
.. _Provide Feedback:

###############################################
Provide Feedback on Contributions
###############################################

As you read the contributions that other students and staff make to discussion
topics, you can provide feedback without writing a complete response or
comment. You can:

* :ref:`Vote for posts and responses<Vote for Posts or Responses>` to provide
  positive feedback.

* :ref:`Follow posts<Follow Posts>` so that you can check back in on
  interesting conversations and questions easily.

* :ref:`Answer questions, and mark your questions as answered<Answer
  Questions>`.

* :ref:`Report a contribution<Report Discussion Misuse>` that is inappropriate
  to the course staff.

To select a feedback option, you use the icons at the top right of each post,
response, or comment. When you move your cursor over these icons a label
appears.

.. image:: /Images/Discussion_options_mouseover.png
 :width: 300
 :alt: The icons at top right of a post, shown before the cursor is 
      placed over each one and with the Vote, Follow, and More labels

When you click the "More" icon, a menu of available options opens. Options vary
depending on whether the contribution is a post, response, or comment, and on
whether you are a student or a member of discussion staff.

.. image:: /Images/Discussion_More_menu.png
 :width: 300
 :alt: The More icon expanded to show a menu with one option and a menu with 
       three options

.. _Vote for Posts or Responses:

************************************
Vote for Posts or Responses
************************************

If you like a post or one of its responses, you can vote for it. Hover over the plus sign (+) icon for the post or response, and then click **Vote**.

.. image:: /Images/Disc_Vote.png
 :width: 500
 :alt: A post with the Vote icon circled

You can sort the list of posts so that the posts with the most votes appear at
the top: click the drop-down list of sorting options and select **by most
votes**.

.. image:: /Images/Disc_SortByVotes.png
 :width: 300
 :alt: The list of posts with the "by most votes" sorting option and the 
       number of votes for the post circled

You can see the number of votes that each post has received in the list of posts.
(Votes for responses are not included in the number.)

.. _Follow Posts:

************************************
Follow Posts
************************************

If you find a post particularly interesting and want to return to it in the
future, you can follow it. To follow a post, hover over the star icon for the
post, and then click **Follow**.

.. image:: /Images/Discussion_follow.png
 :width: 500
 :alt: A post with the Follow icon circled

Each post that you follow appears with a "Following" indicator in the list of
posts.

To list only the posts that you are following, regardless of the discussion
topic they apply to, click the drop-down Discussion list and select
**Posts I'm Following**.

.. image:: /Images/Disc_Following.png
 :width: 300
 :alt: The list of posts with the "Posts I'm Following" filter selected. Every
       post in the list shows the following indicator.

.. _Answer Questions:

********************************************************
Answer Questions and Mark Questions as Answered 
********************************************************

Anyone in a course can answer questions. Just add a response with your answer to
the question post.

You can indicate that a response to your own question post is the correct
answer. To do this, hover over the check mark icon for the response, and then
click **Mark as Answer**.

.. image:: /Images/Disc_AnswerQuestion.png
 :width: 500
 :alt: A question and a response, with the Mark as Answer icon circled

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 of posts.

.. image:: /Images/Disc_AnsweredInList.png
 :width: 300
 :alt: The list of posts with images identifying unanswered and answered
     questions and discussions

.. note:: Discussion staff can mark any response as correct. Students can only mark responses as correct for their own posts.

.. _Report Discussion Misuse:

************************************
Report Discussion Misuse
************************************

You can flag any post, response, or comment for a discussion moderator to
review: view the contribution, click the "More" icon, and then click
**Report**.

.. image:: /Images/Discussion_reportmisuse.png
 :width: 500
 :alt: A post and a response with the "Report" link circled

.. Future: DOC-121 As a course author, I need a template of discussion guidelines to give to students