Discussion Board

Use Pawtograder’s discussion board to ask questions, share knowledge, and engage with classmates and course staff

Discussion Board

Pawtograder’s discussion board feature allows students and staff to discuss course content and ask questions. It is not intended to be a replacement for office hours, although there is an option to format the post as a question that needs an answer (as opposed to a “note” that does not need an answer). Posts are formatted as Markdown, and support drag-and-drop attachments and images.

Discussion Board Layout

The discussion board features a feed-based layout with helpful sidebar widgets:

Feed Navigation

• My Feed: Your personalized view of posts, showing content from topics you follow and posts you’ve interacted with
• Browse Topics: Explore all discussion topics organized by category
• Followed topics: Filter to show only posts from categories you’re following

Pinned Posts

The sidebar displays Pinned Posts: important threads highlighted by your instructors. These typically include:

• Frequently asked questions
• Important announcements
• Helpful resources and guides

Pinned posts stay visible in the sidebar for quick access, regardless of how many new posts are created.

Top Posts This Week

The sidebar also shows Top Posts This Week, highlighting the most engaging discussions based on community activity.

Active Help Request Widget

When you have an active help request in office hours, it follows you around the site! A widget appears in the sidebar showing:

• Your current position in the queue
• Status updates (e.g., “Staff is here helping you now!”)
• Video call notifications when a TA starts a video chat
• A Join Video Call button for instant access

This integration ensures you never miss updates on your help request while browsing discussions or working on other parts of the course.

Post Visibility and Identity

Posts can be shared with the entire class, or with course staff only. Each user in a class has a pseudonym, and can choose to use their real name or their pseudonym. Staff can always see the real name of a user.

Students can edit their own posts, and staff can edit any post.

Notifications

By default, users do not get notifications for new posts, but can optionally “watch” a post to receive notifications when the post is updated or receives a new reply. Interacting with a post (e.g. replying to it) will automatically watch the post.

Creating a New Post

Click the + New Post button in the top right to create a new discussion thread. When creating a post:

1. Select a topic: Choose a category to help organize your post
2. Choose visibility: Share with the entire class or staff only
3. Select identity: Post with your real name or pseudonym
4. Mark as question or note: Questions indicate you need an answer; notes are for sharing information
5. Add images: Drag and drop images directly into the editor to upload them inline with your content

Engaging with Posts

Each post displays helpful metadata:

• Topic tag: Color-coded category (e.g., “Logistics”, “Assignments”)
• Author: Who created the post
• Timestamp: When it was posted
• Replies: Number of responses, with “(X new)” indicators for unread replies
• Likes: Community engagement—click the heart to show appreciation
• Answered badge: Indicates questions that have been resolved

Replies are threaded, allowing for organized conversations. Use the Markdown editor to format your responses with code blocks, links, images, and more.

Error Pins

When you encounter an error in your submission, Pawtograder may display “Error Pins” - suggested discussion posts that are relevant to your specific error. This feature helps you:

• Find existing solutions to common errors
• Connect with other students who encountered similar issues
• Get help faster by seeing relevant discussions

Error pins appear automatically when the system detects patterns in your autograder results that match existing discussion threads. This integration between the autograder and discussion board helps you troubleshoot issues more efficiently.