How can I require students to reply to a course discussion before they see other replies?
You can require that students reply to a discussion before the see any of the other students' replies.
Open Discussions
![Open Discussions](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/008/587/182/original/7d85f2a7-4585-4cc8-9532-0046175c0c51.png)
In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.
Enter Discussion Details
![Enter Discussion Details](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/052/183/original/cc56be3c-f51b-4d5f-982f-25b89129da13.png)
Enter a topic title [1] and discussion details [2].
Select Discussion Options
![Select Discussion Options](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/008/587/186/original/92bdbe7f-51ad-465b-874c-f3aad100634f.png)
Click the Participants must respond to the topic before viewing other replies checkbox.
Save and Publish
![Save and Publish](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/008/587/188/original/9e5d058b-2dc6-4de5-8f33-f75c1ff81dcf.png)
If you are ready to publish your discussion, click the Save an Publish button [1]. If you want to create a draft of your discussion and publish it later, click the Save button [2].
When your discussion is saved in a draft state, you can return to the page and publish it at any time by clicking the Publish icon.
Student View Discussion
Students see a 'You must post before seeing replies' message when they view the Discussion topic.
Note: Sometimes students will work around this requirement by deleting their posts. You can change your course settings to keep students from deleting their posts.