There are five forum types:

• A single simple discussion: A single topic discussion developed on one page, which is useful for short, focused discussions.
  
• Standard forum for general use: An open forum where anyone can start a new topic at any time; this is the best general-purpose forum. Displays in a table with headings that link to the posts.
  
• Each person posts one discussion: Each person can post exactly one new discussion topic (everyone can reply to all topics); this is useful when you want each student to start a discussion about, for example, their reflections on the week’s topic, and then allow everyone else to respond.
  
• Q and A forum: The instructor will post the initial forum, and students will then reply to that post instead of starting their own prompts. This ensures that the students post their perspectives independently before they are allowed to view other students’ responses.
  
• Standard forum displayed in a blog-like format: This type functions like the Standard Forum for General Use, but displays post content directly on the page.
  

Editing a Forum Type*

*Be aware that changing a forum type after the initial setup could result in unwanted changes in how the forum description is posted.

1. Access the Settings page of the forum for which you’d like to change the forum type. You can do this one of two ways:
   
   1. Find the gear icon in the top right-hand corner of your main course page and click Turn Editing On. Use the Edithyperlink that appears to the right of the forum to select Edit Settings.
      
   2. Access the forum you’d like and then click Edit Settings in the Administration
      
2. To edit a forum type, click on the drop-down menu labeled Forum Type located in the General block at the top of the page to make your selection. Click either Save option at the bottom of the screen when finished.