Provide post/response/comment guidelines. You can post information from the
+  :ref:`overview<Overview_discussions>` in this chapter, or the :ref:`anatomy
+  of edX discussions<Anatomy of edX Course Discussions>` in the next chapter,
+  in a course-wide discussion topic (such as General) to provide guidance about
+  when to start a new thread by adding a post, responding to an existing post,
+  or commenting on a response.
 
 .. _Moderating_discussions:
 
@@ -313,6 +331,11 @@ 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.
 
+You can also share the :ref:`Discussions for Students and Staff` chapter with
+your students. It describes features that are available to all discussion
+participants, and may be useful to students who are new to online discussion
+forums.
+
 .. For a template that you can use to develop your own guidelines, see
 .. :ref:`Discussion Forum Guidelines`.
 
@@ -320,8 +343,8 @@ introduce features of edX discussions.
 Develop a Positive Discussion Culture
 ========================================
 
-Monitors can cultivate qualities in their own discussion interactions to make
-their influence positive and their time productive.
+Discussion monitors can cultivate qualities in their own discussion
+interactions to make their influence positive and their time productive.
 
 * Encourage quality contributions: thank students whose posts have a positive
   impact and who answer questions.
@@ -352,8 +375,34 @@ their influence positive and their time productive.
 For a template that you can use to develop guidelines for your course
 moderators, see :ref:`Guidance for Discussion Moderators`.
 
+.. _Find Question Posts and Discussion Posts:
+
+==========================================
+Find Questions and Discussions
+==========================================
+
+When students create posts, they specify the type of post to indicate whether
+they are asking for concrete information (a question) or starting an open-ended
+conversation (a discussion). 
+
+On the **Discussion** page, a question mark image identifies posts that ask
+questions, and a conversation bubble image identifies posts that start
+discussions. When an answer is provided and marked as correct for a question, a
+check or tick mark image replaces the question mark image. See :ref:`Answer
+Questions`.
+
+In addition to these visual cues, filters can help you find questions and
+discussions that need review. Above the list of posts on the **Discussion**
+page, the **Show all** filter is selected by default. You can also select:
+
+* **Unanswered**, to list only questions that do not yet have any responses
+  marked as answers.
+
+* **Unread**, to list only the discussions and questions that you have not yet
+  viewed.
+
 ==================
-Edit Messages 
+Edit Messages
 ==================
 
 Discussion moderators, community TAs, and admins can edit the content of posts,
@@ -364,8 +413,8 @@ text, images, or links.
 #. Log in to the site and then select the course on your **Current Courses**
    dashboard.
 
-#. Click the **Edit** button below the post or response or the pencil icon for
-   the comment.
+#. Click the **Edit** button below the post or response, or click the pencil
+   icon for the comment.
 
 #. Remove the problematic portion of the message, or replace it with standard
    text such as "[REMOVED BY MODERATOR]".
@@ -404,7 +453,8 @@ that have been flagged in this way and edit or delete them as needed.
 #. View the live version of your course and click **Discussion** at the top of
    the page.
 
-#. On the drop-down Discussion list click **Flagged Discussions**.
+#. In the list of posts on the left side of the page, use the filter drop-down
+   (set to **Show all** by default) to select **Flagged**.
 
 #. Review each post listed as a flagged discussion. Posts and responses show a
    flag and **Misuse Reported** in red font; comments show only a red flag.
@@ -518,4 +568,6 @@ reopen:
      :alt: Same policy value but with a line feed after each bracket and comma,
          and an indent before each date
 
-.. For examples of email messages that you can send to let students know when the course discussions are closed (or open), see :ref:`Example Messages to Students`.
+For examples of email messages that you can send to let students know when the
+course discussions are closed (or open), see :ref:`Example Messages to
+Students`.
\ No newline at end of file

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

@@ -67,9 +67,9 @@ topics are included in a course, they typically appear below the content they ap
 .. image:: /Images/Discussion_content_specific.png
  :alt: A discussion topic that appears below a video in the course, identified by a "Show Discussion" link
 
-Most courses also include one or more topics for discussions about course-wide
-areas of interest, such as "Frequently Asked Questions" or "Troubleshooting".
-You access these topics on the **Discussion** page of the course.
+Most courses also include one or more topics for course-wide discussions, such
+as "Frequently Asked Questions" and "Troubleshooting". You access these topics
+on the **Discussion** page of the course.
 
 .. image:: /Images/Discussion_course_wide.png
  :alt: Discussion topics are listed on the Discussion page when you click the drop-down list at the left side of the page
@@ -86,9 +86,34 @@ Notice that while you can access content-specific topics both on the
 **Courseware** page, you can only access the course-wide topics on the
 **Discussion** page.
 
-Before you add a post, look through the topics. When add your post to the most
-appropriate topic, others with the same interest can find, read, and respond to
-it more easily.
+Before you add a post, look through the topics. When you add your post to the
+most appropriate topic, others with the same interest can find, read, and
+respond to it more easily.
+
+====================================
+Types of Discussion Posts
+====================================
+
+When you make a contribution to a course discussion topic, it can typically be
+categorized as either a question or a discussion.
+
+* A *question* post raises an issue so that the course staff and community can
+  provide answers.
+
+* A *discussion* post starts a conversation by sharing thoughts and
+  reflections, and inviting community participation.
+
+When you add a post to a discussion topic, you specify whether it is a question
+or a discussion. When you visit the **Discussion** page for your course, a
+question mark image identifies posts that ask questions and a conversation
+bubble image identifies posts that start discussions.
+
+.. image:: ../Images/Post_types_in_list.png
+ :alt: The list of posts with images identifying questions and discussions 
+
+If you have any difficulty deciding which type of post you want to add, think
+about whether you want to get concrete information (a question) or start an
+open-ended conversation (a discussion).
 
 .. _Find Posts:
 
@@ -120,8 +145,8 @@ press Enter, the search tries to find:
   level.
 
 * Any usernames that are an exact match to your text. A "Show posts by
-  {username}" option displays above any posts that have an exact match at any
-  interaction level. Click the username in the message to read that user's
+  {username}" option displays above any posts that have an exact text match at
+  any interaction level. Click the username in the message to read that user's
   posts, responses, and comments.
 
 ==============================================
@@ -133,7 +158,21 @@ To review posts about a particular part of the course or type of issue, click
 down list. (**All Discussions** is selected by default.) Only posts about the
 topic you select appear in the list of posts.
 
-.. add something about endorsed responses(?)
+.. image:: ../Images/Discussion_filters.png
+ :alt: The list of posts with callouts to identify the top filter to select one topic and the filter below it to select by state 
+
+=======================================
+Review Only Unread or Unanswered Posts
+=======================================
+
+To limit the posts shown on the **Discussion** page, you can select one of the filter options. Above the list of posts, the **Show all** filter
+is selected by default. 
+
+* To list only the discussions and questions that you have not yet viewed,
+  select **Unread**.
+
+* To list only question posts that do not yet have any responses marked as
+  answers, select **Unanswered**.
 
 .. _Add a Post:
 
@@ -141,14 +180,12 @@ topic you select appear in the list of posts.
 Add a Post, Response, or Comment
 ************************************
 
-.. this section is likely to be more interesting and valuable when we add the discussion vs. question differentiation
-
 ================================
 Add a Post
 ================================
 
 To make sure that other students and the course team can find and respond to
-your posts, try to add your posts to the most appropriate topic.
+your post, try to select the correct type for your post: either question or discussion.
 
 Add a Post to a Content-Specific Discussion Topic
 **************************************************
@@ -170,7 +207,9 @@ Add a Post to a Content-Specific Discussion Topic
 .. image:: /Images/Discussion_content_specific_post.png
   :alt: Adding a post about specific course content
 
-5. Enter a short, descriptive identifier for your post in the **Title** field.
+5. Select the type of post: click **Question** or **Discussion**.
+
+#. Enter a short, descriptive identifier for your post in the **Title** field.
    The title is the part of your post that others see when they are browsing on
    the **Discussion** page or scrolling through one of the content-specific
    topics.
@@ -188,12 +227,14 @@ discussion topics.
 
 #. Click **New Post**.
 
+#. Select the type of post: click **Question** or **Discussion**.
+
 #. Select the most appropriate discussion topic for your post.
 
-.. image:: /Images/Discussion_course_wide_post.png
-  :alt: Selecting the topic for a new post on the Discussion page 
+  .. image:: /Images/Discussion_course_wide_post.png
+    :alt: Selecting the topic for a new post on the Discussion page 
 
-4. Supply a short, descriptive **Title**. The title is the part of your post
+5. Supply a short, descriptive **Title**. The title is the part of your post
    that others see when they are browsing on the **Discussion** page or
    scrolling through one of the content-specific topics.
 
@@ -268,21 +309,25 @@ identify posts that are new, or that have responses or comments that you have
 not read yet, and to distinguish them from exchanges that you have already read
 completely.
 
-* Posts that you have not read yet have a blue dialog "bubble".
+* Posts that you have not read yet have a blue callout image.
 
-* Posts with responses or comments that you have not read yet have a white
-  dialog "bubble".
+* Posts that you have read, but with responses or comments that you have not
+  read yet, have a white callout image.
  
-* Exchanges that you have read completely have a gray dialog "bubble" and
+* Exchanges that you have read completely have a gray callout image and
   background.
 
  .. image:: ../Images/Discussion_colorcoding.png
-  :alt: The list of posts with posts showing differently colored backgrounds and bubble icons
+  :alt: The list of posts with posts showing differently colored backgrounds and callout images
+
+The total number of contributions in the exchange (the post and its responses
+and comments) appears in each callout image. To see the number of contributions
+that you haven't read yet, move your cursor to hover over the callout image.
 
-These color-coded dialog bubbles appear when you sort the list of posts by
+These color-coded callout images appear when you sort the list of posts by
 recent activity or by most activity. If you sort the list of posts by most
 votes instead, the number of votes that the post has received appears in place
-of the bubble icon. See :ref:`Vote for Posts or Responses`.
+of the callouts. See :ref:`Vote for Posts or Responses`.
 
 ==============================
 Receive Daily Digests
@@ -337,6 +382,29 @@ votes**.
 The number of votes that each post has received displays in the list of posts.
 (Votes for responses are not included in the number.)
 
+.. _Answer Questions:
+
+************************************************************
+Answer Questions and Mark Questions as Answered 
+************************************************************
+
+Anyone in a course can answer questions. Just add a response to the post with
+your answer.
+
+The person who posted the question and staff members can mark responses as
+correct: click the **check** (or tick mark) icon that appears at upper right of
+the response.
+
+.. image:: ../Images/Discussion_answer_question.png
+ :alt: 
+
+After at least one response is marked as the answer, a check or tick mark image
+replaces the question mark image for the post in the list on the **Discussion**
+page.
+
+.. image:: ../Images/Discussion_answers_in_list.png
+ :alt: The list of posts with images identifying unanswered and answered questions and discussions 
+
 .. _Report Discussion Misuse:
 
 ************************************